You have heard about so many heroes, some with super strength, some with mind powers and others able to fly… but what do you know about real life heroes? The ones that live like any of us do, waking up, going to work and impacting the world through their everyday lives. Jaime Escalante is the perfect example of a real life hero. So much so, in fact, that in 1988 he was the protagonist of the Oscar-nominated movie “Stand and Deliver.”
Born on December 31, 1930 in La Paz, Bolivia, Jaime Escalante was the son of two teachers. He followed their footsteps and pursued a teaching career himself, eventually becoming one of the most famous educators in America in the 1980s and 1990s. His story is one of perseverance and resilience, having arrived in America in the 1960s, teaching himself English and earning another college degree before going on to being the real-life hero we talk about today.
Towards the 80s, Escalante found himself a new job: teaching math to students at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, California. At a time when the education system faced numerous challenges, including issues of inequality and skepticism about the academic potential of students from underprivileged backgrounds. Added to that was the fact that Garfield High was known for its violence, drug use and troubled youth. Where others saw difficulty and hopelessness, Escalante saw the potential in each of the students, a potential he was determined to help them live up to. Slowly but surely, his students left their personal problems behind once they stepped into his class, where he made sure to use their students’ particular background and context as a tool, not an obstacle.
What did Jaime Escalante do differently? He focused on student engagement, developing new and unconventional teaching methods that made math more approachable. He went beyond the classroom and into the everyday lives of each student, using real-world examples that showed how math was used in their jobs, their family and friends, personal matters, cooking, dating… anything! By using realistic examples and bringing math to a friendlier perspective, he was able to help his students develop a real understanding of math and its concepts, boosting their confidence and fomenting success.
In fact, Escalante was such a good teacher that in 1982, his students took and passed an Advanced Placement (AP) exam in Calculus, doing so well that some students’ exams were actually invalidated because it was believed that they must have cheated to have done so well in their scores. Knowing his students’ talent and hard-work, Escalante protested against the disqualification, claiming that invalidating his students’ scores showed the system’s perception of hispanic and low-income students. After repeating the exam, the success of his students challenged stereotypes and proved Escalante’s belief that with the right method, any student can achieve greatness. 1982 witnessed an unprecedented event for Garfield High School.
Besides Escalante’s flexibility, he also showed the relevance of understanding in education. His educational philosophy was really a deep commitment to understanding. Going above and beyond simply teaching math concepts that students could repeat over and over, he sought to understand each student’s personal context and needs to efficiently transform his methods into whatever worked best for the student. In other words, his personalized understanding allowed him to tailor his approach, making him connect at a deeper level with his students and being much more than just a math teacher. His emphasis on understanding goes beyond the subject he taught, it extends to understanding the challenges students face, their cultural context and the barriers that might hinder their progress. With his holistic understanding, Escalante was able to create an inclusive educational environment, where his students felt seen, valued, empowered and supported. He showed educators that being a teacher goes beyond talking about a subject.
Why should teachers embrace Jaime Escalante’s legacy?
Not only should educators worldwide embrace Escalante’s methods, but they should see him a a role model with the potential to change education as it is traditionally known. For teachers striving to make a profound impact in students’ lives. Jaime Escalante’s most important lesson lies in his powerful teaching philosophy: with the right teacher, any student has the potential to learn and thrive. Following Escalante’s commitment to innovation, personalized attention, and unconditional support to his students, as well as his determination and adaptability, educators can foster a culture of empowerment. Jaime Escalante was a true game changer for education, and life-changer for students everywhere.
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Resources:
- Jamie Escalante – movie, teacher & students – biography. Jaime Escalante Biography. (2021, March 26). https://www.biography.com/scholars-educators/jaime-escalante
- Staff, T. L. (2023, May 9). Why Jaime Escalante was so important in Education. https://www.teachinglab.org/blog/why-jaime-escalante-was-so-important-in-education#:~:text=Student%20Engagement,and%20understandable%20for%20his%20students.
- Jaime Escalante. The Futures Channel. (2022, June 23). https://thefutureschannel.com/educator-resources/jaime-escalante/
- Menéndez, R. (1988). Stand and Deliver. Warner Bros.
Escalante shows the importance of flexibility in education. He was an educator that understood it is not necessary to adhere to conventional methods of teaching. In fact, it is necessary to break the paradigm of teaching and embrace a flexible approach that caters to the unique needs and challenges of students. His ability to adapt his teaching style, incorporate real-world examples and engage students in unconventional yet efficient ways, was a key factor to his and his students’ success. It is thanks to that flexibility that Escalante created an environment where diverse learners could thrive, setting an admirable precedent for educators everywhere.