Ms. Gates
Sebastian Wietecha
2/14/11

Stand and Deliver



Mr. Escalante was a very good example of a teacher who was able to teach his students to preform

better than what others thought that they can do.  The typical stereotype at the time was that,

just because someone may not look capable of doing something, doesn't mean they can't acctually

accomplish it if they put their mind to it.  A perfect example of this would be when he motivates

his students to try and take the AP Calculus exam by teaching a Summer class for practice for the

upcoming test.  Even though they were accused of cheating, eventually they proved the board

wrong by taking the test again, and still preforming just as well as they did the first time, and are

awarded the honor of being one of the first students at the school to be able to pass the

curriculum and get college credit.


	To begin with, most schools with a very diverse group of minorites get discriminated

against, because the teachers believe it is better for them to get disciplined more than to

actually learn a subject. If the reverse happened, I believe that more students would be able

to achieve more than just getting in trouble everyday.  I would be able to relate to this, because

instead of cutting a class, I could go to it, and be passing every class without a problem. But

instead, I decide to make the wrong choices, and my grades end up reflecting that poor choice.

When I put my mind to it, and i'm sure many others too, I can accomplish almost everything.

Sure, I don't always do my homework, and I may not always be in class, but when a test comes up

I am able to prove to my teacher that I know what the subject is about because of said test.


	Another point to add would be, when people get discriminated for who they are, or how they

dress, or look, it makes me pretty angry.  Just because someone doesn't dress completely

appropriate does not make them anymore different than the teacher themselves.  There could be a

lot of hidden talent locked away that is not able to shine because the teacher refuses to give the

student a chance by participating, or because they believe that the student will just cheat on a test.


	The last point I would use would be, in the hallways of Buffalo Grove, not everyone is

treated the same way.  For example, if I wanted to be with a new group of people, I would probably

have to dress the same way as them, or at least act like they would to be accepted into their group.

I can relate because I went through many different phases in high school. I don't believe it was the

right choice to make, because in the end, I figured it is best to just be who you are, and don't mind

what other people have to say about it.  If they don't accept you for who you are, then you might as

well not be friends with them.  A good friend doesn't judge you by the way you look or act, a good

friend should judge you on how you respect yourself, and others around you.


	I believe Mr. Escalante was succesful with his group of students because, he personally

connected with them, and actually tried to use props and examples to make complicated problems

possible using real world examples, and humor.  I am pretty sure that if all the teachers at any

school tried to be nice, or use some humor in the work they do, or speak in a non-monotonous

voice; they would be able to boost their students preformance in the class and have a lot more

participation.


	Mr. Escalante also stuck to his word, and never gave up on any of his students that

actually made an attempt to try and complete the work that was being given to the students.

In the beginning of the movie when Mr. Escalante first start teaching at the school, you can see

that the students were not very kind and respectful to him, but once he started reaching out to them

and showing that he is a human like everyone else, they started to give him a chance and build a

relationship with him.