tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607021113345008609.post6816305982590269666..comments2023-04-26T02:39:07.373-07:00Comments on All Things for Good: Today a Great Teacher DiedChosenChohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16184164613415014242noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607021113345008609.post-17995916170986675452010-04-03T16:47:32.227-07:002010-04-03T16:47:32.227-07:00I read about him about a month or two ago in the L...I read about him about a month or two ago in the LA times.Jason T. Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03226798209394241035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607021113345008609.post-86677652265189035312010-04-01T09:21:03.308-07:002010-04-01T09:21:03.308-07:00I attended the memorial service this morning at Ga...I attended the memorial service this morning at Garfield High School. Photos from the event can be found at http://www.bit.ly/pab-facebook.<br /><br />It was a very nice but brief event that attracted major media attention. Perhaps the loss of this tremendous teaching legend will inspire the next generation of Jaime Escalantes to arrive in East Los Angeles.<br /><br />Jesse Torres<br />President and CEO<br />Pan American Bank<br />East Los Angeles, CA 90063<br />"California's Oldest Latino-Owned Bank"Jesse Torreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01721379691508549253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607021113345008609.post-28186970768139843572010-04-01T01:13:57.580-07:002010-04-01T01:13:57.580-07:00And from wikipedia:
By 1990, he had lost the math...And from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaime_Escalante" rel="nofollow">wikipedia</a>:<br /><br />By 1990, he had lost the math department chairmanship. At this point Escalante's math enrichment program had grown to 400+ students. His class sizes had increased to over 50 students in some cases. This was far beyond the 35 student limit set by the teachers' union, which in turn increased criticism of Escalante's work. In 1991, the number of Garfield students taking advanced placement examinations in math and other subjects jumped to 570. That same year, citing faculty politics and petty jealousies, Escalante and Jimenez left Garfield. He immediately found new employment in Sacramento, California's school system... The math program's decline at Garfield became immediately apparent following the departure of Escalante and other teachers associated with its inception and development. In just a few years, the number of A.P. calculus students at Garfield who passed their exams dropped by more than 80 percent.johncadengohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15654917459564490696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2607021113345008609.post-32319275759765603262010-04-01T01:06:58.385-07:002010-04-01T01:06:58.385-07:00Here is a good article on the subject.
Some comme...<a href="http://reason.com/archives/2002/07/01/stand-and-deliver-revisited/" rel="nofollow">Here</a> is a good article on the subject.<br /><br />Some comments from <a href="http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/03/31/1718250/emStand-and-Deliverem-Teacher-Jaime-Escalante-Dies" rel="nofollow">slashdot</a>:<br /><br />---------------<br /><br />While Escalante became a celebrity because of the hit movie about his efforts, jealousy from other teachers ... as well as red tape from teacher's unions and the public school bureaucracy, resulted in Escalante and his hand-picked teachers leaving Garfield. Since his departure, Garfield has never replicated Escalante's success with math students, and Reason Magazine reported on the shameful way in which others tore down what Escalante and his teachers worked so hard to build.<br /><br />---------------<br /><br />Open Enrollment. Escalante did not approve of programs for the gifted, academic tracking, or even qualifying examinations. If students wanted to take his classes, he let them.<br /><br />His open-door policy bore fruit. Students who would never have been selected for honors classes or programs for the gifted chose to enroll in Escalante's math enrichment classes and succeeded there.<br /><br />it hints perhaps that the drive to try is far more important than natural ability.<br /><br />---------------<br /><br />The flip side, is that the students that didn't want to be there, weren't. I remember many kids in High School that disrupted class because they didn't want to be there.<br /><br />---------------<br /><br />One would think so. But if you read the fine article from Reason magazine, you'll see why that will never happen - at least not the public schools. In fact, the school he transformed worked very hard to undo all of his good works. Quite successfully too. Apparently, all evidence of math and calculus prowess and teacher competence have been eradicated at Garfield since he was pushed out.<br /><br />---------------<br /><br />It's no wonder he got lots of resistance against his peers, administration and teachers union. Public schools are not about education, its about creating dumbed down automatons who are easily controlled.<br /><br />"I don't want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers." [deliberate...ngdown.com] - John D. Rockefeller<br /><br />---------------<br /><br />People tend to live up to other people's expectations. Teachers don't expect Black and Hispanic students to do well. Yes, ultimately people are responsible for their own success or failure, but it doesn't help when you've got teachers telling young kids "It doesn't matter if you do your homework or not -- we'll promote you anyway"johncadengohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15654917459564490696noreply@blogger.com