Page 38 - 1916 February - To Dragma

TO DRAG MA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 117

course, i n the lower grades, when a child is just learning the language,

the explanations must be given i n Spanish, but a f t e r he has finished

the fifth grade he is supposed to be able to use and understand

n- English so that a l l the work, excepting o f course, his regular Spanish
on lesson is carried on i n our language.
de The university, located at Rio Piedros seven miles f r o m San Juan,
ut the capital of the island, has a splendid normal department to which
t, students are admitted after completing the eighth grade. The stu-
e. dents have experience i n teaching i n the Practice School w i t h the
ge American critic teachers supervising them. When they have finished
9 - their course, they are ready f o r positions as lower grade teachers in
r- the towns of the island, the higher grades being taught by Americans.
er The rural schools are taught by eighth grade graduates who are
ts supervised by Americans knows as "Supervising Principals."

I f o u n d the Porto Rican children to be bright, interesting and

m friendly and every day that I spent in the schoolroom on the island

ns was a happy one.

T h e social l i f e appealed strongly to me. Near San Juan there
e, are a great many Americans and the l i f e o f the American teacher
r, is very f u l l each week-end. I wish I had the time to describe to you
he some o f the house parties I attended, the w o n d e r f u l sailing parties
ce and picnics under the brilliant tropical moon, the horse-back rides
y through the orange groves, the air around saturated with the fra-
h grance f r o m the blossoms; the Saturday afternoon bathing parties

in the warm, blue A t l a n t i c ; and the auto rides over the w o n d e r f u l
n- roads made years ago in Spanish times by the prisoners.
g Then there are the almost countless balls. There are balls at
he the schools, at the University, at the Casinos, at the American Clubs
d and the gorgeous Carnival Balls and at the Municipal theater. The
s- majority of the Porto Ricans disapprove of the "new dances"; their

a program consists of two two-steps, several waltzes, and their own

Spanish dances, the danzas and mazurkas.
h So, i f a g i r l is so fortunate as to be located near San Juan, her
f l i f e is a very busy, happy one, and even though she teaches earnestly
e five days out of seven, her l i f e is a round of pleasure.

But the g i r l who is sent to the place where she is the only Ameri-
h can i n the town does not have things so pleasant. She has no one
n to talk to, f o r , as a rule, she has never studied Spanish, she has no
e one to take her about, and even i f she had she could not go w i t h
u r him f o r she must observe the Porto Rican conventionalities i f she

would keep the respect of the community, and Porto Rican girls are
s always chaperoned by their mothers or older sisters.
f