There are a lot of misconceptions about inner city schools. Some say that the students really don’t care about their education, or the teachers are just there for paychecks. If you watch Stand and Deliver your whole view and opinions on public schools will change. This movie shows you how if you put a dedicated teacher in a class of inner city students great things can actually happen. The story took place in East LA. During the late 70’s early 80’s.
In the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood sits Garfield High. Mr. Escalante played by Edward James Olmos, moved to East Los Angeles from Bolivia he decided to become a teacher at Garfield high. He was originally supposed to be a computer teacher, but because of the lack of money in the school’s
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budget they didn’t get computers so instead he taught Algebra. The first couple of months were rough, the students barely came to class on time, some didn’t even know all their multiplication, but it was okay because over that school year, summer, and the next school year things were going to change dramatically. This movie would probably be of interest to children in an urban area going to a public high school, or to Hispanics in a public school system. The characters acting were very much up to par.
One in specific was Angel Guzman played by Lou Diamond Phillips. Angel was kind of a gangster but was very smart. He tried to keep this hidden though, instead of giving up like his friends did he kept going. He asked Mr. Escalante for books and in return he’d give Mr. Escalante protection, from the other students and on the streets. When Angel started to come around in the movie you could tell he was different from the people he hung out with. He was the only one who tried to solve problems in the class and participate. He was also different because he actually had a struggle of his own at home. His mother was quite sick and really couldn’t function well without him. Eventually Angel got out of the gang he was in and was one of the students who got the highest score on the A.P. Calculus test. Lou went on to star in movies like La Bamba, Young Guns, and most recently the T.V. show …show more content…
Longmire. Other characters like Ana Delgado played by Vanessa Marquez and Rafaela Fuentes played by Lydia Nicole, also important in the film. They were kind of the smarter girls in the class. Ana came in the class and seemed to be more advanced than the other students. She was the one that answered most of the questions first. Rafaela on the other hand was like Angel and had to develop certain skills first. She also became another one of the leading students in the class that started off as Algebra and advance to a much harder A.P. Calculus. All of the leading characters were very developed with each having their own type of back story of some sort. Like Ana had to work in the family business and almost had to transfer and miss out on an education because of her father being selfish until Mr. Escalante talked him out of it. Rafaela had to basically be a mom to her 3 younger siblings because her parents worked long shifts which caused them to be away from home quite a lot. Angel had to take care of his ill mother and was involved in a gang that he didn’t want to be in. Another leading character was the student Tito played by Mr. Escalante and his class seemed like something that would never work at first. The students seemed like they really didn’t cared about school, they came in to class late with no pass or excuse, some didn’t participate in any of the lessons. Most of the students gave on work that was too hard. But as the movie progressed you could see the students that would last and stick with it. Mr. Escalante also changed throughout the movie. He started to make his class more fun he made his lessons as to where the students could connect it to the real world, like once he cut up some apples and dressed up as a hot dog seller with a cart. He helped the students understand fractions and percents better. He also came up with routine jokes that all his students caught on to. This made his students grow to like him, and eventually love him. He had a good connection with his class. In this film there were a lot of different messages.
One main message I think is, don’t judge a book by its cover. Most of the teachers even thought the algebra class was going to fail or the students wouldn’t make any progress, but when they exceed to pass the A.P. Calculus test, all the teachers became jealous of Mr. Escalante and his class’s accomplishments. The story took place during a time were gangs and violence was pretty serious in East L.A. Garfield high itself was violent itself. Fights broke out, students played pranks like ringing the school bells early to let kids out of their classes. Then school wasn’t really important to some kids. They had things to deal with outside of school like some had to raise families or work to help pay bills at their houses. This movie really opened up my eyes to the different struggle some of those kids had to deal with back then. It’s like some of them had to grow up before it was time for them to. Anybody who grew up in an urban area and went to a public school can relate to this
movie. Stand and Deliver is a PG rated movie so almost anyone can watch is if they wanted. I say this movie is revealing, educational, and inspiring. The acting was on point, it hit important topics. This movie in my opinion on a scale of 1/10 deserves an 8.5/10. Malcolm Becton is a junior soon to be Senior at Hogan Prep Academy high school in Kansas City, MO. His favorite subjects in school include Language Arts and History. He is an amateur film critic and this was his first published movie review.
The film starts with an uprising after a white storeowner kills a black teenager. This incident Highlights Prejudices. The teenager was labeled a thief because of the color of his skin and the unjustifiable murder causes racial tensions that exist as a result of the integration of the high schools.
This film is one that has faults, but is also very credible and a major wake-up call for those currently in power to make a change and help improve the schools of America, securing a better future for all.
The essay “Still Separate, Still Unequal”, by Jonathan Kozol, discusses the reality of inner-city public school systems, and the isolation and segregation of inequality that students are subjected to; as a result, to receive an education. Throughout the essay, Kozol proves evidence of the inequality that African American and Hispanic children face in the current school systems.
The first element of Kozol’s article is the reality of urban public schools and the isolation of their students. Jonathan Kozol illustrates a grim reality about the unequal attention given to urban and suburban schools. The article explains how Kozol specifically looks at how they reflect institutional discrimination and the failure to address the needs of minority children. The article notes that these are the inequalities of the title, seen in the way schools in predominantly white neighborhoods are more likely to have sufficient funding, while schools in poor and minority neighborhoods do not. Kozol shows everyone involved in the education system that public schools are still separate and, therefore, still unequal. Suburban schools, which are primarily made up of white students, are given a far superior better education than urban schools. These urban schools are primarily made up of Hispanics and African Americans.
A message that really explains the movie in a sentence is every human is not perfect and each human has their own personal struggles that they will try to overcome. Boobie Miles thought he was perfect and he actually put a curse on himself and got injured right at the beginning.The primary theme in the film is the Underdogs don’t always win. We thought because they were underdogs they were going to win but they ended up losing. They still did put up a great fight. Some other themes are the impact of adults’ hopes and goals lived vicariously through their children. The most important theme of the novel involves the impact of adults’ hopes and goals lived vicariously through their children. The people of Odessa place an unmistaken spell on the shoulders of their sons to be champions every year so that the adults can take the triumph as their own. The result is that their children can never leave their triumphs and defeats of that short time behind. It follows them no matter what they make of their lives, and it is unfair that they must do so. The last important theme is that of misplaced priorities. The people of Odessa wouldn’t accept the fact that their obsession with football was impacting on the educational success of their children. Their need to have a winning season affected class time, homework, tests, and even whether school
...lms these students get away with murder and still go on to college. This simply does not happen in real life; therefore, looking to Hollywood films for the true colors of schools is not in the best of interests. We have to realize that directors produce these films in their vision of American culture. We as Americans always look to the American Dream of sometime “making it.” The films neglect to see the loser’s point of view, meaning Hollywood films only look to a positive ending because it is in our nature to believe in the American Dream. This book allows our society to actually look past the films fantasies and observe the true inequalities in school. Although Hollywood films do correctly show how urban, suburban, and private students behave in schools, they do not show the true outcomes of real life.
There are many more examples throughout this movie that can be connected or assessed to the many different concepts that was learned. There are many real-life events and these concepts are important because they allow people to see how different types of people and families deal with stress and problems and it is important not to judge or jump to conclusions and maybe take a step back and take time to consider what others may be going
The gap between the nation’s best and worst public schools continues to grow. Our country is based on freedom and equality for all, yet in practice and in the spectrum of education this is rarely the case. We do not even have to step further than our own city and its public school system, which many media outlets have labeled “dysfunctional” and “in shambles.” At the same time, Montgomery County, located just northwest of the District in suburban Maryland, stands as one of the top school systems in the country. Within each of these systems, there are schools that excel and there are schools that consistently measure below average. Money alone can not erase this gap. While increased spending may help, the real problem is often rooted in the complex issues of social, cultural, and economic differences. When combined with factors involving the school itself and the institution that supports it, we arrive at what has been widely known as the divide between the suburban and urban schools. Can anything actually be done to reverse this apparent trend of inequality or are the outside factors too powerful to change?
This movie is based on changing the lives of Mexican Americans by making a stand and challenging the authority. Even when the cops were against them the whole time and even with the brutal beatings they received within one of the walk out, they held on. They stuck to their guns and they proved their point. The main character was threatened by the school administrators, she was told if she went through with the walkout she would be expelled. While they wanted everyone who was going to graduate to simply look the other way, the students risked it all and gave it their all to make their voices
The main themes are that you shouldn’t judge people by their appearances. Just because you are rich and belong to a tough gang does not mean you are cruel like the other gang members. You shouldn’t carry any harmful weapons and should not escape from the police.
America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems of schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement. Even when low-income schools manage to find adequate funding, the money doesn’t solve all the school’s problems. Most important, money cannot influence student, parent, teacher, and administrator perceptions of class and race. Nor can money improve test scores and make education relevant and practical in the lives of minority students.
The film begins with a new teacher, Jaime Escalante, arriving to Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. On his first day he comes to find out that the computer science class he thought he was going to teach doesn't exist, because the school has no computers. In turn he is assigned to take over the general algebra class. From the beginning the film portrays the school as one on its downfall, and with students that are facing poverty. The class he receives is full of students who, according to other teachers at the school, are unintelligent and incapable of learning much of the material. Students cannot be expected to learn material when the teachers themselves do not believe in the stude...
Education is an integral part of society, school helps children learn social norms as well as teach them how to be successful adults. The school systems in United States, however are failing their students. In the world as a whole, the United States is quickly falling behind other countries in important math and reading scores. The United States ranked thirtieth in math on a global scale and twentieth in literacy. This is even more true in more urban, lower socio-economic areas in the United States. These schools have lower test scores and high dropout rates. In Trenton Central High School West, there was an 83% proficiency in literacy and only 49% of the students were proficient in math. Many of these students come from minority backgrounds and are often from low income families. There are many issues surrounding these urban schools. There is a severe lack of proper funding in these districts, and much of the money they do receive is sanctioned for non-crucial things. Schools also need a certain level of individualization with their students, and in many urban classes, this simply does not happen. While there are many factors affecting the low performance of urban schools, the lack of proper funding and distribution of funds, the cultural divide between teachers and students in urban districts, along with the lack of individualization in urban classrooms are crucial reasons to explain the poor performance in these districts. Through a process of teacher lead budget committees and further teacher education, urban schools can be transformed and be better equipped to prepare their students for the global stage.
Schools that are filled with low-income colored students across the country are far more likely to have inexperienced teachers, bad grades, very little opportunities for economic funding and racial segregation compared to schools in wealthier areas. The issue of teacher
Non judgmental and Compassion was a message in this movie. If more people would have compassion for others we would live in a better world. It is important to be non judgmental because people never know what happens in a person's life to cause them to act out in a certain way. Mrs. Erin Gruwell’s students were separated along racial lines and had few aspirations beyond street survival. Many people warned her that her students were all criminals who couldn’t be taught. With all odds stacked against her, she accepted the teaching position at Wilson High School. Erin Gruwell saw more in the students than a future as criminals and gang members; she saw them as people who have lost their ways in life. Instead of turning her back as society had done, she held out a helping hand. She had compassion and was non judgmental toward the children’s actions and hatred for one another. Being judgmental...