Teacher Jaimie Escalante has died

[Crabby Appleton]

Source: LA Now

Legendary Garfield High School math teacher Jaime Escalante, who was immortalized in the film "Stand and Deliver," died Tuesday afternoon after battling cancer.

Escalante died at 2:27 p.m. at the home of his son, Jaime Jr., in Roseville, Calif., said actor Edward James Olmos, who portrayed Escalante in the film.

Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/legendary-east-la-math-teacher-jaime-escalante-dies.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Ah, such sad news...

Safe passage to him...

I read about him recently.

His life was an inspiration...

[BunkerHill24]

2. RIP. Safe passage to the other side Mr. Escalante.

k&R

[bluestateguy]

3. Best math teacher in the country

He really stuck it to the education bureaucrats and standardized testing bureaucrats too.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. Best teacher in the country

Bar none.

[Tx4obama]

4. R.I.P. n/t

[gleaner]

5. That is sad ....

He was brilliant and he shared both his love of knowledge and his own time with his students. They made a commitment to him to excel and with his help they were able to keep it. We will all miss Mr. Escalante, but I celebrate his work. He was everything a wonderful teacher should be.

[Sancho]

6. Great teachers live forever!

The hundreds of students who learned calculus from Escalante had their lives transformed.

[UrbScotty]

7. I saw Stand and Deliver a couple of years ago.

Sorry to hear about him.

[Gman]

8. One of my all time favorite movies

[Starbucks Anarchist]

9. Here's an article from 1982 about him:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/30/AR2010033003814.html

[Rage Inc.]

10. One of the Great Ones!

God Bless and Keep!

[mackerel]

11. Vayos con dios Jaime, you did East L.A.,

and Bolivia proud.

[nikto]

12. Yes, but former Garfield Principal Henry Gradillas is still alive!!

I taught at Garfield during its "glory years" in the 80s.

Not taking anything away from Escalante, but the Garfield Principal at the time was largely responsible
for that school having a good academic environment that SUPPORTED TEACHERS.

The news media never picked up on Henry like it did Jaime.
Jaime's story was always the more "sexy" one.
All the glitz & glamour fell on Jaime.

But the truth is, HENRY GRADILLAS did more for the school overall, and its great academic climate,
than Escalante did.

The movie created a lasting hype that distorts the Garfield reality a bit, IMO.

There were more adult heroes at early 80s Garfield than Escalante, for sure.

And Principal Henry Gradillas was one.

But The Public loves its "super-teacher" myths!

And so do YOU. (admit it)


A good source of accurate info:

http://www.societyforqualityeducation.org/newsletter/1279.htm

[Abq_Sarah]

13. Henry Gradillas

Didn't teach those kids Calculus.

Now, to give credit where credit is due, he was an academic focused Principal who supported his teachers and allowed them to do what needed to be done. the administrators before and after him didn't. Teachers like Escalante will succeed with students, regardless but an administrator like Mr Gradillas will help them instead of throwing roadblocks in front of them.

[sabrina 1]

17. He was Bolivian, the article says and returned there

after leaving Garfield. It seems that he and the principle were a great team. Two rare people in the field of education working together for the benefit of the kids. Sad that after he left his math program collapsed.

Very good article, thanks for posting and may he RIP.

[harry_pothead]

14. He's a personal hero of mine

And as a new math teacher myself, someone I aspire to. RIP.

[Hawkeye-X]

15. Vaya con Dios, my friend.

You have done great with Garfield High School.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Hawkeye-X

[qanda]

16. I was just telling my husband tonight that I want our kids to see that movie

What a great guy! RIP Mr. Escalante. You were a real inspiration.

[BlueIris]

18. RIP. Good luck in the next life, Mr. Escalante. nt

[BumRushDaShow]

19. R.I.P.

To a real hero. O8)

[Democat]

21. RIP

A good life.

[zonkers]

22. Three times five, carry the six, Esay.

[Jack Rabbit]

23. ()

Pebblez.com

[Stinky The Clown]

24. ...

:cry:

Peace, Jaime.

[tedk_355]

25. RIP

[Judi Lynn]

26. Jaime Escalante's Legacy: Teaching Hope

Jaime Escalante's Legacy: Teaching Hope
by Claudio Sanchez
March 31, 2010

For 20 years, Jaime Escalante taught calculus and advanced math at Garfield High School in one of East Los Angeles' most notorious barrios, a place where poor, hardened street kids were not supposed to master mathematics, and certainly not algebra, trigonometry, calculus.

But Escalante believed that a teacher should never, ever let a student give up.

"You have to love the subject you teach and you have to love the kids and make them see that they have a chance, opportunity in this country to become whatever they want to," he told NPR several years ago.

The Bolivian-born teacher, who inspired the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, died Tuesday at 79 after a long battle with cancer. Escalante may not have become a household name after Hollywood captured his remarkable story, but he possessed an enduring gift: He could inspire, cajole, even taunt young, troubled kids to see themselves not as they were but as they could be.

To make it, Escalante often said, you need ganas, Spanish for desire and drive. Ganas was Escalantes' battle cry, not just in motivating his students, but every time he chided apathetic administrators and jaded teachers. Stand and Deliver captures the tension perfectly in a scene when Escalante, played by Edward James Olmos, announces he wants to teach calculus and his colleagues think it's a joke.

[Judi Lynn]

Jaime Escalante's Legacy: Teaching Hope

Jaime Escalante's Legacy: Teaching Hope
by Claudio Sanchez
March 31, 2010

For 20 years, Jaime Escalante taught calculus and advanced math at Garfield High School in one of East Los Angeles' most notorious barrios, a place where poor, hardened street kids were not supposed to master mathematics, and certainly not algebra, trigonometry, calculus.

But Escalante believed that a teacher should never, ever let a student give up.

"You have to love the subject you teach and you have to love the kids and make them see that they have a chance, opportunity in this country to become whatever they want to," he told NPR several years ago.

The Bolivian-born teacher, who inspired the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, died Tuesday at 79 after a long battle with cancer. Escalante may not have become a household name after Hollywood captured his remarkable story, but he possessed an enduring gift: He could inspire, cajole, even taunt young, troubled kids to see themselves not as they were but as they could be.

To make it, Escalante often said, you need ganas, Spanish for desire and drive. Ganas was Escalantes' battle cry, not just in motivating his students, but every time he chided apathetic administrators and jaded teachers. Stand and Deliver captures the tension perfectly in a scene when Escalante, played by Edward James Olmos, announces he wants to teach calculus and his colleagues think it's a joke.

[Judi Lynn]

27. Jaime Escalante's Legacy: Teaching Hope

Jaime Escalante's Legacy: Teaching Hope
by Claudio Sanchez
March 31, 2010

For 20 years, Jaime Escalante taught calculus and advanced math at Garfield High School in one of East Los Angeles' most notorious barrios, a place where poor, hardened street kids were not supposed to master mathematics, and certainly not algebra, trigonometry, calculus.

But Escalante believed that a teacher should never, ever let a student give up.

"You have to love the subject you teach and you have to love the kids and make them see that they have a chance, opportunity in this country to become whatever they want to," he told NPR several years ago.

The Bolivian-born teacher, who inspired the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, died Tuesday at 79 after a long battle with cancer. Escalante may not have become a household name after Hollywood captured his remarkable story, but he possessed an enduring gift: He could inspire, cajole, even taunt young, troubled kids to see themselves not as they were but as they could be.

To make it, Escalante often said, you need ganas, Spanish for desire and drive. Ganas was Escalantes' battle cry, not just in motivating his students, but every time he chided apathetic administrators and jaded teachers. Stand and Deliver captures the tension perfectly in a scene when Escalante, played by Edward James Olmos, announces he wants to teach calculus and his colleagues think it's a joke.

[Judi Lynn]

28. Jaime Escalante's Legacy: Teaching Hope

Jaime Escalante's Legacy: Teaching Hope
by Claudio Sanchez
March 31, 2010

For 20 years, Jaime Escalante taught calculus and advanced math at Garfield High School in one of East Los Angeles' most notorious barrios, a place where poor, hardened street kids were not supposed to master mathematics, and certainly not algebra, trigonometry, calculus.

But Escalante believed that a teacher should never, ever let a student give up.

"You have to love the subject you teach and you have to love the kids and make them see that they have a chance, opportunity in this country to become whatever they want to," he told NPR several years ago.

The Bolivian-born teacher, who inspired the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, died Tuesday at 79 after a long battle with cancer. Escalante may not have become a household name after Hollywood captured his remarkable story, but he possessed an enduring gift: He could inspire, cajole, even taunt young, troubled kids to see themselves not as they were but as they could be.

To make it, Escalante often said, you need ganas, Spanish for desire and drive. Ganas was Escalantes' battle cry, not just in motivating his students, but every time he chided apathetic administrators and jaded teachers. Stand and Deliver captures the tension perfectly in a scene when Escalante, played by Edward James Olmos, announces he wants to teach calculus and his colleagues think it's a joke.

More:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125398451

[Judi Lynn]

29. Bolivia to name Escalante posthumous 'ambassador'

FRIDAY Apr 02, 2010 15:36 EST
Bolivia to name Escalante posthumous 'ambassador'
By Associated Press

Bolivia announced plans Friday to honor its native son Jaime Escalante, whose success teaching advanced math at a tough Los Angeles high school inspired the movie "Stand and Deliver."

Escalante, who died Tuesday at his son's home near Sacramento, Calif., will be recognized posthumously as a "cultural ambassador" for his work on
behalf of people who have been discriminated against, Culture Minister Zulma Yugar said.

"We know that at times when he was teaching, he would wear a Bolivian poncho to assert his national identity," Yugar told The Associated Press. "He spoke of Andean people as a strong people."

A teacher in La Paz before emigrating to the United States in the 1960s, Escalante studied English at night for years to get his California teaching credentials and be able to return to the classroom.

His achievements at Garfield High in East Los Angeles inspired the 1988 movie starring Edward James Olmos as Escalante.

Escalante retired to Bolivia in 2001, and his siblings have said his wish was to be buried in La Paz.

http://www.salon.com/wires/allwires/2010/04/02/D9ER4DH80_lt_bolivia_jaime_escalante/index.html

I need to apologize for the 4 identical posts immediate above this one. I was totally unaware I posted more than ONE at the time. This had to happen when I had to leave before checking to see my post went through correctly. I'm embarrassed, and sorry. Thank you.