Coffeehouse #1

After reading both Esmeralda Santiago’s “When I Was Puerto Rican” and Howard Gardner’s “Five Minds for the Future”, I decided that Esmeraldas Santiago’s short passage is more relatable and entertaining. Coming from a ninety percent Spanish speaking household Santiago’s Passage resonated with me. With Spanish being my first language it was a struggle to learn English especially in a household that didn’t practice it.  Throughout the passage Santiago shares her childhood experiences with learning English. We read that because of her inability to speak fluent English she was nearly sent to 7th grade. I personally connected with this because I wasn’t able to move on the 4th grade making me repeat the 3rd grade because my English skills were not up to par. Esmeralda was then placed in a unruly class that wasn’t an optimal learning environment. Relating to this experience environments like class 8-23 discourage students from trying to or even wanting to engage with the class. This shows her will to persevere with accomplishing her goal of not being left back. For me Howard Gardner’s “Five Minds for the Future” felt more like a book, while with Esmeralda Santiago’s “When I Was Puerto Rican” I felt more of a Personal connection.