Down on The Island by Jim Cooper is a memoir about a continental American Professor teaching an English Literature course at The Colegio of Mayaguez during the 1950's. As I read the chapters on Teaching and Helping, Cooper clearly shows what he thought of the country, political issues, The Colegio, other professors and the students. "Teaching English to students whose culture is as foreign to him" as his culture was to them was a challenge Cooper must take on. The key to overcoming the multiple obstacles and impediments faced through their story is learning to understand their differences and working with them rather than against. Jim Cooper explains that he is forced into this position where he was the "veteran" around and was supposed to have all the answers.
In the chapter titled, Teaching English, Cooper explains that on his second year teaching at The Colegio he was left as the only continental professor with previous teaching experience. This is the reason why it was his job to write a new syllabus that would help the students and the system get along. He explains that his boss was on of the professors that "didn't believe Puerto Ricans were capable of learning anything anyway," so he was left on his own to finish this task. He tried to tailor the syllabus to his students' needs, but the problem was much bigger than difficult stories and poems. He talks about how a few years earlier Puerto Rican government had set Spanish as the vernacular and English as a second language. This milestone meant that the students that arrived at The Colegio, if they came from the public system, wouldn't have any type of English knowledge. That it was rich students that had study abroad or in private schools the few students that were available to do well in class. The pronunciation was also suffering from the poor decisions made by the system, he talks about how students could understand the difference between rich and reach or seat, sit.
This problem was not reserved exclusively to the students, he talks about how a professor from the Spanish literature department during a meeting talked about how students were 'shitting' on their tests. What he meant to say was that cheating is a big problem that keep on going in The Colegio. Cooper says that the problem wasn't that the students were cheating per se, but that they considered their actions as helping. He says that students mix having a good grade with the professor liking them. That when a student failed a class they would normally blame the professor because he doesn't like the student. They didn't understand the difference between getting a grade and earning a grade. Many students agreed that they cheated, but they argued that if their work was good then why didn't they receive a good grade.
After reading these two chapters, I can agree that some of the issues that affected teaching fifty-years ago are still getting in the way of a good education. Many students today are still cheating in order to pass a course, many don't even understand very well the language they are studying, and some professor have already given up before even trying to help. I still see students fighting the system because a professor gave them a bad grade and the reason is always "he doesn't like me." I find it very interesting that problems like these just keep getting handed down from one generation to the other. In order to break this vicious cycle we all must do something about it. We must teach students that helping is not cheating and that there is a fine line between the two. Professors must also understand that the education system is poor and students are not to blame for their lack of knowledge. We must learn how to be in the same page and help each other overcome this decade long issue.
Exactly. There's a fine line between helping and cheating. I already answer the survey! Good idea.
ReplyDeleteI like that you add to your profile the poll. I already answered it! This theme is really debated and it really depends how you are raised.
ReplyDelete