| The teaching of English in the public schools of Puerto Rico, far from effective and fraught with controversy from its inception, has a fascinating history. Although recorded in myriad documents, the official history seldom tells the entire story. Teachers are important and relatively unexplored sources of knowledge about teaching, and, if their stories are not preserved, a rich part of this legacy will be lost forever.;The purpose of this study was to compile the life histories of outstanding retired English teachers with the twofold purpose of documenting their memories of living, learning, and teaching English in Puerto Rico, and exploring the practical knowledge they have accumulated over the years. It is a descriptive qualitative study that uses a life history narrative research design. The participants were identified through a process of community nomination, and stories obtained through recorded in-depth oral history interviews constitute the primary data. Historical documents and artifacts provided additional information.;A distinguishing characteristic that emerged about the participants' teaching is that they created classroom environments that encompassed the four attributes that the National Research Council (2000) has identified as essential for effective learning: learner, knowledge, assessment, and community-centered classrooms. They took great pains to make their students feel at ease at all times. They knew English well and this enabled them to know what to teach and how to teach it. At a time when summative assessment was the rule, formative assessment was an ongoing process in their classes. Moreover, they established links between their classrooms and the external community, making learning pertinent and meaningful.;The study's findings suggest that mastery of the language was a defining attribute that enabled the participants to excel as English teachers. The findings likewise suggest that effective teachers take an interest in their students as whole persons and have a genuine interest in their growth and development. Furthermore, they suggest that, in addition to teacher preparation programs, the professional expertise necessary for effective teaching can develop and improve over time, through practice, and with the help of in-service teachers who willingly share their professional knowledge with inexperienced teachers. |
