By Rob Wood
Los Angeles, CA – Jaime Escalante’s approach to teaching calculus to his 1982 class was immortalized in the 1988 film Stand and Deliver which starred Edward James Olmos (as Escalante), Andy Garcia and Lou Diamond Phillips was seen worldwide. In Spain, it was known as Lecciones inolvidables (Unforgettable Lessons) and throughout Latin America it was titled Con ganas de triunfar (With Desire To Triumph). Now the U.S. Postal Service has announced that it will immortalize Escalante with his image on a postage stamp to be released later this year.
It can be said that the unforgettable lessons of Jaime Escalante equipped his students, along with students inspired by the movie, with the desire to triumph. The postage stamp honors a man who fought to bring Advanced Placement Calculus courses to the underprivileged students of James A. Garfield High School in East Los Angeles In 1982, 18 of Escalante’s students passed the AP Calculus exam, surpassing everyone’s expectations. At this time, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), based in Princeton, New Jersey, could not comprehend that Latino high school students facing social and economic struggles were capable of passing an Advanced Placement-level exam.
When Escalante’s class took the exam, the ETS came to the erroneous conclusion that Escalante’s students had conspired to cheat. To prove that his students did not cheat, Escalante convinced 14 of the accused students to re-take the exam. Every student who retook the AP test passed, and each student’s score was reinstated.
Jaime Escalante believed that anyone who mastered mathematics could further their education and attain a successful career. As long as each student could develop ganas, a concept he defined as “the desire todo something”, he or she could overcome the most overwhelming obstacles. Escalante developed a rapport with his students, and emerged as not only their teacher but their advocate. His students called Escalante “Kimo”, short for Kimo Sabe, a nickname which referenced their teacher’s vast knowledge (sabe translates to “he knows” in Spanish).
Ingrid Oliu as Lupe far right
Jaime Escalante’s impact has been, and continues to be, recognized by the community he served. Since 1983, East Los Angeles College has offered the Jaime Escalante Math Program which offers advanced mathematical instruction to middle and high school students in preparation for the AP Calculus exam. A multitude of scholarships, awards, and prizes have been named for Escalante over the years, rewarding students and teachers for superior achievement in the classroom. In 1988, Escalante was awarded the Presidential Medal for Excellence in Education by President Ronald Reagan. In 1997, artist Hector Ponce painted a massive mural of Edward James Olmos dressed as the beloved teacher alongside the real Jaime Escalante which still stands on the corner of Wilshire and Alvarado, facing MacArthur Park.
Escalante’s emphasis on teaching the real-world applications of mathematics has never been more relevant given the contemporary trend towards promoting the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in the classroom. Jay Mathews, an education columnist for the Washington Post, declared in a 2010 article that Escalante “changed U.S. schools forever”. Mathews contended that because of Escalante’s efforts at Garfield High School, Advanced Placement courses were made available for students attending low-income, inner-city schools across the country.
Ingrid Oliu, who portrayed the character of Escalante’s student Lupe Escobar in Stand and Deliver, shared her thoughts on the real-life teacher’s influence. “Jaime Escalante’s gift was inspiration. He gave us ganas!” Oliu also described the film’s enduring legacy: “It has been almost 30 years since we filmed Stand and Deliver and I am still meeting people that were directly impacted by the film”.
Oliu related the story of Tony, an individual she met a year ago who became inspired to alter the course of his life: “Specifically, Tony, in his youth he was a gang banger, after he watched Stand and Deliver he turned his life around, he hit the books and today is a Registered Nurse”. Oliu mentioned that when Tony learned that she played Lupe, “his eyes welled up”. She stated, “It is an honor to have been part of this great film.”
Jaime Escalante’s accomplishments in the classroom serves as a testament to the notion that no student is unteachable, no community is unreachable, and the seemingly unachievable can be achieved. As long as we continue to find ways to remember Escalante and the things that he stood for: whether it be through a film, a mural, a scholarship, or a postage stamp, his lessons will live on for the benefit of future generations.
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