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Early Life
Jamie Escalante was born on December 31, 1930 in La Paz, Bolivia. His parents were Sara and Zenobia Escalante, they worked as school teachers in his home town. -
Education
At the age of 14, Escalante began attending San Calixto, a prestigious Jesuit high school in La Paz. After graduating he enrolled at Normal Superior, a state teaching college at the age of 19. Quickly Escalante proved to be a exceptional student. He was very talented in the Math and Physics department. Just two years into his schooling Escalante was offered a job at the American Institute. With no real teaching experience he was able to learn from his colleagues and through trial and error. -
Coming to the US
With encouragement from his wife, Escalante quit his teaching job and flew to Los Angeles alone on Christmas Eve at the age of 33. He had almost no money and no knowledge of the English language. His first job was janitorial work at a coffee shop. He began taking English classes at Pasadena City College. He would later be promoted at his job and begin working towards his associates degree in math and physics. He would also earn a scholarship to Cal State for his teaching credentials. -
New Opportunities
At the age of 43 Escalante began teaching at Garfield High School for only $13,000 a year. This school was know for its violence and drug use. His position was not what he thought it would be and he soon realized that he was assigned to teach the lowest levels of math. He quickly grew unhappy. -
Hard Work
Escalante had a strict regime and did not go easy on his students. He was known for turning around the behavior of his students and motivating them to work hard. By 1978, he had 14 students enrolled in the school’s first ever AP Calculus class. By test taking time only 5 of his students had passed. The years following his classes grew and so did the number of passing students -
Rewarding Results
By 1982, a record of 69 Garfield students were taking AP exams in various subjects. His students took their exam in May and had amazing results. All 18 of his students passes but, many people believed they had cheated because of the low income area they came from. This did not deter his students it only made them work harder, they retook the test and proved they knew their skills. -
Books
A Washington Post reporter, Jay Matthews wrote, “Escalante: The Best Teacher in America.” This book ended up being very popular and even encouraged his students to keep working hard. -
Stand and Deliver
Because of Escalante’s wild teaching success the movie “Stand and Deliver” was created based off of him and his students. The movie showcases the dedication and story of proving to the school board his students did not cheat on their AP tests. This was a testimony to his hard work and is still a inspiration to many people today. -
Awards
Escalante received many awards because of his impact in the educational field. Some of them include the Hispanic Heritage Award, Free Spirit Award and even the United States Presidential Medal for Excellence. In 1999, he was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. -
Last Years and Death
In his later years Escalante returned to Bolivia with his wife and still taught Calculus up until 2008. He would visit the US frequently to see his sons and give motivational speeches. He died at the age of 79 after a long and difficult battle with bladder cancer. His legend still lives on through his family and the many students lives that he impacted.