Writing about Jim Cooper's "Down on the Island"

        The recognized writer, Jim Cooper, narrates his experience as an English professor in the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez. In his book “Down on the Island” he gives an insight of Puerto Rico’s distinct features through the way of life he acquires coming to teach to the island. His first thought of was to escape from “real life”, but then finds himself actually integrated to its people’s way of life.

         On chapter seven of the book titled Teaching English, Cooper says he was not capable of teaching literature or even a language, although he had a degree on literature. At first it was hard for him, since he was the only continental English professor, and was given much responsibility. Students were not able to learn English properly, even though they really desired to learn and communicate with it. Cooper realized that not only Puerto Rico’s schools had a bad educational system, but also the Colegio (as the Mayaguez University is known). Therefore, he bought new books and, with the help of other professors, created a new syllabus. Politics also had a negative influence over students’ capability of learning English since high school. This, along with other teaching methods, like “oral method” and “pattern practice method”, did not improve the learning of English.

         The next chapter, Helping, is about his opinion of students and parents’ reclaim of their grade, in which every situation consisted of the perception students have that the teacher “gave” them a grade instead of understanding that they had to earn it. There’s a curious situation that Cooper explains, in which a boy makes the assignment for his sister, whom is not so good at English, and he asks Cooper why he did not gave her a good grade. I agree with Cooper in that the girl does not deserve a good grade, if she did not do the composition. The boys’ idea of helping is obviously not the correct one, and cannot be given credit for it. Personally, I have not been a situation like this. My sister has always been there for me and my mother too, and they help me in everything they can. Though, not doing a complete assignment for me; for that would not be helping me at all, academically nor growing as a person. Since we studied at a very competitive school, my sister also had her many assignments, so she only helped me as long as she could. Thankfully, I could graduate with high honors, and I could say, with a good preparation to begin my next stage of life, university.