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| Photo Courtesy of Google Images |
If you teachyou know the story of Jaime Escalante who came to the U.S. from Bolivia lookingfor a better life for his family. Once he had leapt through the hoops (a ten-yearprocess involving odd jobs while earning another college degree) that lead toteacher certification, he taught calculus to students in a troubled Los Angelesneighborhood. We cried and cheered for the students’ achievement as we watchedJames Edward Olmos portray Escalante in the film Standand Deliver.
In the 1970s Garfield High School in East LosAngeles was an unlikely place for success. Escalante had the gift of seeing thegood in his students and he inspired them to believe in themselves and pushedthem to do the work required of all great achievements. In 1982 his students passedan advanced placement test in calculus. Educational Testing Service invalidatedsome of the test scores, believing the students had cheated. Escalanteprotested, saying that the students had been disqualified because they wereHispanic and from a poor school. That summer the students retookthe test and passed, proving their capabilities a second time.
In 1988 a book (Jaime Escalante: TheBest Teacher in America by Jay Matthews), and a film (Stand and Deliver starring James Edward Olmos) chronicledEscalante’s success.
Escalante’s achievement at Garfield High is alesson to all who teach: See the good in others, inspire them to do their best,build a team to achieve.
What do you think?
