The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-12
TEACHING IN PORTO RICO
AMERICAN YOUNG WOMAN TELLS
OF HER EXPERIENCE ON
THE ISLAND
SHE FOUND THE PUPILS APT
Soon Got Used to the Cooking and
Liked the PeOpIe-Many Amer
leans In the ISL
and.

"And did you finally become accus-
toned to the oil and garlic Of Porto Ri
can cooking?" asked a New Yorker Of
the newly arrived young teacher from
one of the government schools on the
island.
did I?' laughed the young woman,
who is as brown as a berry and looks
the picture of health. ''Well, you should
have seen me eat"
When word was sent to the principal
Of the state normal school at Oswego
asking for teachers, says the New York
Times, a young Brooklyn girl and
friend were two of the prospective teach
ers studying there who decided to begin
their novitiate in Porto Rico. They left
New York on the 18th of last November,
and have Just returned, both of them
in the best of health and spirits, and de-
lighted with the experience. They are
planning to return for another year. Miss
Caverts account Of the trip is interest
ing, She has an original point of view,
for this is her first absence from home.
With her friend she left New York with
no knowledge Of what was before her
except LndI she was 5OlilS " lSdICh
lish, what her salary was to be, and
that she was to be taken to San Juan
by transport. She had not even the
slightest knowledge of the Spanish Ian
guage when the transport landed her in
Porto Rico, with no one to meet her, for
the transport was not expected at that
time. But travellers in need always OBJ
tain assistance, and the teachers found
the hotels, saw the head of the insular
board of education, and there was week
IN which to see San Juan before starting
out over the fine military roads Of the
island by ambulance conveyance Tor
Guayama, directly across the island, not
far from the coast, where she found she
was to teach, while her friend stopped
at another town, days journey this
side
"Guayama is one Of the largest places
on the island" said Miss Cavert, land
they are now building road between II
and Arroyo on the coast, and there are a
great many Americans in the town-en-
gineers and contractors with their fami-
lies Then stopping at hotel as l did
/ had a chance of meeting any Ameri-
cans who visited the place.
THE SCHOOL.
'T did not know any Spanish at all
when I reached there, and 1 did not
study, but hearing 1t constantly 1 could
not help learning it so that l could un-
derstand nearly everything that was SAID
to me before I left, though 1 did not learn
# as well as some of the other teachers
who were in places where there were
fewer Americans. I was to teach KIN
dergarten, and 1 had from twenty TO
fifty children Of from four to nine years
old, of all colors and conditions. Flrty-
five was the limit. Some Of the older
children had been to school before, out
there was a great difference In their ca
pacity, and some of the older ones were
no further advanced than the little ones.
"They were nice children, perfectly de-
voted to their teachers. A crowd OF them
used to come to meet me when L was on
my way to school, barefooted, ragged
and dirty little rascals, but they would DO
anything for me. They were mischieVous
and some of them showed that they mad
strong wills of their own, but they tried
generally to do everything that was ask
ed Of them. There was great deal or
absence in the school, partially on &C
count Of sickness, for many OF the chill
dren were not properly clothed or cared
for, and had not enough to eat Since the
terrible hurricane from which the island
suffered last August the poorer people
have lived from hand to mouth
IMPROVISED SUPPLIES.
school hours were from $3.50 in the
morning to 11:3O, and from 1870 to T. We
did not have any supplies when 1 first
reached there. Nothing but an English
chart, one of the kind with pictures and
sentences, a ball. for instance, and the
words This is a ball. and blackboard
without chalk or eraSerS. Another teach
er had given me a string of buttons,
which l used in teaching the children to
count, and we managed very well. The
children were delighted with everything.
10 fad he fifteen minutes to
singing kindergarten songs. taught them
to The chilren in English, and 1t was per-
fectly funny to hear them. No one would
ever have known what they were singing
but for the air, unless they were familiar
with the words. Then they said the
Lords Prayer, which 1 had taught them.
Il divided the older and younger chill
dren into two classes, and while I had
the younger ones at my desk counting
buttons the Others some of whom had
states and pencils, would copy the SEN
fences from the chart, and when the
others had finished the older children
would come to the desk. A bright idea
came to me one day, and 1 brought in
quantity Of white pebbles which were
outside in the yard, and used those for
counting, and when the children had fin
ished the lesson they could sit on the
floor and play with them. Then we had
kindergarten games.
There was no color line drawn appar-
emily, in the school or outside. A little
colored girl with her hair done up in in
Vulnerable little cues, each tied with
bright colored worsteds, was quite apt
to be the intimate friend of a little white
girl who would belong to one of the best
families in the place.
THE climate of Porto Rico was delight
full. The rainy season was not at all bad.
It would rain sometimes for days at a
v1y1a CHI
1t would simply drop suddenly from a
sunny sky, and there was not time to go
even under a tree to escape It. But then
1t was clear and perfectly dry again in
half an hour.
Living was very reasonable. I had
one Of the best rooms in the hotel, one
OF four, all occupied by Americans, open
ing off the parlor and paid $21 menth
for my board The oil and garlic, which
are found in everything, are disagreeable
at first. but I became accustomed to
them after a time. The thing I missed
most was the ice Our butter come
from Copenhagen in little tin cans, and
was usually very soft at the only time
II was served, with the bread and coffee
at the first meal of the day, which I took
at 1880. 1 became accustomed TO 1t soon
and found it very good. Tie water cooled
in water bottles was very good and the
coffee delicious. I have been complain
ing since I came home that the coffee
was thin. There 1t is brought from the
country and freshly roasted and ground
Just before use. A cup Is filled with
black coffee and boiled milk in propor-
lions of half and half The whole Is
Bweetened with brown sugar The bread
was very good In Guayama, where I was
1t was baked at the bakers, for at the
hotel they had only charcoal stoves and
no ovens. In some Of the houses they
had brick oIyans