2nd Paper

            What is a teacher? According to dictionary.com, “a teacher is a person who teaches or instructs, especially as a profession.” There are many different kinds of teachers in the world. Some teachers are different than others because there are different subjects to be taught, many different teaching styles, some teachers have more knowledge in the subject they teach, and some show that they actually believe in their students. According to wisegeek.com, “the most common teaching styles are informal instruction, direct instruction, inquiry based learning, cooperative learning, and information strategies.” Teachers also have different forms of punishment for when their students act up, don’t follow directions, turn assignments in late, cheat on tests or quizzes, and for not arriving to class on time. Throughout your life you will encounter many different teachers. You will have a different opinion about each teacher but some of them might be similar to others. One of the major roles a teacher can have in their students’ life is to inspire them to try and not to give up.

            Mr. Escalante from the movie Stand and Deliver cares about and believes in his students. He shows that he cares and tries to inspire them to do well in school and to go on to college. Mr. Escalante teaches a math class at Garfield High School with students who don’t take school seriously because they have never had the motivation or encouragement to do well. He tries his best to change their outlook on education. Mr. Escalante takes the time to get to know his students. Once his students trust him and start looking up to him, they change their minds about learning and actually want to be in and try in class. In the movie it shows Mr. Escalante teaching his students before and after schools and on the weekends for very little pay. It also shows him fighting to let his students retake the AP Calculus exam after they are being accused of cheating on it. When his students were accused of cheating they seemed to have lost some motivation. They didn’t want to spend as much time learning and studying but one they found out they were going to be able to retake it, they were interested in studying again. All of Mr. Escalante’s students passed the exam. Also, in the movie, it shows Mr. Escalante at Ana’s, a student in his class, parents’ restaurant. She was going to drop out of school but he told her parents, “She’ll just get fat, waste her life away in your restaurant. You have to understand she’s a top student. Ana could go to college, come back, and teach you how to run this place.” One thing I think his students learned from him is that if you really try you can succeed and not to give up. If a teacher didn’t believe in their students they wouldn’t go the extra distance to teach them or fight for them to have the opportunity to learn.
            My tenth grade math teacher, Mrs. Johnson, and Mr. Escalante are similar. She also believes in and encourages her students to do well and not to give up. She is willing to spend extra time with any of her students who are falling behind or struggling in class before and after school or during lunch. I personally got to experience what it was like having a teacher believe in me just like how Mr. Escalante believed in his students. At the beginning of my sophomore year, Mrs. Johnson knew I wasn’t happy about having to retake algebra and she knew I thought I was going to fail the state test, the WASL, at the end of the year since I wasn’t learning geometry like most of the other sophomores. Mrs. Johnson would help me outside of class when I was struggling with what we were learning. She kept telling me, “Study and do all of your work and you will pass the class this year.” After keeping up on all my assignments and studying, I started doing really well in the class and was now one of her top students. Whenever we would have a substitute teacher she would write in the notes, “If students have any questions or need help have them ask Allie Stephens.” It was a great feeling knowing she believed I would be able to help my classmates while she was gone. That helped motivate me to keep doing well in the class. When the end of the year arrived, I didn’t pass my WASL test, but Mrs. Johnson told me, “If you keep up the good work next year, I know you will be able to pass the WASL.” She was right, I passed the WASL my junior year. All throughout the year she would check up on me to see how I was doing in math. Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Escalante both do a good job at showing their students that they believe in them and teaching them to keep trying even if you are struggling or fail an exam.