"Stand and Deliver" may be the original teacher saving the poor kids of color film. It's become a cliche in many ways. Maybe the most egregious example is "Dangerous Minds" with Michelle Pfeiffer as the ex-Marine in the ghetto school."You don't understand nuthin'!" she's told. But she does.
Then there's "Lean on Me": Morgan Freeman as real-life principal Bill Clark showing those teaches what's what:
Most egregious is "The Principal."Jim Belushi, washed-up teacher gets to take over an urban high school where drug dealers run the place. That is, until he gets serious:
There's something so evocative about this narrative for American audiences. Think of the assumptions these all share: 1. Urban schools made up of children of color are hell holes. 2. They need saving. 3. The savior, often white, brings order to chaos. And the teacher or administrator is bigger than life. We've seen this to some degree already in "To Sir With Love." But it could not compare to the last two examples above. And Escalante, as we said in class, is an imperfect figure: and the school in many ways is doing its best. It's perhaps the best of this particular genre.
You got the idea. And Stand and Deliver was the original. Three (3) questions we'd like you to answer:
1. Jamie Escalante, who died in 2010, fits perfectly in the teacher, educator, narrative we've seen: he's in the pantheon of "great" teachers along with Pete Dixon, John Keating, Mark Thackery, and Eric Taylor. One can argue that what unites all these exceptional (and often flawed) teachers is the fact that they all are a little crazy. Agree or disagree? Why or why not?
2. How would Escalante do at Paideia? And would you do what his students do? In fact, why do his students do what they do?
3. Going back to "Friday Night Lights." As Mary said in class today, it is based on a book that was a best seller as well as the basis for successful film. This is a world where football is king, academics are second. We're curious: what role do you think athletics should play in high school?
Many of you are writing your answers down in what appears to be five minutes. 200 words is what we've asked for all short term. Give some depth to your responses. And we'll see you tomorrow.
I agree that all of these teachers were a little crazy, but this craziness helped the students be engaged in the class and kept the tired teenagers on their toes. Most of the best teachers have a bit of a wild side, and, in the case of Jamie Escalante, the best teachers are mad geniuses. He is driven to make the kids succeed and Escalante uses humor, humiliation, chants, movement, and other quirky teaching methods to accomplish his goal. To me, Escalante was the most similar to Keating in his manic desire to get the kids to think and work for their education.
ReplyDeleteEscalante would do very well at Paideia; when watching him, I was reminded of being in Rosalinda's A2T class last year. Yes, I would do what his students do because I work harder in classes that I have with teachers that I admire, and Escalante is very admirable. He's funny, smart, engaging, and motivating- the perfect combination for a teacher who you would spend extra time with in order to do better in school (or life). His students do what they do in order to prove to Escalante and to themselves that they can achieve their goals if they do their best. They also want to try something new, as they've never been that challenged before in a class.
I think athletics should be a stress relieving activity but not the main purpose that kids go to school. Unlike the circumstances in Dillon, football and other sports should be treated as extracurricular activities. It should not feel like a game is a life or death situation; the pressure from the community encourages the members of the football team on "Friday Night Lights" to put football before everything else and that is a short sighted mindset. Many people on the show are not thinking about the question "What comes after football?" This tunnel vision leads to many players coming back to Dillon when they realize that their life has been devoted to football so they have no other route to take when the football door closes.
I agree that all the teachers are kind of crazy. And I think that their craziness really helped them get their class involved in learning and engaged in the class. Had they not been as crazy as they were, I don't think the kids would have gotten as much out of the class as they did. I don't think Escalante would have taught as much as he did and made these kids work as hard as he made them work if he hadn't been a little crazy.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure how Escalante would do here at Paideia. On the one hand, he's super engaged and involved in his job, and kids would recognize and respect that. But on the other hand, he demanded a lot more of the kids (in terms of time commitment and work) than I think any student at Paideia is used to, so I'm not sure how it would go over. To be completely honest, I don't think I'd take his class if I knew that's how he was going to teach it. Granted, the classes you need before AP Calc are a lot more accessible at Paideia, so summer school wouldn't be necessary. I think his students do what they do because they want to prove to themselves and their families that they can do it. It's also the first time some of them are even thinking about going to college, so this class opens up a bunch of opportunities for them.
I think there needs to be a balance between academics and athletics. Well, a balance between academics and all extracurriculars for that matter. Academics are obviously important because learning is important and a lot of the types of learning you do in the classroom, you can't get on a sports field; this ranges from the quadratic formula to how to really critically think about something. But athletics give you exercise and, most of the time, a pretty cool group of people with whom you share an interest to hang out with. I also think the balance necessary varies from student to student. Because there may be a kid who's insanely good at bio and wants to become a surgeon, for example, and for that kid, taking and doing well in bio and anatomy and other types of science classes is a lot more important than excelling at a sport. But for someone as good at football as Jason Street (pre-paralysis that is), he could end up doing well enough in football that remembering every little piece of information from a given history class really isn't important at all.
I think that aside from Pete, all of the teachers we have seen were a bit crazy. The only somewhat crazy thing Pete did was try to fight to keep Richie at his school, but even this is expected of every teacher, so it isn't particularly crazy. The other teachers have all had more than one characteristic that defined them as a bit crazy. For example, Mark calls his students sluts (and even though the word had a different meaning, it's still pretty disrespectful). He yells at one girl for entering a class loudly when she was never taught to enter a room in any other way. He is very tough on his students, even when they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. All of the teachers aside from Pete have multiple characteristics like these that, in my opinion, make them seem somewhat crazy.
ReplyDeleteI think that Escalante would do pretty well at Paideia. I don't think the students would like his using their personal lives against them, but I think they would deal with it for the sake of a good math teacher. The students probably wouldn't be as happy to stay throughout the summer for one class, mainly because there are other classes that are good at Paideia, whereas the students in the movie have no other choices, but they would also have a more solid background in math, so they would be able to get through a lot of the earlier math quicker. I think the students in the movie react the way they do to Escalante's teaching because they know that this class is their only way of doing better than their parents in life. There are no other classes that are this rigorous. This is probably their only chance to even think about college. They know that they have to do whatever they can in order to make better lives for themselves.
I think that academics should be the most important part of school. I think it's good to have sports that bring a community together, but I don't think they should be the only things that keep a school from falling apart. I don't think that anyone should be idolized. Athletes should be treated like regular students because that's what they are. They are students who happen to do an extracurricular activity at the school. Sports should be something that people do for fun. If they're really good at a particular sport, that's great and maybe they can pursue a career in that sport after high school, but while in high school, people should be focused mainly on academics. As we've discussed in class, each grade in high school may not have a huge impact on one's future, but overall, grades do matter in terms of going to college. Even star athletes should have the best grades they are capable of. I'll be the first to admit that I love my sport, but eventually, I won't be able to do it anymore, and what I'll be left with is my job. The better I can do in school academically, the better I'll be able to do in the long run. I think that sports should serve to bring a school together, but they shouldn't be the defining factor of a school.
I do agree that many of the teachers we have seen are a little crazy. I don't think their craziness is the only thing that makes the teachers alike, but it does help them make class interesting and engaging which is crucial for a teacher to do. I think a lot of good teachers are a little crazy and, in some cases, the craziness is necessary for dealing with kids every day and still making class entertaining. I think the teachers use their craziness in different ways, Escalante uses it by making up chants and pushing boundaries in order for the kids to learn. Coach Taylor uses his craziness to increase the teams sense of being a team and owing their teammates respect and commitment.
ReplyDeleteI think Escalante would do well at Paideia. I don't think he would get the same joy and sense of accomplishment teaching at Paideia that he gets at Garfield high because he is a hero figure a little bit at Garfield and at Paideia the majority of the students are privileged and have the ability to go to college and get good jobs, and therefore don't need saving. I think I would probably do what Escalante's students do, with the exception of calling him out after class if he crossed a border to the extent that I was uncomfortable. Claudia does call him out in the movie and he apologizes so I don't believe he is trying to shame or bully the kids but sometimes he doesn't realize the impact his words can have.
I think athletics are an important part of high school. Some of the main things from high schools that my parents remembered were playing sports and/or cheering for their schools. I definitely don't think sports should come before academics, but I think athletics increase school spirit, games can be fun events to go to with friends, and many people make close friends because they play sports with them.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if I agree with the idea of them all being crazy. I would say that they all think out of the box and are unique in their teaching abilities, which is what makes them all great teachers in their own way. They are all able to adapt to their surroundings and know their students, which enables them to teach them to the best of their abilities. In the most recent film, Escalante is crazy and makes fun of the students in order to get on their good side and gain respect. The respect that he gains makes the students then want to learn and achieve goals that they thought they could never achieve.
I do not believe that Escalante would fit in well at Paideia. He is a bit too eccentric in his teaching methods. Don't get me wrong; some teachers at Paideia have their eccentricities, but the way that he pokes and prods at the students lives would not go well at our school. It works for the school that he teaches at since it shows his students that he is one of them and understands them. It also puts them in their place and enables him to gain respect, which I mentioned in the previous question. If he poked like that at Paideia though I believe a student would go home to their parents and claim they were being harassed by their teacher. The two schools are just very different environments.
I believe that athletics should be a way to let loose and release the stress and anxiety in your life that comes either from school, your home life or elsewhere. It is always fun to exceed at a sport, but I think that athletics go wrong when the only goal for the team is to win, not to get in shape and have fun. I mention getting in shape only because I know when I am in shape it makes me feel good about myself, which promotes the level of fun I have while doing the activity. Maybe it is different for others. It should be a learning environment for people as well, not a place to put others down because they aren’t good, or have never played before. The only time athletics should be that competitive and not relieve stress is when it becomes a career, because then you are making money for it and should be stressed since the stakes are much higher based off of you and your teams performance.
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ReplyDeleteAll of those teachers are definitely crazy. However, I don't think it's possible to be a good teacher if you aren't a little crazy. If a teacher can't be considered crazy then it's highly likely that he's dull and uninteresting. It's important for a teacher to be crazy because it means he has the ability to keep his students engaged. For example, if Escalante hadn't made his student chant formulas and come to summer classes in a locker room without air conditioning, his students probably wouldn't have been able to pass the AP exam.
ReplyDeleteEscalante would be a great fit for Paideia. He's really just a flat out great teacher. A teacher who has the ability to get a group of unmotivated and uninterested students to devote their lives to Calculus can teach at any school. While he was demanding to his students, he didn't force them to make such a big commitment. Escalante didn't want students that wouldn't take his class seriously. And since many Paideia students are so driven and motivated, it would be a perfect fit. While I wouldn't necessarily want to take AP Calc, I would definitely love to have him as a teacher.
I think that sports are a huge element of one's high school experience. For example, all my dad remembers from high school is playing in basketball games and going to football games. While I won't have any football related memories, I predict that all I'll really remember from high school is my basketball games. Sports definitely shouldn't come before academics, but they should be a close second because they really have the power to bring people together and teach valuable life lessons.
They are most definitely all a little crazy, but only the best are. It’s their craze, their passion for what they are doing and what they are trying to reach that drives them to make the impact they do. They will not give up, they’ll keep pushing and pushing until they see the results they want, until they receive the fulfillment they desire. If any of these teachers were to half-ass their jobs, then the results we see now at the end of all these films are unrealistic. It’s the passion and the driving force that makes sense for these teachers to have in order for the endings to be the way they are. We see this “craziness” in “Dead Poets Society,” when Keating spins the boy around the room in order for him to come in contact with what’s in his head. Keating is trying to get these students out of the mentality they’re currently in, out of the comfort zone they are used to. We see this drive in “Stand and Deliver” when Escalante sits with his family at the dinner table and his wife complains that all he does is work and work with these kids, and his student (Angel) shows up at the door.
ReplyDeleteI think Escalante would do well at Paideia. I am pretty self motivated, but if in their(Garfield student’s) case, would probably be more motivated to listen to this guy who I can tell by the way in which he teaches, talks, explains is willing to help me become unstuck from the situation I’m in so that I can move forward. So that I have the possibility to move forward—something that’s unheard of in the community. So for this reason I would work hard. And that’s why they do to, out of the realization that this doesn’t have to be the end. There can be more and I’ll damn well work hard to get it if this man tells me I can.
Athletics SHOULD be a fun outlet for kids to participate in after school, to get exercise, to have fun, be on a team. This is however not the case in most schools and I understand why. Once competitions and scholarships are involved, this no longer can be a fun little side hobby, it has to be life in some people’s case. It can be their ticket to future success and happiness. I think Athletics should play a role in high school, but there needs to be a balance between it and other aspects of high school. It needs to serve as an important aspect of high school that embodies energy, teamwork, and of course fun in all things you do. However, the way the system is now in many high schools, this may not be a realistic situation for certain students.
I completely agree that all of these teachers are crazy, or at least crazy in terms of the status quo in each of their respective schools. Mark Thackery is completely sane outside of the classroom, but his students and colleagues probably thought he was crazy when he started teaching the way he did. Keating is (mostly) sane, but he is regarded as a total whack job within the walls of Welton. All of the educators we have observed definitely fall outside the norm, but that’s the reason why they are able to succeed in each respective situation where other teachers previously haven’t succeeded.
ReplyDeleteI think Escalante would do fine at Paideia. It’s a different situation, so the urgency and extreme motivation he employs with the Garfield High students wouldn’t be needed. But Escalante is still a very good teacher, smart and fun and able to joke around with his students a lot—in that way he sometimes reminded me of some of the teachers at Paideia. And even though we Paideia students aren’t in as dire need of motivation as the Stand and Deliver kids, it would still be helpful to have a teacher that’s so encouraging and determined for you to succeed. I would probably not do what his students did and go in every day during summer break in order to take an AP Calculus exam, but that’s because I don’t need to do that in order to get to college. His students are doing all the extra work because it’s the only way for them to succeed, whether the end result is college or not.
I don’t think the point of high school should be athletics, like it is in Friday Night Lights. It doesn’t make sense that the main reason for going to high school should be not actual schoolwork but a sport. I think school sports are fun to participate in and fun to watch and cheer for, especially if your school’s teams are good. But school sports are just extracurricular activities, and high school is really about teaching and learning.
1. I agree that all of the teachers that we have seen could be or were considered a little crazy. Some of their craziness I think was due to their situation and I believe that some of the teachers exaggerated their craziness to make their students laugh or to try and engage them. I think Escalante joked with his students and tried to make them laugh in an effort to have them see him as a friend and then as someone who was trying to help them. It would have been much harder for him to relate to them or gain their respect if they didn’t take him seriously or thought of him as just another teacher. He got them to not take him seriously as a way to make them take him seriously.
ReplyDelete2. I don’t know how well it would work to have Escalante teach at Paideia. The students at Paideia are very different than the students at his school and although our math department has been described as “lacking” or “not very good” I don’t know how well Escalante would mesh with the students at Paideia. Paideia students are taught to (respectfully) speak their mind and treat the teachers with respect, and I don’t think that our students would take very well to the idea of a teacher teasing students or using their personal lives in order to make other students laugh (teenage egos are very fragile).
3. My career interests (Sports Medicine) were discovered at a High School football game and are being fueled through High School sports. This is a hard question for me to answer because on the one hand, my interests rely on sports teams and players, but I also believe that students everywhere regardless of if they play sports or not, should be held to a high academic standard. I think there should be a balance of academics and athletics in a student’s life, but the coaches and teachers should also understand that the student/athlete cannot dedicate 24 hours of their day to school work or sports practice and games and work with the teachers/coaches to help create a balanced schedule that doesn’t take up an insane amount of time and leaves time for the student to study, sleep, and socialize.
I agree with the perception that most of the teachers were crazy to some degree, but I think that "crazy" in their situations has a more positive definition. The teachers are not just crazy; they are unique and filled with a lot of energy and enthusiasm to teach and help their students succeed. They are also crazy for their insane ambitions, but that craziness became their determination led them to bringing that ambition into reality. Escalante was crazy when he wanted to teach his students AP calculus, but he was even more crazier when he kept up with it and pushed his students to their fullest potentials in such a difficult subject. Keating's craziness is what made him a very memorable and interesting teacher among all the other "dead" teachers, and Thackery's insane wish to trash his curriculum books and teach his students non-academic life skills led him to gaining the interest of his students to learn in his class.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if Escalante would do well at Paideia. Even though he managed to succeed teaching his students at Garfield, he shared a common ethnicity with the students. Not to be racist, but I think that since Paideia is predominantly white school, it would be difficult for any minority who associates himself with the school to adapt comfortably to the alien environment. Escalante also understood his students better because of their common ethnicity, and he was able to develop very close and intimate relationships with the students that enabled them to work well with each other and do well on the tasks ahead of them. While Escalante uses very creative teaching methods, his methods had many cultural implications to Hispanics that only his students would understand and enjoy. I'm not sure if Paideia kids would enjoy solving problems about numerical numbers of girlfriends and hear both positive and negative connotations about a culture they do not belong in. In addition, Escalante can also be viewed in some way as a member of the underprivileged class because he associates himself very much with people in this class and thus would have a difficult time adjusting to Paideia. If I were one of his students, I would probably do the same thing as the other students and spend every day doing math. I would personally want to move out my low-level education societal strata and experience what higher level education feels like. This, however, is because I naturally like math, so I'm not sure if my opinion is accurate for most Paideia students.
Athletics should always be an important part of high school, but it should not become a school's idol. The purpose of a school is to teach their students knowledge and academia that would make the students better scholars and good critical thinkers who can solve difficult problems in society and the sciences. Sports should serve to help relieve students of the stress levels and allow the students to exercise and remain able to continue pursuing their academic interests. If schools made sports a huge part of their lives, I think the government should fund special "sports" schools for sports people.
1) I would agree that all of the teachers mentioned are all a little crazy. The craziness, I think, comes from their obsessions with teaching and trying to help their students. Driven by this obsession, the men devote most, if not all, of their lives to the kids and overwork themselves. In Jaime’s case, it was pretty clear cut that he had gone a little overboard. Teaching day and night with little rest, he got a heart attack. He also showed signs of craziness when he wouldn’t accept the students’ answer to a problem in class. In the end though, I think it’s the craziness that truly makes the teachers great. It shows they not only simply care about punching in and out, but that they also have a deep passion for truly raising their students to be ready for the beyond.
ReplyDelete2) I think that Escalante would do well teaching at Paideia. His unorthodox methods such as his apple demonstrations would be welcomed here definitely more than most other schools. Not only that, but I think the students would respond really well to him. In the film, he made every effort he could to make the students know that they could do it. He told them that math was in their blood, told them it was easy, and explained things in simpler terms. He also taught about the meanings and why they were learning what they were learning. I think students would like his sense of humor as well, as he joked around a lot too and made the class a fun experience. I think his students respected him and engaged in the class thoroughly and I think that part of it was because he was an excellent teacher. However, the class was their way out of their current situation and they knew that. That’s the reason the class was started in the first place, to give them a chance at college. Thus, with their futures on the line, the students were almost forced to put up with Escalante and do their best no matter what.
3) I think it’s interesting how athletics rule in Dillon and it was interesting as we talked about the uncertainty for the football players as to what they would do after the season had ended. While I love and play sports, I think an education is more important and should therefore be more valued than athletics. The ball will stop bouncing someday so it’s important to fill our brains with knowledge that we can use forever. This being said, I don’t think it’s bad to have athletics program that gets a lot of attention. In fact, I think that it’s cool when a sports team gets a lot of attention as it’s fun for both the team and the fans. However, it just can’t become an obsession that supplants academics. Once the stress is taken off of academics and put onto athletics, it’s hard to refocus that and can cause unhealthy habits.
I don't agree that all of these teachers are crazy exactly. It's more that they can see different angles that other teachers can't. For example, Escalante could tell that these kids had potential, and he was willing to present the challenge to them, even if there was a sizable risk of failure. Thackery was able to see past the regimented school curriculum to see that what those kids really needed was an education on how to take care of themselves. Pete figured out how to make learning fun by getting the kids involved and relating the material to life lessons. Keating, (while he did have some problems that we have discussed), knew that what the boys at Hellton needed was a new way to look at life. They needed to see that there are other possibilities then just going to Harvard and becoming a doctor. Taylor knows that he needs to push those boys hard, and while his methods might be similar to other football coaches, he is willing to do what needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteI think Escalante would do well at Paideia, because he is very involved with his students and really wants them to succeed. Plus, he seems like he explains concepts very well; I like the way he explained negative numbers with sand. I think he would be known as one of the harder teachers though, just because he pushes his students to the absolute limit. I'm not sure how well I would do in his class. I don't like math, and I doubt I could dedicate that much time to pass an AP Test. I think that's because at Paideia's APs aren't as life and death as they are at Garfield. I think those students did so well and tried so hard because a) they were just really smart and good workers, and b) the whole world was telling them they couldn't do it, and they were going to turn their lives around and prove the world wrong.
I think athletics are important, because they help you develop a good work ethic, make you exercise, and help you develop cooperation skills if you're on a team. Although, I don't think they should consume your whole life, (I also think that academics shouldn't consume your whole life). Yes, you should work hard and try your best, but don't put so much weight on high school sports that athletics are all you think about. Plus, only play a sport if you enjoy it. It's not work devoting all of your time to something that you don't like and won't affect your future that much. Unless you are really good and want to play professionally, or you really like the sport, it won't matter in 10 years what sport you played in high school.
1.All the teachers were at least a little bit crazy, some more than others. I found Pete to be well-mannered and likable, something that was a tad crazy in the situation he was working in. Others, like Keating, were very high on the spectrum in his actions and teaching styles. But its important to recognize that the methods worked, because the kids were engaged and responded. All the teachers in these movies were able to get the students to respect them, one way or another, which allowed them to be crazy and teach as they please.
ReplyDelete2.I think Escalante would do okay at Paideia, but I could see him butting heads with a lot of the students. He definitely always feels as if he is right, a stubborn man, and Paideia has some equally challengingly stubborn students. His teaching style would do well here, but I don’t know how well liked he would be in the school. I personally don’t know how I would feel in his class, I found his “teasing” invasive and I have bad memories of teachers calling kids out in class in more of a mocking way than a friendly one in a similar way that he does. These kids respond to him because he has faith in them and is motivating them, something uncommon in their city. I feel, however, that many Paideia students already have the motivation and would be looking for more in a teacher.
3.I think athletics should be a large part of high school, that is if other clubs are getting equal attention. Sports and clubs are a way of uniting the school, something thats difficult to do with just academics. Obviously school comes first, but I would say typically students are more excited to see their football team win a state champ than see the smartest kid in the grade win valedictorian, even if they both are representing the school.
I do think that all of these teachers are a little bit crazy. They are all unique with different teaching styles and different, often eccentric, personalities. Though, I think that is what makes them such great teachers. They might be crazy, but that makes them different than the ordinary, ignored, and disrespected teachers. We see this in all of the movies. Keating has a different approach to teaching private school boys that many of his colleagues do not approve of, but the boys in his class learn a lot more. In Stand and Deliver, Escalante’s ideas clash with the head of the math department, yet he made the school better as well as improved the education of his students. That uniqueness that the teachers have may separate them from the other faculty members, but I think it is that barrier that is important. No great society strives on people who do as they are told and conform to one great leader, never having their own ideas. The “craziness” of these teachers gives them a chance to speak out, express themselves, and in the end, teach their students in a more specialized fashion.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Escalante would do as well at Paideia. He wanted to make a big difference with his students when he started teaching. I think he can easily relate to his students, because he was once in their shoes. I think the fact that he is providing major opportunities for students that did not have them before is a main factor of Escalante’s success. At Paideia, we already know that we are 99% going to college. We have a future for ourselves. I think that Escalante helped his students see that they could have a very promising future. Before, many of the students in his class had no idea that they even had the option of college. Whether it was working for their uncle fixing cars or waiting tables for their parents’ restaurant after high school, the students were not planning on attending college. The kids started in an Algebra 1 class and Escalante got them to become great students. Calculus students. I think here at Paideia, we already start out as at least moderately good students. I think that Escalante would be a fine teacher, but he needs to be helping kids who need the help and the extra bump. The kids who have the potential to be great but that do not know it yet are the kids Escalante would be most useful with.
(I have not seen the show yet, I plan on watching it tomorrow, but I think I can still answer the question).
I think that athletics should play a big role, but it should not be the only role. I think that athletics are extremely important for the social component of high school. Any athletic team is a great place to meet other people and form unity as a team. I think athletics is also a great way to express school spirit. I do a sport that Paideia does not offer, but I still think athletics at school are very important for bonding. I also think that there needs to be a balance of academics and athletics though. You definitely do not want one controlling the other. Athletics being the main concern of a school can be very frustrating especially when any other concerns are drown out. I think the same goes for academics. Students need a relief and a place to focus some of their energy, not just in academics. So, I think that the role of athletics in school needs to be balanced, neither controlling academic life nor hiding in its shadow.
We have discussed before about how many great teachers are often very passionate about the subject that they teach. I believe that sometimes the most passionate people can go kind of crazy. They long to spread their wisdom and love about the subject. I think that many of the crazy teachers that we have seen in movies and shows so far are bound together by their driven personality and lack of limits in the classroom. If a teacher is mundane and doesn't take risks, how are they going to successfully reach the minds of their students?
ReplyDeleteI think that Escalante would thrive at Paideia because he is a fun, friendly teacher, and he creates incredible students. He is also not afraid to take risks when it comes to standards of the school's curriculum. He decided to teach a rowdy class of juniors at an urban school how to pass the advanced placement calculus exam, something that had never been widely attempted before. I thought that the movie was slightly unrealistic, considering that every single student in the class was immediately eager to give 100% and take the class seriously, but then again those students had their whole future on the line, which they started to realize and take charge of. At Paideia, I don't feel as though one AP class will affect my entire life. Since I don't have the same pressure as the students in this movie, I honestly can say that I probably wouldn't work as hard in Escalante's, or maybe even take the class at all.
I think that athletics are an important part of the high school experience because they create a community of school spirit and social diversity, but they shouldn't be a main focus in a school's environment. When your whole school is rooting together for a sports team to win, the whole student body bonds together over one unified event. The same can be said for an academic team or arts competition, but sports are a more common and accessible opportunity. Athletics create diversity in the student body because not everyone at school is going to be a complete brainiac, and there needs to be another outlet for students to find accomplishment and pride with themselves. At the same time, there are schools where sports take completely priority over academics, clubs, the arts, etc. This, to me, seems unhealthy and boring. If all I heard about all day long was last night's legendary basket or life-changing touchdown, I would probably go insane. On the contrary, at Paideia, I think it's sad that nobody ever goes to our team's games, and there is a noticeable lack in school spirit. Sports shouldn't be everyone's main priority, but it is important to have a thriving sports culture in high school.
I don’t think these teachers are crazy at all. For the most part these teachers are focused on teaching the students life lessons or learning habits, which isn’t crazy at all. Yes, Escalante doesn’t listen to his doctor so he can teach his students, but I would consider that determination, not craziness. He knew teaching wouldn’t be a real threat to his health, but he was unselfish and put the students’ learning above his health. That’s not crazy, it’s altruism. If anything, I think the students would be responsible for these teaching being crazy. Thackery admits the students get to him, despite being a level headed man.
ReplyDeleteEscalante would have to tone down some of his jokes, but he’d do well at Paideia. Anytime a teacher is as enthusiastic about teaching as Escalante is the students will do their best. And would I go to school during summer and wake up early for school and stay after school to learn how to find the area of some squiggly lines on a graph? Of course not. But his students do it because Escalante’s presence and charisma, and because Escalante believes in them, so in turn they believe in themselves and willing to put in the extra hours to accomplish something only they think they can accomplish.
Personally, sports have played a very large role in my life in high school. Sports are what I do every day for the majority of the school year, yet I don’t think they should dominate someone’s life like they do in Friday Night Lights.
1) Escalante, Keating, Thackery, and Taylor were all a little unorthodox in their teachings, but in my opinion, necessarily so. They probably would have taken on the role of a “normal” teacher if the students had permitted them to. (with the exception of Eric Taylor) At first, the students don’t trust the teachers. They perceive them as the enemy who exists to make their lives miserable. Each of the teachers (except Taylor the coach) has to break down the defenses put up by their students, which takes some effort and little craziness. I think the teachers are just trying to motivate, impassion, and convince the students that they are worth something as human beings, and that they deserve to learn and succeed.
ReplyDelete2) I think there are teachers a little like Escalante already at Paideia. The “cool,” tough ones who are hard on the students. Some of Escalante’s tactics were a little outdated, like constantly harassing the girls about which boyfriends they did or did not have, (even Anna) so those might not fly quite so well. I also think many students at Paideia would have trouble with Escalante’s tough love method. Here, we are used to teachers looking out for our success and accommodating us at every possible avenue. Most of know we have the potential for a bright future and feel inspired to work hard. I think if someone like Escalante came along and didn’t use the coddling method so many teachers at Paideia use, he might not be so popular. However, Escalante cares about his students and is ultimately a very good teacher. Also, as evidenced when he gave Angel three different books so he wouldn’t be seen carrying them around, he understands some of the social dynamics that go on between the students. Escalante would probably do very well at Paideia, but I think that students would take a while to get used to him.
3) Athletics are a great way to exercise, have fun, and make friends. I definitely think sports should be a part of school life, because they bring people together, but at the same time they should remain an extracurricular. That way, the students who are exceptional can explore their talents away from school, where they’ve come to learn. However, I definitely think sports culture can be a really fun aspect of school, as long as it doesn’t become TOO obsessive. (However in Dillon I think football is all they really had or wanted.)
I don't know if I would call these teachers crazy, but rather unique. All of these teachers are teaching their students something different, whether it be literature, life lessons, or football, and they are all doing it in their own way. For example, there is Escalante, who goes against his doctor's wishes to continue teaching. I don't think it is crazy for him to go back to these students to motivate them to succeed. Instead, I would say it is inspiring that someone is so dedicated to improving young lives. That is the same way I feel about all these teachers. I find it inspiring that Keating went against the teaching norm at Welton and stepped outside the box to get through to his students. I find it inspiring that Pete Dixon will go to great lengths to keep Richie in school. I don't think that's crazy, I think it's motivating.
ReplyDeleteI think that Escalante would fit in at Paideia. Like many teachers here, he is very passionate about what he is teaching and is driven to get it through to his students. Escalante knows how to hit his students hard, exemplified in his somewhat tough demeanor he displayed towards some of his students. I think this is good though. He only does this to fully inspire and motivate his students to exceed expectations. Passionate and motivational teachers are definitely apparent at Paideia.
I think sports should be a big part of high school life, but not like what it is like in Friday Night Lights. The whole town shouldn't revolve around a high school sports team and the athletes should not be pressured like they are. This being said, going to Friday night football games (or in our case basketball games) is almost like a tradition at most schools and bring people together. I believe that is a key component to high school.