Hollywood Ending
My Chemical Romance – Famous Last Words
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Hollywood endings are rarely as gleaming and bright as they seem. 20 years after the inspiring film Stand and Deliver appeared, inspiring countless students and educators in the power of hard work and perseverance to overcome the most difficult obstacles, the real-life high school of math teacher Jaime Escalante is now in danger of being taken over by charter organizations. Although Escalante has long since retired, it is sad to see such an inspiring legacy ultimately disintegrate and fade away. Luckily, the DVD will always last.
Themocracy
Not so quick with the eulogy, il mio amico. Disintegration and the big fade to black has not visited us……..yet. I refuse to believe it will ultimately even happen as long as you, our cohorts, and I continue to fight the good fight. Rest well this long weekend. We will take up arms again on Tuesday the 29th because our students beckon us to take ‘em to places they deserve to be. We shall prevail, bruddah. Keep on keepin’ on…..
I would like to know what happened after Escalante’s original success with his Caculus class. How long did he teach at Garfield? How did the school in general benefit from his energy, dedication and teaching style? Was his class an oasis in the desert or did his teaching success spread to other areas of the school? If what we saw in the movie was just an isolated incident, why did it not result in true change and opportunity for the school where Escalante taught?
Short answer: He built up his calc program through the rest of the 80s, but in the early 90s, got frustrated with all the politics that were going on (school- or district-wide, I’m not sure), and left. Despite he himself having great momentum with the program, it was not enough to survive after his departure. In retrospect, I think the lesson learned is that JUST as important as creating and maintaining something powerful, is developing future leadership. That is, leaders should learn how to “replace themselves”, so that success is not so dependent upon that one person.
Yes, and maybe great teachers can create a long-lasting legacy when their context (school environment, school district, administration, etc) is more functional. If a brilliant teacher has a context that supports him, and the two can interact positively and be aligned in their values, perceptions, and actions, then perhaps we could have a different outcome.