Renuga Ramanathan has bagged Distinguished Teacher Award of the Year

Renuga Ramanathan has bagged Distinguished Teacher Award of the Year

• August 03, 2021

My name is Renuga Ramanthan and I am proudly representing the beautiful paradise Island in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, a country known for its richness in History, biodiversity and traditional culture with warm welcoming hearts of ‘ayubowan’ (in Sinhalese) or ‘vannakkam’ (in Tamil).

It is truly a privilege and an honor to be recognized as an Awardee in this International Forum as Women Icon (A Power of potential) Powered by “Times Women” and for bagging me the award title “Distinguished Teacher Award of the Year” 2021. I am very thankful and feeling extremely blessed and accept this award with a deep sense of gratitude and responsibility for recognizing my profile in a Global platform.

I’m 36 years of age coming from a family of four, my parents, me and my younger brother.  Being a Hindu in religion I was born in India and proudly raised up in my motherland Sri Lanka which is a multi-religious and a multicultural society. This background provided me the strength to grow along and to stand up as a smart woman and a loving mother of two sons.

 I studied at Seventh Day Adventist International School in Negombo till my Ordinary level and continued my Advanced level in Lyceum International School following the Edexcel curriculum. I have been a very forward and studious pupil since my childhood. I always wanted to be very energetic and supportive and wanted to face challenges hence participating in all the extra-curricular activities. I did a lot of sports and participated in field events and was the captain of our school Netball team being highlighted for the best shooter, and Prefect ship. I was also very keen in Art and Music and was a member of the school Band, Choir, Concerts and developed skills on Classical and Bharata Natyam dance and singing as well.  Winning the Best Performance in Academics and Sports Colours Awards in my school life was a stepping stone in my life. 

 My aim was to be in the field of medical research but, I always had a passion for teaching since my childhood. I still remember when I started teaching science to two students while being in grade 9 pretending and imitating my favourite teacher as a little girl. After schooling, I completed my Diploma in computer studies in Gateway Centre for Information Technology achieving Honors. 

My first stepping stone in my career was being appointed as a primary teacher, proudly being the product of Seventh Day Adventist International School and serving my own school was my biggest happiness. Then I was promoted to teach Chemistry and Human Biology for Edexcel London Curriculum for the senior grades. Chemistry, Human Biology and Mathematics were my favourite subjects since childhood. My teachers who were my role models, inspired me to serve as a teacher with their innovative teaching methodologies. 

According to my point of view, teachers have to be all-rounders. So, I worked on improving my teaching skills, creativity and innovative ideas. Numerous efforts were made by me to create a friendly environment, showing love and care as a second mother with a beautiful smile and pleasant gestures to all my students. My strong determination always made me reach my destination as an Icon of being one of the favourite teachers of my students.

I left my career in Adventist International School in 2010 in order to pursue my higher studies. I joined Business Management school and completed my Higher National Diploma in Biomedical Science with a Distinction and did my internship at Ceylon Biotech Laboratories, a training course on Molecular Biology Techniques related to Nucleic acid Based Diagnosis of Infectious/Genetic Diseases. In order to improve my technical and quality control skills, I joined as a volunteer trainee in Biochemistry lab as an Assistant laboratory technician in Mantri Nursing Hospital Negombo.

Although my pathway was redirected, I never stopped my teaching career as it was my passion. So I started my own Tutoring center, The Spectrum Education in a small scale and became a Self-Entrepreneur conducting Chemistry, Biology and Human Biology – Ordinal Level and Advance Level (Cambridge & Edexcel) and National Curriculum Science.

With great enthusiasm I joined Spectrum Institute of life Science and Technology and completed my Certificate in Health Research methods and graduated my final year achieving Distinction in Bachelor of Biomedical Science in collaboration With Edinburgh Napier University Scotland in 2015.

To build a long-term career as an experienced teacher, I started my teaching career in OKI International School in 2018 as a Senior Teacher for Chemistry and Science. It is a private school catering students from preschool to Advanced level through Cambridge International curriculum and National curriculum in English medium.  Vision of our school is “To become the best school in molding children to be world class citizens” and Our Mission is Creating opportunities for children to develop in the spectrum of Education and Personal Development.  Cultivating of values & ethical norms in children and giving them a sound training on the preservation of values & principles is our school aim.

I’m very proud to be a teacher of our OKI International school network. To keep myself energetic and to boost my self confidence with younger generations I started Coaching Netball to our junior and senior girls’ team of Negombo branch. Taking responsibilities to meet challenges in a career is a priority for success. Being a teacher doesn’t mean only teaching, it also means molding a child for his/her betterment for future as good citizens. I am a part of our School Disciplinary Team, Science Lab In charge, Member of the committee for Hosting the Concerts and School Programs, Exam Paper preparations and Online Teaching in the virtual platform. Finally, the best role is being a Class teacher for senior grade 11 Students as a second mother.

As a teacher I Identified and adapted teaching resources to meet the varying needs of children with different learning abilities, learning abilities and special education needs.

• I utilized a variety of learning materials, resources, lab equipment and technology methods [such as: Internet-learning, library, team learning] to support & improve the instructional environment.

• Communicated cooperatively with peers, colleagues and parents to meet teaching goals and ethical standards.

• Participated in training and courses to keep up to date with new teaching methods, new developments, and teaching resources and initiated relevant changes to instructional plans

 and activities

• Applied appropriate disciplinary measures where necessary 

• Planned, prepared and delivered instructional activities that facilitate a climate where children are actively engaged in the learning experiences.

• Offers plans for enhancement in which children are encouraged to be engaged in the learning process.

• Maintained an accurate teaching record and monitored teaching performance to provide feedback on learning progress and performance of every student respectively.

My future plans are to be a good Educator and a Head Teacher in my Own Institution and an articulate communicator, who is capable of interacting with a diverse population of students at a variety of academic levels supporting their needs. I consistently try to maintain excellent relations with students, parents, faculty and administrations. Also, I aim on building an education system that will support special needs children who are differently abled. 

Demonstrating sound work ethics in teaching, being self-motivated, initiative with high levels of energy, able to inspire, comfort, build self-esteem, excellent interpersonal communication skills, ability to listen to children and parents, stress and time management, creativity and being innovative in ideas and versatility in teaching methods are my skills as a teacher and an educator.

Finally, I would like to say, ‘To be a great teacher you don’t need the latest technology, the cutest classroom or the newest outfit. All you need is a passion for learning, and a heart to love every student who enters your classroom as school is their second home. 

I would like to end up with one of my favourite quotes that has always motivated me throughout.  “To the world you may be just a teacher, but to your students you are a Hero” I would like to be that Hero as a Teacher.