The short story, “Primary Lessons”, written by Judith Ortiz Cofer, talks about a young girl moving to Puerto Rico and going to school there but struggling to fit in with family and friends who are part of a different culture. Judith and her family just moved to her grandmother’s home in Puerto Rico from Paterson, New York. Judith was preparing to go to school but she did not want to go to a Puerto Rican school. It’s not about the language issue since Judith knew both English and Spanish. She just feels like an outsider because the culture and education were different for her. She had to wear a uniform for school as well as respect teachers totally. Judith describes how the teacher, or called La Mrs, would have a student who “behaved good” bring her the shoe box and take her shoes off of her and put some stain slippers. Judith got crowned teacher’s pet very soon because her father was in the navy and they were rich. There was another teacher’s pet, Lorenzo, because he always did anything to put a smile on anyone’s face. He was a bright, loving black student with a talent for song. One day during the recess Judith overheard the conversation from two teachers talking about Lorenzo and Judith. These two teachers gave comments on why Judith should get the part for the PTA show instead of Lorenzo. This short story presents three central ideas: discrimination in poverty, lessons learned everywhere, and education in school.
People in poverty often face negative stereotypes and judgment from society, leading to discrimination or the feelings of isolation. Due to the financial situation, poor individuals not only may not receive fair treatment in many aspects but also have limited access to opportunities for education, employment. Lorenzo is a bright loving black kid with talent in singing and he would do anything just to put a smile on the teacher's face. However, his chances for performing in the PTA have been taken away just because he is poor. Lozenzo is a good singer and sings very well. However, his chance of singing in the PTA is taken away by the teachers just because he comes from a poor family. Lozenzo is discriminated against because he is poor, even though he has talent in singing. Teachers comment on Lozenzo that "He is a funny negrito, and, like a parrot, he can repeat anything you teach him. But his mama must not have the money to buy him a suit.” The teachers even mock at Lozenzo saying that “Even in the suit, Lorenzo would look like a fly drowned in a glass of milk." Lorenzo is treated so unfairly by the teachers! Ironically, this kind of discrimination takes place in a school setting where teachers are supposed to give every single student equal opportunity to show their talent as well as pay equal attention to each student. It is not his fault for being poor since no one can choose his family when he was born. Discrimination against the poor reinforces inequality in every aspect and makes it challenging for poor individuals to break the cycle of poverty.
Lessons learned encourage people to reflect on their every experience, no matter positive or negative, and gain insights if they take time to understand it. It emphasizes the challenges from the lessons could lead people to their personal growth and development. Judith, at age six, was living in the gypsy lifestyle and this forced her the need of being independent even on her very first day of school. Judith realized that this was the end of her childhood. Judith did not want to go to Puerto Rican school. It did not mean Juidth did not like Puerto Rican. She just does not like to go to school there. Language or speaking Spanish is not an issue for her. Like she says “I had spent my early childhood in the U.S. where I lived in a bubble created by my Puerto Rican parents in a home where two cultures and languages became one.” What she fears is not about the language, it is about the culture difference. Back in America, her dad always encourages Judithto speak English, hoping she could be Americanized. In her mind, Judith already thinks she is an American who speaks English and it is just for fun to speak Spanish. But here Mom asked her to totally speak Spanish? This conflicts with her cultural identity. Judith learns a lesson that she needs to understand her true cultural identity and accept the culture difference if she wants to survive in Puerto Rican. Recognizing life lessons from the difficult situations could not only promote people’s resilience but also foster their ability of adjusting themselves into the environment.
Education in schools varies across countries since education reflects a country’s values, beliefs, and traditions, including curriculum content and teaching styles. Education systems are established to meet the needs of the society, tailored to the society’s specific context. Judith has to wear a uniform to Puerto Rican school. Judith only has one English course per day. At school, she had to learn silence, show 100 percent respect to teachers, and do whatever teachers said. Judith learned that it was a privilege for a student to kneel at a teacher’s feet and take the pointy high heels off her feet and replace them with a pair of satin slippers. If I ever went to Puerto Rico, I think I would have the same feeling of being weird as Judith. We, in America, are not supposed to be treated that way, taking off the teacher’s shoes for example. How can that help a student’s learning? I would think of it as a punishment instead of a prize or privilege. Moreover, compared to America’s education system, Judith experiences no stories or exploration in the classroom, only lessons. She would not be allowed to make her own definition for a new word. She had to keep her wild imagination in check. Just like wearing the school uniform, Judith feels that her freedom of learning in Puerto Rican school was locked down. Furthermore, all the subjects Judith learns were taught in Spanish, and she only has one English course per day. Just like what she described in the story “The policy of assimilation by immersion failed on the Island. Teachers adhered to it on paper, substituting their own materials for the texts, and no one took their English home. In due time, the program was minimized to the one class in English per day” Population diversity like the language difference or ethnic variations could lead to different educational approaches and instruction.
Throughout the story “Primary Lessons”, Judith shares her experiences in living and learning in the place of Puerto Rico, compared her experiences of growing up in America. Judith struggles with accepting and understanding her cultural background. Judith feels embarrassed and disconnected. Judith had to learn a life lesson of accepting her cultural identity. Going to the Puerto Rican school also makes her realize the difference in the education system. She feels uncomfortable and locked down, no freedom. Although Puerto Rico is part of America, citizens there are not Americanized. Even though English courses are given per day, teachers are actually teaching students their own cultural-related materials. Most importantly, people in Puerto Rico treat rich individuals as nobel in European and grant them the privilege, but show discrimination against the poor and limit their opportunity in every aspect in life. In my opinion, the author Judith tries to teach the readers the importance of embracing one's cultural heritage and identity. In addition, the author Judith tries to address that people should not discriminate against the poor. Instead, people should give the poor the equal opportunity to show who they are.
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