It saddened me to hear that Jaime Escalante died from kidney cancer the end of March. You may remember Escalante as the math teacher who inspired underachievers at an East L.A. high school to score high marks in calculus in the early 80s. This impressive accomplishment was documented in the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver starring Edward James Olmos. Olmos had this to say about Escalante: “Jaime didn’t just teach math. Like all great teachers, he changed lives.”
In the early 90s my husband and I were privileged to share a meal with Jaime Escalante as representatives of the Ambassador Cultural Foundation in San Francisco, CA. Later he addressed the whole group and I will never forget the story he told about a couple of his former students, both named Johnny.
The first Johnny was a top-notch pupil. He turned in all of his homework on time, made excellent grades, was respectful and never disruptive. You might say he was a model student – the kind all teachers dream of having in class.
The second Johnny was annoying and for wont of a better word, somewhat of a pain. He rarely turned in homework on time, made below average grades, not all that respectful and quite disruptive.
When it came time for the first parent/teacher conference of the year Johnny’s father and mother were surprised about the glowing report Mr. Escalante gave on their son’s progress: “I must say that Johnny is the type of student every teacher dreams of having in class. I really enjoy having him as a student.” The parents were pleased and rushed home and tell Johnny how much Mr. Escalante liked him.
About a half an hour later the other Johnny’s parents came in. It was then Escalante discovered he had gotten the two Johnny’s mixed up. That glowing report was given for the wrong boy.
The next day disruptive Johnny came up to Mr. Escalante and said, “My parents told me what you said about me.” And from that day forward he never had a bit of trouble out of that boy again. He was responsive, attentive, and eager to learn. The point being that children who feel validated, loved, and appreciated will usually perform accordingly.
There is a fine line between having unrealistic expectations of our children and encouraging them to do their best. Jaime Escalante seemed to find that balance.
Today’s society does not give teachers the respect or appreciation they deserve. Jesus was a master teacher who changed lives (Matthew 7:28-29). He was interesting and used illustrations from everyday life to draw people closer to God. No wonder crowds of people followed him everywhere. In Biblical times being a teacher was considered a high calling, not just a profession (Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:28).
In Jaime Escalante we have lost something very valuable. If you’ve never seen Stand and Deliver I highly recommend it. It is a fitting legacy to someone who will be difficult to replace – a great teacher – one that changes lives!
