A little on “Teaching” and “Helping”

The book Down on The Island is a great book written by Jim Cooper, an exquisite memoir about an American English Literature Professor who worked in Puerto Rico at the Colegio of Mayagüez during the 1950’s. In his book he depicts his opinion of The Colegio, of the country, about his coworkers, students and the role politics played in those days. Cooper taught a second hand language to a culture that was foreign to him, not an easy task, but he took on the Challenge. He was considerate while understanding the differences and working in their favor, as a result he overcame various obstacles.

In the chapter of Teaching, Cooper explains how he was the only continental professor that enjoyed from previous teaching experience. He was in charge of putting order in the system, while writing a new syllabus for the course, a task he must fulfill on his own since his boss didn’t believe in the Puerto Rican’s capacity to learn.

He states how Spanish was Puerto Rico’s indigenous language, and how English became a second hand language. The situation signified that students who were educated in the public system wouldn’t dominate the English language. Even the pronunciation seemed compromised to these student, most couldn’t understand the difference between high or hi, reach or Rich. The few students who were able to do well in class were the students whose family had sufficient Money to give them an education abroad or in a private school.

As a result of eagerly wanting to receive a good grade and not having dominion of the language, students started to cheat in the exams. However, this situation was not exclusive to the English department, during a meeting a Spanish Literature professor how students cheated in their Spanish tests as well. The problem strived from the erratic student perception of the students, who thought their actions as helping instead of cheating. He states how clearly didn’t understand a difference between getting a grade and earning it.

Evidently some of the situations postulated in this book are still valid nowadays, and it’s clearly affecting the student ability to receive a good education. Many students cheat, some don’t understand the material, and even professors seem to have given up on their pupils. We’re submerged in a dangerous cycle passed on from generation to generation. It’s time for actions, it’s time to recognize that cheating is not helping, and that helping is not cheating. There’s a difference. We must learn to work together as a team, the system, the students and the professor, our education and future lies solely in our hands and decisions.