Teaching English

      

        Puerto Rico is a country that has gone through many different situations because of its political status. Puerto Rico’s primary language is Spanish. Politics has always interfered with the country’s educational system throughout the years, during its many phases. One of the phases that marked the island was the moment that the country became a commonwealth of the United States. This union brought a solid implementation of bilingual studies in the island. However, the intention of making English the primary language over Spanish on the island came long before. On the other hand, the intentions of the United States to try and promote English on the island failed due to the resistance on behalf of the locals known as “jíbaros”. The major reason why the locals were against English was because they felt it as an imposition from the United States.

        The chapter “Teaching English” teaches us that the curriculum implemented by the United States to teach English was very deficient; it did not meet the needs required to introduce a new language to the island or the personnel capable of teaching it either. Also, those who did notice that the curriculum that was being offered did not meet the standards required and wanted to make changes were ignored completely. Today, looking at Puerto Rico’s past we can recognize that there has been progress with the assimilation of the English language. However, the teachings in many public schools in the island can still be considered deficient for students with interest in university studies. The current curriculum is weak and must be modified, given the fact that the English language has become the most commercially spoken language in the world.