BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-05-21
EDQfSl IN Porto Rico.
Suggestion of Prizes for Native
Teachers Who Master the Lam
guage-Money Needed.

The Commissioner of Education of
Porto Rico has sent the following letter
to New York paper. 1t may interest
some of youar readers to know of the
efforts that the native teachers OF
Porto Rico are making to acquire a
working knowledge Of the English Ian
guage. We have a2out goo native
teachers, divided into three classes
rural teachers, who receive $50 per
mo- nth graded teachers, who are paid
$40 per month in the smaller towns and
| $50 per month in the larger towns
principals Of scho lis who get SIS pei
month. All of these salaries are paid
for only nine months Of the year and
are supplemented by allowances varying
from six to fifteen dollars per month
for house-rent or. quarters Few of
these teachers have had any good
educational advantages. Most of them
have families to support. often large
families at that. They are enthusiastic
in their work, eager to learn the new
methods of the American school system
that We are trying to introduce, and
anxious to improve every effort to learn
English.
The Department tries to arrange to
have one teacher of English in each
school building, going from class to
class, taking the primary work in all
subjects with the small children in the
forenoon and teaching English to the
other classes in the afternoon. Thus.
in the course of few years, as the
smaller children move up into the
higher grades, we shall have schools in
which all OF the children are prepared
to do all their work in the English
language and to use English test-books.
Il is more serious question, however,
to have native teachers ready so soon
to give all the instruction in the English
language. The bulk of the instruction
is now necessarily given in Spanish.
We have less than $50 American teach
ers employed in the island, and many
OF the native teachers are taking regular
lessons in English from these American
teachers. The Department has just
issued an order providing for the ex-
animation in English of every native
teacher, on Saturday, June p The
teachers will take this examination
voluntarily, as it is NOT required by law
III order that they obtain their certifc-
ates to teach next year. We shall,
however, enter upon the certificate of
each teacher next year the mark
obtained in English at this examination,
So that the local School Boards in
electing teachers may, if they see fit,
give the preference in any contest
between rival candidates to that teacher
having better knowledge of English.
Fhe English examination on June ?
will be in three grades correspondent
to each OF the three .classes-ru1al,
graded, and principal teachers The
plan for each will be the same but the
questions will be more difficult in each
higher grade
The teachers have already responded
and are forming classes to improve
their knowledge Of English and to pre-
pare for this Examination. 1t will act
as a great stimulus towards the attain
ing of the end we ali desire, namely,
the thorough Amerieaniza ion of our
Porto Rican schools. In view of the
great poverty Of these teachers, a small
cash prize would act as very great
ssinulu, TO further exertion, and no
more helpful gift could be made at the
present time by Our friends in the
United States then the gift of small
sums Of money to be used for this pur-
Pose. The Department. would like to
offer first prize, in each f the three
classes. OF $50; a second prize, in ca h
o the three classes. of SIS, and addi-
tional prizes Of $40 for the third and
fourth best showing made in each class
in the English examination. The sum
of $3oo contributed for this purpose
would accomplish great Rood and the