US History/US History (Bureau Development Inc.)(1991).ISO/dp/0139/01397.txt

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$Unique_ID{USH01397}
$Pretitle{123}
$Title{Ethnic Heritage and Language Schools in America
Chapter 3   The Official Portuguese School, Taunton, MA.  M. Penti}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Bradunas, Elena;  Topping, Brett}
$Affiliation{Library of Congress}
$Subject{portuguese
school
students
taunton
club
language
teachers
parents
portugal
class}
$Volume{Studies in American Folklife, No.4}
$Date{1988}
$Log{}
Book:        Ethnic Heritage and Language Schools in America
Author:      Bradunas, Elena;  Topping, Brett
Affiliation: Library of Congress
Volume:      Studies in American Folklife, No.4
Date:        1988

Chapter 3   The Official Portuguese School, Taunton, MA.  M. Penti

     Eastern Massachusetts, particularly southeastern Massachusetts, has been
the site of substantial Portuguese settlement since the nineteenth century.
New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts are well-known as the largest
Portuguese communities in the United States.  Taunton, Massachusetts, with a
population of just over forty-five thousand in 1980, has been home to the
third major Portuguese community within the Bristol County area since before
World War I.  Informants estimated that Americans born of Portuguese parentage
and Portuguese immigrants in Taunton number from 50 to 60 percent of its total
population.

     The Taunton Portuguese community has grown dramatically in the past two
decades as a result of a recent wave of immigration.  Older community members
remember the days when the Portuguese were a minority ethnic group in Taunton;
in 1960, for example, the Portuguese population was 5,695. Today the
Portuguese form the largest ethnic community in the city.  The existence of a
sizeable community base is a prime reason that the Escola Oficializada
Portuguesa do Taunton Sports Club was founded in 1980.

     The Taunton Portuguese school is sponsored by the Taunton Sports Club. It
is housed in an addition to the club building located on the south side of
Taunton, in a section known as "Weir Village."  As its name suggests, this
club is organized around athletics, namely soccer.  Apparently a concern with
soccer is a consistent feature of Portuguese communities throughout the world
and numerous Portuguese soccer clubs exist in the United States.  Taunton
Sports sponsors three soccer teams - the Portuguese school team, a junior
team, and an adult team which plays in the First Division of the Luso-American
league (LASA).

     Each night I visited the school there was a large number of cars in the
parking lot.  The cars belonged to waiting school parents, soccer players, and
club members enjoying the fully licensed bar or participating in functions in
the club hall.  The club holds periodic fund-raising dinners where Portuguese
dishes, such as came de porco a alentejana (fried pork with clams), are
served; dancing often accompanies the dinners.  On weekends the bar's kitchen
is open to serve snacks, such as linguica (Portuguese sausage) sandwiches.
Members' wives attend the club dinners and dances, although women are not
active in the club.  Antonio Ainaral, former club president and now school
president, explains why.

Portuguese women usually never get involved in social affairs.  To them it's
not right for a lady to go into a club.  The American way is different.  We
have a Portuguese-American club here in town which has an auxiliary group
composed of ladies; but the immigrants normally, I'm not saying generally, but
normally, they don't believe in women socializing into clubs like that.  We
would like to, and try to [have them participate], but they just don't go.

     The club also sponsors some calendrical celebrations.  In February before
Lent there is a carnival dance at the club.  In the summer there is a fiesta
or festival on the club grounds during which ethnic foods are served and
dancing takes place.  At Christmas there is a party for school students and
children of club members during which children under thirteen receive a gift
from the club.

     In addition to the soccer teams, the club sponsors a folklore group
Rancho Folclorico do Taunton Sports which performs traditional dances from all
parts of Portugal with music provided by its own band.  The group performs at
the club's fiesta and other Portuguese functions in the area, as well as at
non-Portuguese events, such as picnics of local businesses.

History of the Taunton Sports Club

     The Taunton Sports Club began as a soccer team affiliated with the Ward 5
Athletic Club in 1959.  In 1961 the team became independent, renting its own
club on Weir Street.  The club purchased its own building on Oak Street in the
early 1970's.  In 1978 the club purchased its present building on Baker Road.

     There are approximately three hundred dues-paying members of the Taunton
Sports Club; a larger number participates in club activities. According to
Antonio Amaral, the membership is "one hundred percent Portuguese immigrants."
While many Portuguese clubs in America, particularly in nearby New Bedford and
Fall River, are defined by regional Portuguese origin, Taunton Sports has a
membership representing all areas of Portugal - continental Portugal, the
Azores, the Madeiras, and even the former territory of Angola.  There appears
to be a general consensus that such a varied membership is preferable because
it counteracts discrimination and allows for greater community cooperation.
Even non-Portuguese can join.

     The other major Portuguese social club in the city - the
Portuguese-American Civic Club (PACC) - requires Portuguese descent or
marriage to a Portuguese for membership.  It is described as directing its
attention toward the Portuguese born in America, the Luso-Americans.  Both
clubs share certain responsibilities toward Taunton's Portuguese community.

The Taunton Portuguese Community

     Before proceeding to a discussion of the school itself, some background
on the Taunton Portuguese community and its institutions is necessary, since
the school is community based.  School and club members repeatedly emphasized
that today the Portuguese live throughout the city. There remains, however, a
major area where Portuguese traditionally settle called "The Portuguese
Village" or simply "The Village."  It is located in the School Street area,
north of the city center.  The PACC building, several Portuguese markets, such
as Mats Variety and Joe's Superette, other businesses, and St. Anthony - the
main Portuguese parish - are located in this area.  A second Portuguese
church, Our Lady of Lourdes, is in the Weir Village south of the city center,
where the Taunton Sports Club is located.

     The Portuguese markets and businesses throughout the city help to
maintain Portuguese traditions.  The traditional elements of the Portuguese
diet - linguica and a variety of baked goods produced here, as well as
imported dried fruits, canned sardines, and so forth - are easily found in a
variety of local Portuguese stores and in the supermarket chains.

     In addition to the Taunton Sports Club and PACC, there are several other
Portuguese clubs in the city.  The Portuguese-American Civic Club is the
largest, with approximately five to six hundred members.  The smallest club,
with a membership under a hundred, is the Taunton Eagles, a soccer club which
developed out of Taunton Sports.  The Holy Ghost Club, a religious
organization in East Taunton, has one hundred members.  The most recent
organization established to promote Portuguese culture in Taunton, both inside
and outside the ethnic community, is the Taunton Organization for the
Portuguese-American Community (TOPAC).  Since 1981 its 120 members have
assisted newly arrived immigrants through citizenship classes and other
activities.  Membership in these clubs is non-exclusive and Taunton Sports
members may be members of other clubs.  The Portuguese Continental Union, a
national Portuguese organization, also has a Taunton lodge.

     A major aspect of Portuguese community life occurs during the summer when
fiestas crowd the weekend calendar.  A fiesta may be a simple picnic without
calendrical or historical significance, or it may be a festival with religious
meaning.  Families attend the local fiestas and travel to ones some distance
away.  The major fiesta in Taunton is St. Anthony!s, sponsored by the local
St. Anthony parish.  The fiesta consists of a church mass, followed by a
religious procession through the surrounding streets of the Portuguese
village.  Afterwards there is a secular segment during which ethnic and
American foods are sold and carnival events take place.  Our Lady of Lourdes
holds a fiesta in June and the Holy Ghost Club has one in July. The Taunton
Sports Club holds its fiesta in July too.

     The major secular celebration of the year occurred during the course of
the fieldwork the Day of Portugal, which honors Portuguese culture while
commemorating the great Portuguese poet Luls De Camoes.  The actual holiday
occurs on June 10, but the occasion is marked by week-long festivities.  In
1982 the festivities began on Saturday, June 5 with a flag-raising ceremony on
Taunton Green in the city center, followed by a show by local Portuguese
artists.  A fiesta was held in the Portuguese Village on Sunday.  The Rancho
Folclorico do Taunton Sports and four other invited folklore groups from
southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island performed.  Three soccer games
took place on Wednesday evening at the Taunton Sports field, during which the
club's three teams participated.  Finally, on Thursday, June 10 a dinner and
fado performance was held at the PACC.  The school children commemorated the
occasion with an end-of-the-year project of essays and drawings.

History of the Taunton Portuguese School

     The Portuguese school was founded in 1980.  Antonio Amaral, president of
the school since its inception, played an integral role in its creation.
Amaral says that he had thought of founding a school when he was Taunton
Sports Club president in the mid-1970's, but was prevented by the lack of
proper facilities.  He finds his interest in a Portuguese school natural,
being the father of four and wanting his children to learn his culture,
language, and background in an academic way.

     An organizational meeting was held during February or March 1980 to
discuss the feasibility of the school and assess the means of operation and
the number of possible students.  Some twenty-five parents, directors and
officers of the Taunton Sports Club, and bilingual teachers attended the
meeting.  The teachers included Joselino Guerreiro, who has continued her
interest as present school secretary, and Isaura Ainaral, director of both the
club's and the school's folklore group.

     The Escola Oficializada do Taunton Sports Club began classes on November
5, 1980.  The first year's enrollment numbered forty-two students. They were
divided by age into two classes, taught by Claudina Nunes and Claudina Borges.

     During the first year one class met in the main club hall and the other
met in a small adjacent room.  The unsuitability of the situation inspired the
construction of a classroom addition to the club during the summer of 1981.
Parents built the school.  Antonio Amaral reminisces, "every afternoon we used
to go there after work, and every Saturday."  School vice-president Jose
Goncalves even spent his summer vacation on the construction.  Some of those
involved in the work put up some of their own money to purchase initial
supplies.  The only hired help was an electrician. As a result of the parents'
involvement in the construction, costs were kept to $17,000.  Funds were
raised, and will continue to be raised, through raffles, dances, and dinners.
The school remains in some debt.  Antonio Amaral estimates that it will take
two years to repay this.  Afterwards only general operating expenses, such as
electricity and heating, will remain. The school pays no rent.

     The school addition was inaugurated officially on June 25, 1982, during
the visit of the Portuguese secretary of emigration, Dr. Jose Adriano Gago
Vitorino.  The children's $10 per month tuition fees should cover utility
expenses, as well as each teacher's monthly salary of $100. The school texts,
supporting materials, such as maps of Portugal for each classroom, and the
academic guidance of Emilia Mendonca are provided free of charge by the
Portuguese government.  Students are only required to supply their own
notebooks; the school even provides pencils.

     The facilities are excellent: three bright classrooms are furnished with
suitable desks, chairs, and blackboards donated by a local school.  A fourth
room is used as a meeting room and for the storage of texts and school files.
An outdoor stairwell is the main entrance to the school, although the addition
is connected internally to the main club building.

     The school's organizers decided from the beginning to make the Taunton
school an official school or Escola Oficializada Portuguesa, seeking support
and recognition from the Portuguese Ministry of Education.  The Portuguese
government offers aid to Portuguese schools in the United States, which
includes monetary support, free textbooks, and guidance from a trained
coordinator living in this country.  Emilia Mendonca is the current inspectora
do Ensino Elementar employed by the Service of Basic and Secondary Education
for Portuguese Overseas.  Working out of the Portuguese consulate in
Providence, Rhode Island, she is the first person to have held this position,
having been in the United States for two years.  There is no cultural
agreement between the United States and Portugal which allows her to act as an
official inspector.  She merely acts as a coordinator for the various official
Portuguese schools throughout the United States, including schools in
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and California.  She visits the
Taunton school about once a month, meeting with teachers and administrators.

     Mendonca said that the first program for Portuguese living abroad was
begun in France in 1975, and a program started in the United States about
1977.  Portuguese schools in America voluntarily choose to accept Portuguese
government aid or to remain independent and private.  "It is not the
Portuguese government who's imposing these schools," says Mendonca.  "It's the
freedom of the parents that are interested in the education, to learn the
Portuguese culture and language, that makes the Portuguese government aware
that they should be interested and help these schools to go ahead in the right
way.  It's an answer to a call, to the need."  The Taunton school has used
these services since its inception.  As Antonio Amaral notes, "Anything that
we need for our school they [the Portuguese Ministry of Education] will give
to us, within reason."

     Emilia Mendonca is a trained elementary school teacher and administrator.
She taught in elementary schools in her native Azores for ten years, and then
worked as an administrator in continental Portugal, after taking an advanced
course to become an inspector.  She makes periodic reports to the Ministry of
Education in Lisbon throughout the year, and visits Lisbon once a year to make
a direct in-service report.

     Mendonca visits the Taunton school on Wednesday, attending classes and
meeting with teachers for two hours after class to introduce supplementary
material to the teachers.  The texts sent to official schools from Portugal
are the same texts used in homeland schools.  Apparently no Portuguese
teaching materials are published in the United States.  The materials Mendonca
presents bridge the gap between the old country texts and the American
setting.  Mendonca writes the supplementary materials herself to explain to
the teachers how to teach the youngsters.  Since Portuguese is their second
language, they have to be more precise and direct than if it were their first
language.  The method used, called "direct teaching," relates lessons to
daily, realistic situations.  For example, during the April meeting Mendonca
presented a lesson plan consisting of a map of a Portuguese city showing
places, such as the post office and museum, to aid students on visits to the
old country.  Previously she had given a lesson in which students described
their homes in America, comparing them to houses in the homeland, based on
knowledge obtained from their parents.  Mendonca commented that such lessons
combine the teaching of Portuguese language, history, and culture.

     An official school must fulfill certain requirements in return for
Portuguese government support.  Seventy-five percent of the school's teachers
must be educated in the Portuguese system.  Apparently, it has been difficult
to find such teachers.  The most recent teacher hired is not a local man, and
has to drive a considerable distance to class.  To gain the approval of the
Ministry of Education, the school has to forward teachers' credentials and
resumes to Portugal via the Portuguese consul in New Bedford.  Two of the
present teachers are certified and experienced in Portuguese elementary school
teaching.  The third has attended a teacher-training school and has taught in
Angola, but is not certified.  The school is also required to submit periodic
reports to the Ministry of Education in Lisbon on such things as student
enrollment.  The local Portuguese consul makes occasional visits to the school
in an official capacity.

     Not only does the school receive the benefits outlined above from
operating as an official school, but its students may also take an official
examination whose successful passage would allow them to enter high school in
Portugal.  No student has qualified to take this examination as yet, but some
may do so in the spring of 1983.

     Administrators, teachers, and parents consistently praised Portugal for
the support it has given the school.  Faced with the task of opening a new
school, the founders were happy to accept the supervision and guidance
provided by the homeland, as well as the financial support (this year's grant
amounted to just under $1,500) and textbooks.  One parent noted that he was
"touched" to see "the poor Portuguese government" wanting to "help us keep our
culture and pass our culture to the next ones."  He wondered "how can they
have the courage to do it?"  Another parent contrasted the excellent
facilities of the Taunton school with the crowded classrooms of his boyhood
school on Fayal, where sixty to seventy students of all ages were taught in
one room by one teacher, questioning how the Portuguese government could
manage to support schools in the United States.  The teachers especially are
grateful for the help provided by the coordinator from the Ministry of
Education.  As Fernando Morais, teacher and principal, commented on his
relationship with Mendonca, "We are in constant touch with each other.
That's why I say it's very useful."  If he discovers, for example, that
a certain lesson does not succeed in class, he will call the coordinator to
ask for her suggestions on other methods of approach.

     Antonio Amaral explains the interest of the Portuguese government as
follows:

Portugal is a country of immigrant people, from the beginning, since the
Discoveries.  And a lot of people have a tendency to look for better days
outside, even though sometimes they could have the same opportunity in the
country.  I guess it's in our blood.  And so they immigrate to all over the
world.  And the Portuguese government, knowing that, they would like to
continue the culture of those immigrants outside the country.  So they promote
the culture and the teaching of the Portuguese language and culture outside of
the country.

     He also points out that the Portuguese government receives benefits in
return for its policy.  "But you have to keep in consideration that the
immigrants are a big part of income for the country.  By tourism and by
improving the relationship between the immigrants and the generations,
actually they are improving the tourists in the future.  That's one of the
reasons I have; perhaps there are others."

School Administration

     After the initial 1980 meeting a committee was formed to begin work on
the school.  In the fall of each school year the parents meet to elect the
school's administration, reflecting the philosophy articulated by Antonio
Amaral:  "The ideal is to have a school run by the parents."  Amaral is
president of the school.  He is assisted by Jose Goncalves, vice-president.
The school treasurer is Joseph Fresta, a leader in the local Portuguese
community who, in his retirement years, is able to devote considerable time to
the school.  The only non-local administrator is the secretary, Joselina
Guerreiro, a bilingual teacher.  All of them have been elected school
administrators each year since the school began.

     The administration also includes five elected school directors, many of
whom are parents.  The entire administration meets about once every three
months, although pressing needs are addressed without a meeting.  The
administration is responsible for everything, including the collection of the
$10 tuition fee from each student.

     Officers are often in attendance on school nights.  Goncalves is always
present to open and close the school, as well as to take care of school
business, such as correspondence with the Ministry of Education in Lisbon.
Perhaps he will even call parents of absent students.  The school principal,
Fernando Morais, is appointed by the school administration and the Portuguese
consul.  He assumes responsibility for the educational aspects of the school.

Parents

     Parents of school children have been most supportive of the school.
Antonio Amaral sees their interest as essential to the future of the school.
"It's to make sure the school goes ahead.  Nobody else, more than the parents,
will be interested in the kids' education.  Right?  We are there now; one of
the reasons I'm there now is cause my kids are there now . . . . Some day . .
. it will be the other parents' turn."

     There is no formal, PTA-like organization at present, although there are
plans to have one in the future.  Parents frequently stop to talk with
teachers after class.  The teachers say that they enjoy speaking with them. As
Principal Morais, who also teaches, said, "That's how I get my information.
That's how I learn a great deal."

     The parents receive periodic information on their children's progress
through report cards.  This close contact is maintained because, as Morais
says, "I inform the parents of everything that goes on.  Everything!  I don't
want any surprises."  Antonio Amaral observed that, since Portuguese is spoken
in the students' homes, parents are aware of the children's progress.  "I
believe it's easy to keep an idea . . . .  All the parents speak Portuguese,
and I believe they can recognize the progress of the young kids."

     Transportation, tuition expenses, and home supervision are the parents'
principal obligations toward the school.  Such obligations can occupy
significant time.  The reasons some parents do not choose to send their
children to school include a lack of tuition money or time to transport their
children to and from school.  The administration has considered running a bus
service to assist transportation.

     Another explanation for lack of participation on some parents' part is
that recent immigrants are concerned only with the adjustment to American life
and the learning of English.  A general apathy toward education was cited.
Another frequent comment was that student attendance reflected regional
differences.  Immigrants from mainland Portugal are more interested in culture
and education.  The majority of the students' parents were born on the
continent, whereas the majority of Portuguese in the community are from the
Azores.

     All parents interviewed were born in Portugal or a Portuguese territory.
Asked why they sent their children to Portuguese school, most parents
responded that they wanted them to learn the Portuguese language and to study
Portuguese culture and history.  One father saw it as an obligation to send
his children, saying, "As a father I should send my children to the school."
Another father remembered his first years in America during the late 1950's,
when he could not find someone easily who could speak both Portuguese and
English; he hoped his children, as bilingual speakers, might be able to help
new immigrants.  He also viewed his children's bilingualism as assisting them
in finding better jobs.

     Another common impetus cited for sending children to the school was so
that they could communicate with non-English-speaking relatives, both in the
United States and in the homeland.  The occasions for speaking Portuguese in
America most often mentioned were at the dinner table, in the presence of
grandparents, or at celebratory Portuguese events, such as weddings and
fiestas.  Many students have visited Portugal or are intending to make a
visit.  One father spoke of his desire to take his children and wife to look
at the house on Fayal in which he was born to celebrate his twenty-fifth
wedding anniversary.  He felt his children's Portuguese education increased
the likelihood of a memorable trip.

Classes and Curriculum

     The school operates Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00
P.M.  During the 1981-82 school year there were sixty-two students enrolled in
the school.  The students come primarily from Taunton, although a few come
from neighboring Raynham.  A couple of students began classes in the middle of
the year, and a few dropped out; but the basic enrollment has remained
constant.

     There are three classes beginning for students from seven to eleven years
old, intermediate for the eight to twelve age group, and advanced for the
thirteen to seventeen year olds - taught respectively by Claudina Nunes, Jose
Malhinha, and Fernando Morais.  The students are divided by age, rather than
simply by language ability.

     During the course of the fieldwork I attended a session of each class.
Classes emphasized Portuguese language training, with the chosen texts being
analysed word by word.  There were also written exercises, including spelling
and dictation.  Conversation was encouraged as well.  The exact lesson content
and teaching methods were determined by the level of the students and the
judgment of the teacher.

     The beginning class was devoted to language study - reading aloud,
writing texts, spelling words, and conversation.  Nunes noted that her
greatest problem was to teach her students to speak Portuguese well.  As a
result, she tried to draw students into conversation whenever possible, either
during the study of the text or through a discussion about the children's
families in Portugal.

     The intermediate class was based directly on the day's text, with
students reading the text, taking dictation, and working on spelling.
Comprehension and grammar were emphasized; students also conjugated various
verbs and nouns used in the basic text.

     In the advanced class the lesson, based on the day's text, aimed at
comprehension of the subject matter, grammatical understanding, and proper
spelling.  Morais tried to draw his students into Portuguese conversation
throughout the class because he feels student skills in this area are most in
need of attention.

     My observation, corroborated by interviews with teachers, revealed the
major emphasis of the school to be Portuguese language training.  Because most
students lacked Portuguese fluency, the class level in Portuguese school was
lower than in American schools.  History and other subjects were taught in the
school, but they typically constituted an indirect approach to general
language instruction.  In the beginning class, for example, there was a
discussion of a project in which students would write letters to their
families in Portugal.  Students drew comparisons between elements of life in
Portugal and the United States throughout the discussion.  "All we do here is
to compare America to Portugal . . .," says Claudina Nunes.  "Something we got
in America, we got in Portugal.  You know, they are just kids, but I choose
the easier way to take them to Portugal - in thinking."  On the night I
observed the class such comparisons were made by students who actually had
visited Portugal.

     Again in the intermediate class actual language learning was emphasized
and other subjects entered the lesson obliquely.  For example, Malhinha
explained some basic science concerning the sun as part of text comprehension.
He also made a comparison to the homeland while discussing the text, noting
that one could not see the sea in Taunton, but that in the Azores "all the
time we see the sea around us."  He explained that subjects such as
mathematics were left for American schools, and Portuguese history was done
in the advanced class; in this classroom history was mentioned only to
elucidate a particular text, because teaching Portuguese history is difficult.
"We have a big problem with Portuguese history, cause it's more than eight
hundred years."

     Fernando Morais, teacher of the advanced class and school principal,
elaborated on the subjects taught in the Portuguese school.  He emphasized
that the basic subject was language itself.  Each class includes reading,
spelling, conversation, and social studies, which he defines as "The way the
people live in Portugal . . . where the population is . . . the Portuguese
climate, the main products grown, the main source of Portuguese income."  Only
the advanced class studies Portuguese history as a separate subject.

     As previously noted, the texts are provided free of charge by the
Portuguese Ministry of Education, except for a few purchased in a New Bedford
Portuguese bookstore when the school began.  Many bear the Taunton Sports
stamp - Escola Oficial do Ensino Primario do Taunton Sports Club, Inc.
Baker Road/Taunton, Massachusetts 02780 - and the Portuguese Ministry of
Education stamp - Oferta/Instituto de Cultura e Lingua Portuguesa Servicos
de Ensino Basico e Secundario Portugues No Estrangeiro.  The paperback texts
are colorful, recent publications from the late 1970's and later.  All of the
texts are used in schools in Portugal as well.

     Until just before my fieldwork began there had not been sufficient texts
for each class.  Trying to treat each school equally, the Portuguese consulate
forwarded only three to five copies of a text, forcing the teacher to use
several texts in one class, or to make offset copies for each student.  The
teachers are encouraged that there are now finally enough copies of texts for
each class.  The Ministry of Education also has provided a map of Portugal,
dictionaries, and literary works for each classroom.

     Those interviewed emphasized that all teachers are free to choose the
text and specific lesson they wish.  Sometimes teachers proceed sequentially
through a particular book.  At other times they may skip from text to text.

     Fernando Morais noted that he chose suitable lessons which would be
understandable to his students.  For cases in which aspects of the lesson were
foreign to his students, he acted as a bridge between the Portuguese setting
of the book and the American setting of the students.  Morais gave the example
of encountering texts which mentioned birds native to Portugal but not to the
United States, which he described before proceeding with the text.

     Just as the teacher acts as a bridge between text and student, the
Portuguese Ministry of Education coordinator, Emilia Mendonca, also is faced
with the job of adapting curriculum to the American setting.  At the monthly
meeting with teachers she presents materials she has written for Portuguese
schools in the United States.  During the April meeting which I observed she
explained several sets of duplicated pages to the teachers, including a map
lesson to familiarize students with a typical Portuguese environment and an
exercise which allowed them to purchase a stamp or bus ticket.

     Teachers are actively involved in the process of selecting appropriate
books.  Fernando Morais showed me one book, Imagens de Portugal, which had
impressed him as particularly valuable.  "In other words, by reading this book
the person is going back home, like on a trip."  There are only a couple of
copies of this book available; as a consequence, he has been able to use it
only in a limited way.  He is ordering copies for each of his students for
next year, as well as for interested parents.  The book describes each part of
Portugal, presenting traditional recipes and songs.

     Several of the books sent by the Portuguese Ministry of Education are not
actual texts, but are books on subjects such as the selected texts of the
famous poet Luis De Camoes.  In the future the books sent from Portugal may
serve as the basis of a Portuguese library for students, parents, and
interested members of the community.

     The three teachers stressed the difficulty of teaching only four hours a
week at a time of day when the children are tired.  The students come to
Portuguese school having already spent a full day in American schools,
attending the school at their customary dinner hour.  Nunes and Morais both
said they worked to gain students' attention through games.  Claudina Nunes,
for example, divides her class into two teams which compete in a dictation
exercise at the blackboard.  The children obviously loved the exercise and
cheered when she announced it.  Nunes also places examples of the best student
work on the classroom walls.  "They get so excited, and this way I think I can
take their attention to what I am doing," she says of her methods.  Morais ran
a week-to-week spelling contest for his advanced students, with each student
competing for individual points.  The four winners received a copy of one of
the general books sent from Portugal. Judging from the intense discussion by
students concerning the contest rules, it was clear that Morais captured their
attention.

     A constant theme expressed by both parents and teachers was the intention
that Portuguese school work should not interfere with students' American
school work.  The Portuguese school teachers never gave any homework
assignments to their students until recently.  They are now experimenting with
limited amounts of homework.  For example, Morais asked for four-sentence
essays, and was pleased with the results.  "Usually I ask them to do things
which get them together with their parents on finding out things about the old
country, old stories, traditions," he explains.  "That way, father and son,
father and daughter get together and talk about old
. . . the things in their motherland.  The kids can learn an awful lot by
doing that."

     Certain special projects are carried on throughout the school year. The
advanced class made drawings depicting Portuguese emigration around the world
which were sent to the Ministry of Education in Lisbon to compete with those
of Portuguese school students outside the homeland.  Other projects of limited
length included the one undertaken by the beginning class of preparing its own
newspaper O Nosso Journal.

     The major project of the school year was in honor of the Day of Portugal
on June 10.  This year's theme, announced in Lisbon, was "The Day of Portugal
and Portuguese Communities."  Principal Fernando Morais selected as the
school's essay theme "Please explain in your own words in what way have the
Portuguese contributed to the development in our community."  Students also
made drawings on the theme.  The essays and drawings were displayed in the
school's hallway for viewing by parents and friends during the Day of Portugal
soccer games held at the club on June 9 and after graduation on June 25.

     The drawings depicted Portuguese-owned neighborhood markets, garages, and
furniture stores; the Portuguese school itself; various Portuguese occupations
in the area, such as fishing, farming, and factory work; and Portuguese homes
with grapevines in the yard.  The essays described how the hard-working
Portuguese are employed in local factories or operate their own businesses.
They described soccer, fiestas, and elements of the ethnic community
communications system such as Portuguese newspapers, radio stations, and
television programs.  The pervasive influence of Portuguese food on the
surrounding population was also a constant theme.  The Portuguese consul was
so impressed by the work that he awarded special first- and second-prize
certificates for drawings and essays to students from each class during the
graduation ceremony.

     Steve Almeida, an eighth grader in the advanced class, described the
Portuguese community in a prize-winning essay translated for me by Fernando
Morais:

The dream of the Portuguese when he goes to a different country is to improve
and better his way of life.  When he arrives, he works hard, saves his money,
and makes lots of sacrifices in order to make his dreams come true.  The
Portuguese Immigrant is a hard worker.  He likes to pay his debts, because he
is honest and proud.  He wants to have nice and beautiful things and he keeps
his name clean.  Lots of Portuguese buy old houses.  They make improvements
and they become just like new.  Other Portuguese have their own businesses,
for instance, Antonio Amaral, Mr. Caramelo, and Jose Fernandes, and many
others.  Others go to school and study.  Later they become lawyers, doctors,
teachers, and priests.  One of the most important figures is Cardinal Humberto
Medeiros.  Others work in markets, factories, and offices.  The streets where
the Portuguese live keep looking much better.  The houses have been improved.
There are beautiful gardens, beautiful statues of saints near the beautiful
houses.  The Portuguese like to maintain their traditions; that's why we have
our fiestas, mostly religious, at Santo Antonio church and Nossa Senhora de
Lourdes, at the PACC, Taunton Sports and our school, and the Day of Portugal.

Student Language Capabilities

     Students come to the Portuguese school with a previous knowledge of
Portuguese.  The majority of students have parents born in Portugal and many
were born in Portugal themselves.  The typical home situation finds students
hearing their parents and grandparents speak Portuguese while they reply in
English.  Antonio Amaral talked about such a situation in his family.  "We
always speak Portuguese.  The kids answer in English.  We are so involved that
we sometimes don't recognize that they're speaking English back to us. The two
languages work simultaneously.  We don't try to correct them, that's why they
understand.  But they're kind of lazy speaking it, 'cause they're afraid it's
not coming out."

     The primary aim of the Portuguese school appears to be to provide the
students with an increased fluency in Portuguese.  "In this school that's what
we're doing - we're pursuing the improvement in the Portuguese language," says
Principal Morais.

We want them to learn and improve.  But, of course, we know the Portuguese
language is going to be their second language.  We want to maintain our
culture, and our customs, and everything, but we have to realize that English
is the first language and Portuguese will be their second language.  But, of
course, when they meet Portuguese people, they socialize in Portuguese
functions and they are going to use . . . the Portuguese language.  It won't
be lost there.  They know how to communicate and they know how to deal with
those things.

     The students' prime fluency in English intrudes upon the classroom
situation and general school environment.  One night, while setting up a tape
recorder before class, I overheard some girls having an English conversation
in the classroom.  A boy entered the room, took a look at me, and told the
girls, "This is a Portuguese school, not English!"  One girl replied that
class had not begun and continued to speak English.

     Students always spoke English with one another before and after class.
During class students continued to address each other in English.  Claudina
Nunes, like the other teachers, found it impossible to limit classes to
Portuguese language usage.  "We can never get this from the kids," she says,
"because they already have the idea to speak in English, even if they are
joking or anything.  They just try to speak English . . ., they just speak
English.  All the time I say, 'No English, just Portuguese!'  But forget it!"

     English fluency creates certain difficulties in learning Portuguese.
Advanced students, for example, already have a good knowledge of English
grammar, which may confuse them at times.  Morais laughed as he told how he
would explain certain grammatical rules and students would tell him, "No, you
are wrong!" based on their understanding of English grammar.

     In his short time at the school the intermediate teacher Jose Malhinha
has seen progress in the reading and writing abilities of his students.
Morais, the teacher of the advanced class, gauges the improvement of his
students by the fact that he no longer has to remind them continually not to
speak English.  "At first they were shy [to speak Portuguese].  Now every day
they are more and more comfortable."

Students

     The students have mixed attitudes toward attending Portuguese school.
They frequently explained that they go to Portuguese school because their
parents want them to go; yet there are others who were excited about
Portuguese school and said they would attend without parental urging.  Most
teachers and administrators, however, would agree with Fernando Morais's
assessment: "I believe a good part of them are there because their parents
want them to be."

     Since the Portuguese live throughout the city, students may come to
school without knowing other students.  The children are able to meet new
friends at the school and develop a social network with a Portuguese
affiliation.  "I guess in this school everybody has something in common with
you 'cause you're Portuguese and the same thing at home.  Whereas in [high]
school your culture is different from everyone else's, and you might not have
as many things in common," explains Teresa Amaral, a student in the advanced
class.  Students are enthusiastic about the new friends they have made through
Portuguese school, and talked of telephoning their friends or even visiting
them at home.  Other students said they had the same friends in both
Portuguese and American school.

     Speaking of what they have learned at Portuguese school, students
emphasized language skills, mentioning improvements in writing (especially
spelling) and speaking.  Steve Almeida felt he had improved in his Portuguese
reading and writing skills, but thought his greatest progress was in his
speaking skills.  Teresa Amaral was enthusiastic about her improved Portuguese
skills, especially her ability to write letters to a girl she had met on a
recent trip to Portugal.  Parents also told of seeing children reading
Portuguese newspapers in the home, or of noticing their improved comprehension
of the language at functions, such as plays performed in Portuguese.

Teachers

     Without exception teachers indicated that they taught in the Portuguese
school out of love for teaching and love for their culture.  The teachers'
salary of $100 per month certainly does not compensate them for their efforts
of teaching classes, attending teachers' meetings and school functions, and
preparing and grading lessons at home.  All of them hold full-time jobs
outside of Taunton and have to rush to arrive at school on time.

     Fernando Morais expressed the wish that he could teach full time, rather
than work as a manager at Christy's Market.  "I'll be planning to teach for as
long as I can.  I love this!"  Claudina Nunes, who provides a warm, maternal
guidance for her young students, comes to the school tired from a day's work
as a machine operator.  After class she resumes her home duties by cooking
supper.  The vitality she exhibits in class fades when she leaves the school.
"Over here I'm just excited, I don't feel nothing.  But when I get out of
here, oh my God!"  Jose Malhinha was happy to accept the position recently
offered him by Principal Morais, his former classmate.  "I never talk about
the money, because I know they don't pay too much . . . .  I like to teach
again my own language."

     The teachers possess the background of teacher's training and teaching
experience in the Portuguese elementary school system required by the
Portuguese Ministry of Education.  All three teachers emigrated to the United
States as adults, accompanied by their immediate families.  While they have
had experience in the Portuguese system, none were familiar with the textbooks
now used in the Portuguese school in Taunton.  Malhinha explained that there
was only one official book for each class before the 1976 revolution in
Portugal; but numerous books have been written since.

     Despite some adaptation, the curriculum of the official Portuguese school
in Taunton is rooted firmly in the Portuguese system.  Jose Malhinha made some
interesting comparisons between the two systems, however. Throughout the class
I observed he made comments contrasting procedures in Portuguese school with
those in American schools.  He observed that Portuguese students write in
script on standard-size paper, while American students print on all types of
paper.  He was also surprised that his present students chew gum in class; in
homeland schools there is strict discipline.  There is, nevertheless,
considerable discipline in the Taunton Portuguese school, reinforced by
parental cooperation.  One mother was overheard telling a teacher to pull her
son's ears if he did not behave, and a young boy commented that the main
difference between Portuguese and American schools was that the Portuguese
school teachers are more strict.

     The teachers meet monthly after a Wednesday class.  Emilia Mendonca
usually attends these meetings to introduce supplementary materials. Principal
Morais leads these sessions in her absence.  There is no interaction with
teachers from other Portuguese schools in the area.

     Considering the American setting, the requirements for teachers are
somewhat demanding - copies of teachers' certificates of graduation and
resumes must be forwarded to the Ministry of Education in Lisbon by the New
Bedford Portuguese consul for approval.  This process takes several months
and, therefore, the school began without approval.  All teachers have been
approved to date and the school has not had to give up its official status.
Principal Morais feels that finding additional teachers will not be a problem.
When one second year teacher was forced to quit suddenly at the end of the
year, he located his former classmate Malhinha, whom he knew was qualified.

Purposes of the School

     The primary reason given for the existence of the school is language
instruction.  The teachers are very conscious of the importance of language
study.  "They should learn Portuguese too.  I think it's very important that
they learn Portuguese like they learn English," says beginning class teacher
Claudina Nunes.

First thing is, this way they can communicate with the family. Because, like
you see, we got a lot of kids, they have grandparents here, and it's sad they
cannot deal with grandparents 'cause they don't know, you know, they don't
speak English . . . .  We think it's sad.  And they go,
you know, so often to
Portugal to visit with the family over there, and [when] they go, they don't
speak nothing Portuguese.  They don't understand what the family . . . means
or they talk about.  We think this way - the English is . . . the first
language for everybody, but to learn the second language, their language, is
going to be better, for the good.

     Malhinha foresees the day when the students, competent in both English
and Portuguese, will graduate from colleges and technical schools and will be
an asset to the Portuguese community, assisting other community members who
are not fluent in English.  Fernando Morais feels language preservation is a
means of preserving culture.  "More or less, it starts with the parents," he
says.  "The parents come to us, and they say 'We want our son or daughter to
learn the language and the history.' Some of these kids were born there
[Portugal].  Some were born here.  But there is this concern on the part of
the parents for the children to learn the language, the correct way to speak
fluently, because we want to preserve our culture and we want them to pass our
culture to future generations as well."  Elaborating from his own experience,
he adds:

If the kids are tired, the teachers are tired too [laughs]!  We have a whole
day's work in our own jobs too.  What happens is the children only see the
present now.  But later in life they will say "I should have learned
Portuguese, why didn't I learn Portuguese!?"  This is an example I see
everyday.  I see people from Portuguese descent, and they were born in this
country, and they say "Why didn't I listen to my grandmother, grandfather?  I
could have learned the language with them."

     Parents view the purpose of the school in both practical and cultural
terms.  Candido Almeida, parent of two school children and a school director
himself, spoke of the general enriching experience of learning several
languages.  Almeida also sees his children's learning "the language of their
ancestors" as a basic part of the preservation of their ethnic heritage.  He
described the preservation of culture as being like constructing a building -
you have to start with a foundation or the building will be destroyed - and
language is the foundation of culture.

     Antonio Amaral, school president and father of three students, sees his
children's language training in practical and ethnic-heritage terms.  "I like
for them to learn the language, first of all, because it's a plus in whatever
they become in the future.  Secondly, it's to preserve our customs and ways,
and that means a lot because, not that we're different, but every ethnic group
is different.  And we like to have things that we'd like to preserve in our
culture."  Later he elaborated on the school's function.  "I think the school
helps by teaching our youngsters our essential things, you know.  Also, by
getting them together with one another, they lose that shyness that they would
have if they were not together.  In American school, I believe, many of them
avoid to say 'I'm Portuguese,' or even to say a word in Portuguese.  But by
being together with so many that speak the same language or think the same
way, they might not be ashamed, and they might be aware of the fact they're
also important."

     Amaral also sees the Portuguese school as serving the local society and
country at large:

But, nevertheless, we're doing a service to this country.  In a way we're
preparing better citizens for the future, because I'm sure they [the students]
are going to stay here for the rest of their lives.  And giving them extra
knowledge of another foreign language, makes it easier for them to learn
French or Spanish in the future, if they want to take those courses in the
high school.  It will prepare them better for high school also, because they
already have experience with a foreign language.  And it keeps them, above
all, out of the streets in their free time, which is a problem, because most
of the kids today don't have anything else to do after school.  If they are
out in the street, they get into problems.  After all, it's a social service.

     Reiterating his belief that an ethnic language and heritage school, such
as the Taunton Portuguese school, serves the good of the country, Amaral
addressed a final interview comment to the American government:

I'd like to know how the American government sees this project in these
private schools . . . .  They do encourage or don't they?  Is that a pro or
against the principles?  I think that's a fair question.  To me, I think it's
a pro, because this country is not any longer a melting pot.  We all have
something different to offer, and the more we offer, the better the country
will be.  Right?  We cannot say just the Irish are the good ones, or the
English, the South Americans, or the colored people.  They all have something
good and something bad . . . .

Twenty-two years ago, when I came, there was the tendency that we all have to
be American regardless.  We all have to melt into it, you know, it was the
idea, that ideal.  Then it changed with the bilingual programs and the trying
to accept everyone's ideas and cultures, which is good.  It's good!  That's
what made this nation so big, so great, right? - was everybody working to the
same goals - a better life for everybody.  That's my comments.

     The role of the Portuguese school in maintaining the Portuguese ethnic
heritage must be judged against the background of the local community.  The
graduation ceremony on June 25 underscored the Portuguese sense of community.
The highlight of the occasion was the official visit by Dr. Jose Adriano Gago
Vitorino, the Portuguese Secretary of State for Emigration, whose department
supplies the funds to support official Portuguese schools in the United
States.  He inaugurated the school addition and gave the key graduation
address.  The graduation ceremony rang with culturally important phrases, such
as "Portuguese community," "our culture," "our language," and "the Portuguese
family."  Students delivered dramatic interpretations of Portuguese poetry,
and the honored speakers - Dr. Vitormo, the New Bedford Portuguese consul, the
president of the Taunton Sports Club, a local Portuguese priest, and the
school president - praised the community for its work in maintaining the
Portuguese heritage through their school.

Future of the Escola Oficializada Portuguesa do Taunton Sports Club

     The school anticipates continued growth.  After the graduation ceremonies
school president Amaral said that next year he hopes to have an additional
Tuesday and Thursday session.  He also noted that, based on the size of
Taunton's Portuguese community, a two-hundred-student enrollment could be
expected in the future.  Some advertisements of the school will be placed in
Portuguese newspapers and churches in the area to attract students, but no
concerted campaign will be launched.  Amaral prefers to have students come to
the school voluntarily.  "It's available to those who want it."

     Amaral would like to have tape recorders and slide projectors available
at the school to take advantage of additional materials offered by the
Ministry of Education.  He also hopes to develop extracurricular activities in
addition to the soccer team and folklore group for the students.  "It's a
million things we can offer if we have the money and facilities."

Fieldwork Techniques

     The informants in this project were most cooperative.  I feel that being
a native of the area helped to provide credibility for me.  I came to this
project unfamiliar with Portuguese culture, which I remedied through research,
and without the Portuguese language, although I did have my college French.
Since all my informants spoke English, I was able to feel comfortable in the
field situation and do not feel that my lack of Portuguese was detrimental to
the project.  Comparing this work to my previous experience of working in a
language other than English in which I was fluent, I believe that my
unfamiliarity with the Portuguese language and culture was advantageous to the
project - it allowed me to distinguish Portuguese ethnic characteristics from
the perspective of an outsider.

Acknowledgements

     I would like to thank the administrators, teachers, parents, students,
and friends of the Escola Oficializada Portuguesa do Taunton Sports Club for
their generous cooperation.  This project could not have been accomplished
without their kind assistance and continuous aid.  I would like to offer
special thanks to those who provided translation services.  I finish this
project profoundly impressed with the commitment and energy shown by those
involved with the school.  It was with great personal pleasure that I came to
know and respect the members of the Taunton Portuguese community and to
appreciate their efforts in the maintenance of the Portuguese language and
ethnic heritage in the United States.