Why We Need Fewer Teachers Like Jaime Escalante
Written by John Seelke
Photo courtesy of USPS.
If you came to this column, you’re probably thinking — who has the nerve to make such a bold statement as “Why We Need Fewer Teachers Like Jaime Escalante,” especially during such an important month in America — Hispanic Heritage Month.
Let me tell you a little bit about me. I’m a 20-year veteran educator who taught for 10 years, including five years on the inaugural faculty of a STEM school in Washington, D.C. I’m Hispanic, with a Cuban American mother. I have a doctorate in education policy which leads me to examine aspects of education from multiple lenses, something I didn’t do during my early career as an educator. And I care about education equity and all opportunities for all students.
Patron Saint of Mathematics Teachers
The movie Stand and Deliver helped initiate my desire to become a secondary mathematics teacher. During my first year of working with student teachers at the University of Maryland, I gifted each of the recent graduates a copy of the film, as a reminder of what the students could be — someone dedicated and motivated enough to provide students opportunities to succeed in Advanced Placement Courses.
To many educators, Jaime Escalante is considered the patron saint of mathematics teachers. In my early years of teaching, he was someone that I wanted to emulate. I wanted to change student lives through my math teaching. Like Escalante, I believe that all students, particularly Black and Latinx students, should have the opportunity to take higher level mathematics.
“Like Escalante, I believe that all students, particularly Black and Latinx students, should have the opportunity to take higher level mathematics.”
So, if I believe all these things, why am I saying we need fewer teachers like Jaime Escalante? Because imagine an education system where we didn’t need teachers to go as far as Escalante did to support his students. Escalante had to spend time before school, after school, Saturdays, and the weekends to support his students because the education system at Garfield High School had failed the students in his class. Many remember the heroic efforts Escalante made in the movie, but few may recall the heart attack he suffered soon before his students took the AP Exam. Others may not recall the toll (at least in the movie) that all of the time with his students kept Escalante away from his family.
Opportunities For All Students
True change in education cannot occur solely from heroic efforts from a few teachers such as Jaime Escalante. Rather, change must occur at deeper policy levels. They must occur in discussions around making sure Black and Latinx students are able to access advanced mathematics at levels as early as third and fourth grade. It means policies that provide wrap-around services to students who not just support school, but also support accessing food or medical assistance.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has shone a greater light on inequities many in education already recognized. The good news — funding because of the pandemic has provided extra support. The bad news — that funding is limited — means that when it goes away, inequities will continue to exist. States and districts must use the extra funding to establish supports for students that are not just a one-time offering but also sustained over multiple years.
Furthermore, they should cultivate the positive impact of using technology to reach students at their homes and consider how such support can continue, perhaps not as initial instruction, but rather as tutoring or supplemental support. Imagine what Jaime Escalante could have done if he used Zoom to reach his students at home so that his students did not have to choose between helping their family or increasing their knowledge.
Potential to Find Education Success
Jaime Escalante made such a cultural impact in this country that in July, 2016, the United States Postal Service created a stamp that honored his work as an educator. Sadly, Escalante passed away from bladder cancer in 2013. His obituary in the Los Angeles Times commented that Escalante was often disliked by his co-workers in part because of his insistence in having high standards for all students, particularly those that others had already given up on. He was a pioneer as a career changer who left a higher paying job to enter the classroom. And while he found success at Garfield High School, Escalante could not replicate the success when he transferred to another school, something he blamed on the lack of support from his new administration.
Like Escalante, all educators should push for high standards and expectations for all students. No student should let their race or their socio-economic status define their potential to find education success at the K-12 level. But as Escalante demonstrated through his numerous hours of extra support, everyone does not begin at the same level of education support. Instead of having educators like Escalante literally work themselves into a heart attack, we need to call on policy makers to begin providing the support at much earlier ages — as early as third and fourth grade.
While contacting leaders at the national level (such as members of Congress or the Secretary of Education) could appear supportive, most decisions around education are local — state, district, or even at the school level. Many times, we want to help but don’t know how to help. All of us can help — in multiple ways. If you prefer to give money, your local elementary school will gladly take a donation — you can even choose to designate your designation to a specific cause — such as music instruments or a STEM related field trip. You can also give money to organizations such as Teaching Lab who are working nationally around equity issues in education.
Help can be as simple as volunteering at a local school, even if you don’t have children attending. It can be considering your personal connections and how they may relate to education. Perhaps your neighbor or a Facebook friend works at a science lab and would be willing to give a tour to the local fourth grade. Sometimes it’s simply having conversation with a person and then following up on that connection.
For me, that one conversation with a Senate staffer, and getting her card, led me to help organize a field trip to the US Capitol for an AP US History Class. That may not seem like a big deal, but in Washington D.C., where the majority of students at my school had never visited our national monuments, getting the chance to see where laws are made was a big deal.
ALL of us have the power to impact education at the earliest stages. If every person reading this column did one small thing to impact education equity, the overall impact would be immense. And it would be a start to a future where we really end up needing fewer Jaime Escalantes.
John Seelke is currently an Instructional Specialist in Secondary Mathematics in Montgomery County, MD. Over his 20 year career in education, John has taught at the K-12 level, at the university level and has worked in two district offices. In 2007, he was honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST), representing Washington, D.C.
