The 1988 Stand and Deliver film

The 1988 film Stand and Deliver tells the narrative of a teacher, Mr. Jaime Escalante, who quits his job to teach Mathematics in a failing school in East Los Angeles, California, USA. Hispanic pupils attend the educational establishment. Mr. Escalante’s innovative tactics transform the students’ spirits. The film emphasizes that as long as learners have a desire to learn new things, they can overcome prejudices, educational disadvantages, and social hurdles to education acquisition.

Jaime Escalante was preoccupied with the results.

The students had been described and considered incapable of passing AP calculus by other teachers. This stereotyping was founded on the fact that the learners originated from poor Hispanic backgrounds. Mr. Escalante compelled this generalization and maintained that one only needed “ganas” (desire) to be capable of passing Math and using the knowledge to acquire a decent job. He thus has taken four years to assemble the necessary resources that created an enabling environment for the teaching of Math.

Expectancy Theory

Expectancy theory postulates that the people’s behavior choice relies on their expected or desired outcomes. Mr. Escalante’s belief that knowledge of advanced Mathematics was critical to finding a decent job drove him to motivate his students. He thus informs the learners that there were a lot of manufacturing businesses, engineering, computer, and aerospace companies in Southern California that were ready to employ young qualified Latinos. Mr. Escalante emphasizes that AP calculus was the sole measure of the potential of a high school student. This move motivates the learners further, as they believe their effort in AP calculus would determine their careers.

Attribution Theory

Mr. Escalante’s teaching method reflects the attribution theory. For instance, Escalante has mentioned that their Mayan ancestors were the ones who first thought of the idea of the zero. This association was helpful in validating the students’ culture, which is also a huge part of their identity. Mr. Escalante thus could help to increase elf‐esteem by validating the students’ identities.

Instructional Approach

One teaching strategy that Mr. Escalante uses is differentiated instructions. Differentiated instruction approach promotes creativity and helps develop critical thinking among students more than rote memorization teaching approach. When Escalante’s students have difficulty in understanding the material, he utilizes alternative methods to present the information to them. Instead of lecturing the material to the learners, he instead attempts to find the ways to make it relate to their own lives, so that they can comprehend the content better.

Mr. Escalante also aimed at building a close relationship with his students since the first days of his work. To help the youths rise above negative stereotype, Mr. Escalante started off by letting them know that he comes from the same background as they did. Instead of maintaining a formal relationship with his students, the teacher chose to put himself on the same level as they were, take an effort to know them, and care for them. An example is a situation he has with Angel. Although the youth gives him problem since the first day, Mr. Escalante sees the potential in him. He understands that appearing smart/intellectual would affect his social image. To make sure that he is able to succeed without damage to Angel’s reputation, Mr. Escalante gives him three textbooks: one for home, one for locker, and one for work, so that the boy does not have to be seen carrying one.

The Strength of the Approach

Differential instructional approach enables the students to relate the known or familiar logic to understand the calculus concepts. For instance, using the portions of apples to teach the fractions worked efficiently for Mr. Escalante. Even though the students looked confused at first; however, they eventually learnt the concept as soon as the two students have given the correct answer. Thus, they were able to comprehend the topic better when they could visualize it.

Weakness of the Approach

Using Jiglo’s girlfriend as an example was not an effective move for Mr. Escalante. He asked many students to identify the unknown and work out the problem, and no individual was able to give the correct answer but one. One student even asked how the example was related to their lives.

Conclusion

The film Stand and Deliver demonstrates that the success of the students is dependent on the attributes of a teacher. It emphasizes the need for an educator to understand the learners sufficiently to be able to better their results. The film also depicts the discriminatory societal beliefs about the poor, minority, and the public education system. Further, Stand and Deliver reveals that helping students rise above socio-economic boundaries and racial perceptions drive them to attain their academic potential. The major lesson learned from the film is that the respect and the expectations are the essential contributors to the learners’ success. Students, who are grossly challenged, can achieve good results when they have the desire to learn and uphold respect for their teachers.