Commentary
Boricua: Let's Have More Pride
By Clarisel Gonzalez
puertoricosun.com
San Juan -- I watched the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City on TV last month and listened to Puerto Ricans talk about how much they love their parade, their culture, their history, their flag. "Que Viva Puerto Rico" was the sentiment of the day as it is every year in one of the country's largest cultural parades.
Despite all the celebrations of Puerto Rican pride stateside, this little island is badly hurting with Puerto Rican on Puerto Rican crime.
Drugs, gang violence, domestic violence, child and sexual abuse and murder are very real cancers here. They are destroying Puerto Rican families.
Puerto Rico, with its beautiful palm trees and beaches and historic buildings, is far from a tropical paradise with all this violence. As I write this, there have been 427 homicides on the island to date, 27 more than last year during the same period. Sadly but surely, this number will be higher by the time you read this.
What is happening to our Isla del Encanto (Enchanted Island)?
The quality of life here is far from enchanting.
That is obvious in the daily news headlines. This week -- no, this year -- one of the biggest news stories on the island is the crime wave, particularly within the public housing projects. It's nonstop it seems.
And, the government and society is responsible for this bloody mess.
The government needs to do more than provide short-term solutions of activating more police officers to patrol high-crime areas, particularly at the housing projects. Putting police officers "as a show of force" at the projects is not enough. Not even mobilizing the National Guard would be enough.
And, attributing the drug and crime problem solely to poverty is simply a cop-out. Sure, there is poverty on the island with about 50 percent of the population living below poverty level. Sure, poverty is a contributing factor to the current crime wave.
But the drugs and the violence here is not just a poor person's problem. And, poor people are not the only ones to blame for the crime here. There is a lucrative drug trafficking market here, and I could bet that the ones making the real big time money are not the ones killing each other in drug point battles.
We, as a society, need to do more to respect ourselves as a people and combat crime by becoming activists for change. Period.
We have to go back to family values. The values of education. We have to value life. We have to value our pride as a people.
But not everything is lost. There is hope.
I know it.
I was inspired recently after I went with a group of fellow teachers to the Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation, named in honor of one of the island's giants. The foundation's mission is to preserve, strengthen and divulge the civic values that Don Luis Muñoz Marín fought.
It is definitely a place that Puerto Ricans who visit or live on the island should check out because Don Luis transformed the island improving quality of life conditions, and it is up to us to keep transforming it for the better. As the foundation literature states, "It is part of our history."
Luis Muñoz Marín, a poet and journalist, was the first Puerto Rican governor to be elected by the people, not appointed by the United States. In 1951, Puerto Ricans, under US law, were granted the right to draft their own constitution. The new constitution was then voted on by referendum, gaining the approval of the Puerto Ricans. On July 25, 1952, Puerto Rico’s status shifted from being a U.S. territory to becoming the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It was at this same time that the once revolutionary flag of Puerto Rico became the official flag representing the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Fifty-two years later our flag is still a symbol of the Puerto Rican identity. It is a symbol of who we are as a people.
It is a symbol of the respect we should have for each other.
As a Puerto Rican, a journalist and yes, a teacher, I admire the work Luis Muñoz Marín did for Puerto Rico. I am inspired by his example.
I imagine Muñoz Marín would have been proud to have our group of teachers visit. After all, he was a fighter for social justice and education in Puerto Rico, and that is exactly what these teachers represent in their struggle to reach today's students.
Among the terms teachers used to described Luis Muñoz Marín, were "master thinker" and "teacher of humanity." He is someone whose example we should emulate, especially today when respect for life doesn't seem to matter and crime is devastating families in Puerto Rico.
We, as a society, have to reflect on our values as a people.
If not, ay bendito Isla del Encanto.
July 2004
Friday, July 16, 2004
Latino/a Literature: A Resource For Standardized Testing
Latino/a Literature: A Resource For Standardized Testing
By Manuel Hernandez
Latino/a Literature is a resource for young adults and standardized testing in America. Voices of concerns were depicted in a widely televised special on November 30, 2003 on Fox television. The prime time segment dedicated a series on education to vividly document stories of children with problems with standardized testing. America is looking for answers and embarking on a journey of redefining its solutions. A resource for the teaching of literature in the United States of America may be Latino/a literature.
Studies indicate that there is a strong relationship between reading and writing. Two scholars in the area (Noyce and Christie, 1989) state that the mind assimilates information to explain the missing link between skills and reading/writing. Therefore it is up to educators to provide and include additional material and instruction to help students fill in the missing links. Closing the gap on standardized testing means going beyond the classics.
According to the United States Census statistics, there were 35.8 million people of Latino origin living in the United States in the year 2000. Recent 2003 numbers places the largest minority near the 40 million mark (13 percent of the U.S.A. population). Latino writers that migrated to the United States before, during and immediately after World War II, and those who were born and grew up in the United States have come out of the melting pot and have become a vital voice in American letters today. They have developed a powerful and dynamic literary voice and are being anthologized like never before. Even The Anthology of American Literature (Prentice-Hall, 1997), one of America’s most influential collection of classical writings, includes the literary works of the highly awarded writers, Tomás Rivera and Sandra Cisneros, alongside Hemingway, Updike and Longfellow.
Americans are demanding a quality education for all children. One of the four principles of the Government’s No Child Left Behind Law is an emphasis on teaching methods that have worked in the past. In a workshop that I performed for the New York City High Schools/English Language Learners Office in 2000 and 2001, English and English as a Second Language high school teachers shared testimonies (Integrating Latino/a Literature in The English Classroom, Part V, television production for the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network) on how Latino/a Literature had provided young adults with motivation and preparation for the Regents exams. Mr. Joseph Lizardi ,ESL-HS teacher from Roosevelt High School in The Bronx, New York, said that he had used the literary works of Latino/a writers to prepare and tutor ESL kids and had noticed positive results in the Regents exams.
In the English classroom, students feel a lack of personal involvement, especially with isolated writing assignments. Latino/a Literature is filled with every day and common events and establishes a bridge between reading and writing which connects students to ideas and themes. It is like seeing themselves in a mirror and assessing what, where, how and why they are who they are while developing reading and writing skills necessary to enter and succeed in high school and higher education. How can students interact with their reading-writing when their choices of literature are far away from their every day reality?
Young adults today are open to options. Media moguls and entertainment industries have captivated their interest because they have offered them options. Education must stay abreast with the challenges that our children face today. It is our responsibility as teachers, administrators, parents and educational advocates to provide them with innovations in their educational experience. According to statistics by the Department of Education, only 17 percent of Hispanic fourth-graders read at their grade level. Imagine what may happen to the reading skills of these kids once they reach high school by the end of the decade, if there academic demands are not met wisely. Why not provide them with an opportunity to make literature their own? If No Child Left Behind reiterates that all children are provided with quality instruction that will give them the opportunity to reach their greatest academic potential, and it provides the resources states and school districts need to fulfill this national priority, then provide them with options. Latino/a literature in the English classroom is a resource that should not be taken for granted and may redefine the literary analysis of contemporary American letters.
Like the previously mentioned Editorial states, "Disappointing test results have
many causes", but one of them are the choices that administrators and teachers make for their children. Additional research in the study of young adult literature demonstrates that language is learned through use rather than through practice exercises. Second, children need to be given opportunities to make language their own by making connections with their lives and background information. Finally, A well-designed reading/writing program should provide opportunites for diverse daily reading and various types of writing. The classics are and will always be part of the American curriculum, but Latino/a literature provides our children with a refreshening alternative and may supplement a well-balanced reading-writing program and help create interest in reading and writing which will in return augment scores in the "nations report card", the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Hernandez contributes articles to puertoricosun.com on education issues.
By Manuel Hernandez
Latino/a Literature is a resource for young adults and standardized testing in America. Voices of concerns were depicted in a widely televised special on November 30, 2003 on Fox television. The prime time segment dedicated a series on education to vividly document stories of children with problems with standardized testing. America is looking for answers and embarking on a journey of redefining its solutions. A resource for the teaching of literature in the United States of America may be Latino/a literature.
Studies indicate that there is a strong relationship between reading and writing. Two scholars in the area (Noyce and Christie, 1989) state that the mind assimilates information to explain the missing link between skills and reading/writing. Therefore it is up to educators to provide and include additional material and instruction to help students fill in the missing links. Closing the gap on standardized testing means going beyond the classics.
According to the United States Census statistics, there were 35.8 million people of Latino origin living in the United States in the year 2000. Recent 2003 numbers places the largest minority near the 40 million mark (13 percent of the U.S.A. population). Latino writers that migrated to the United States before, during and immediately after World War II, and those who were born and grew up in the United States have come out of the melting pot and have become a vital voice in American letters today. They have developed a powerful and dynamic literary voice and are being anthologized like never before. Even The Anthology of American Literature (Prentice-Hall, 1997), one of America’s most influential collection of classical writings, includes the literary works of the highly awarded writers, Tomás Rivera and Sandra Cisneros, alongside Hemingway, Updike and Longfellow.
Americans are demanding a quality education for all children. One of the four principles of the Government’s No Child Left Behind Law is an emphasis on teaching methods that have worked in the past. In a workshop that I performed for the New York City High Schools/English Language Learners Office in 2000 and 2001, English and English as a Second Language high school teachers shared testimonies (Integrating Latino/a Literature in The English Classroom, Part V, television production for the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network) on how Latino/a Literature had provided young adults with motivation and preparation for the Regents exams. Mr. Joseph Lizardi ,ESL-HS teacher from Roosevelt High School in The Bronx, New York, said that he had used the literary works of Latino/a writers to prepare and tutor ESL kids and had noticed positive results in the Regents exams.
In the English classroom, students feel a lack of personal involvement, especially with isolated writing assignments. Latino/a Literature is filled with every day and common events and establishes a bridge between reading and writing which connects students to ideas and themes. It is like seeing themselves in a mirror and assessing what, where, how and why they are who they are while developing reading and writing skills necessary to enter and succeed in high school and higher education. How can students interact with their reading-writing when their choices of literature are far away from their every day reality?
Young adults today are open to options. Media moguls and entertainment industries have captivated their interest because they have offered them options. Education must stay abreast with the challenges that our children face today. It is our responsibility as teachers, administrators, parents and educational advocates to provide them with innovations in their educational experience. According to statistics by the Department of Education, only 17 percent of Hispanic fourth-graders read at their grade level. Imagine what may happen to the reading skills of these kids once they reach high school by the end of the decade, if there academic demands are not met wisely. Why not provide them with an opportunity to make literature their own? If No Child Left Behind reiterates that all children are provided with quality instruction that will give them the opportunity to reach their greatest academic potential, and it provides the resources states and school districts need to fulfill this national priority, then provide them with options. Latino/a literature in the English classroom is a resource that should not be taken for granted and may redefine the literary analysis of contemporary American letters.
Like the previously mentioned Editorial states, "Disappointing test results have
many causes", but one of them are the choices that administrators and teachers make for their children. Additional research in the study of young adult literature demonstrates that language is learned through use rather than through practice exercises. Second, children need to be given opportunities to make language their own by making connections with their lives and background information. Finally, A well-designed reading/writing program should provide opportunites for diverse daily reading and various types of writing. The classics are and will always be part of the American curriculum, but Latino/a literature provides our children with a refreshening alternative and may supplement a well-balanced reading-writing program and help create interest in reading and writing which will in return augment scores in the "nations report card", the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Hernandez contributes articles to puertoricosun.com on education issues.
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