The inspirational movie, Stand and Deliver, starring Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamonds Philips, and Andy Garcia, is a true story based on calculus teacher Jamie Escalante. Although most of his students had middle school level educations, Escalante is able to guide all eighteen of his students at Garfield High School in Los Angeles, California into passing the AP Calculus exam. Many say that Escalante did the impossible; however, his zeal for teaching inspired his students to work diligently and pass the test. Escalante is truly an archetype of what teachers should venture to be like.
The characters in the class relate me because we all are taking AP Calculus. Like the character Pancho, sometimes I am unmotivated. To contrast, I strive to do
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well academically like Ana. Moreover, like Angel I am very sarcastic and funny. However, I relate to Ana the most because of our ambition; we both plan to get accepted into prestigious universities and move away. In addition, our motivation to excel in school stems from our own selves and not anyone else. Moreover, Escalante’s students were determined to make their teacher proud, especially after his heart attack. In addition, they were motivated to pass the exam because most of them wanted to go to college and receive college credits for the class. If they aced the exam, they would save a lot of money in university. Furthermore, some students wanted to prove their parents wrong. Lupe wanted to go to college, but her mother repeatedly responded by saying she should just marry a rich man. Nonetheless, she wanted to prove to her mother that she could build a future of her own. In the film, Escalante states, “You’re going to work harder here than you’ve ever worked anywhere else. And the only thing I ask from you is ganas.” “Ganas” means desire. Escalante wants his students to have the motivation to learn in his class and to aim to be the best. He explains that he does not want unmotivated students or his would be wasting his time. “Ganas” or desire is an important factor in education. Students must have the motivation to learn or else they will not succeed. Fortunately, in the film, Escalante’s students do have the “ganas” to learn and the desire to have a better education and life. As a result, they all pass the AP Calculus exam because of their desire to be successful in life. Escalante also states, “You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion.
Because of these two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume you know less than you do. Math is the great equalizer.” Math is the great equalizer because it evens out the playing field for everyone. Language is a barrier because it is different in almost every country; however, unlike language, math is universal. If two plus two is four in the United States, the answer is still four in India. In short, math is the only thing can eliminate barriers among people. Escalante is trying to convey the fact that knowing math can improve one’s life drastically. Hence, he is trying to state that skill is more important than any racial aspect of a single …show more content…
person. The students attain their success by studying for endless hours. They went to school for about twelve hours a day. In addition to that, they also attended school in the summer to prepare for the AP exam. Furthermore, significant factors in their success were their teacher and their determination to prove that they did not cheat. Escalante pushed his students to their limits and guided them onto the right path. He was a fantastic teacher and he knew the material he taught very well, unlike the substitute calculus teacher who taught music. Moreover, the students were tenacious to prove Educational Testing Service wrong. All the students agreed to retake the exam with one day to prepare for it. They were persistent to prove that they did not cheat the first time. Hence, Escalante and the students’ determination ultimately led to their success. I have high expectations for myself on the AP Calculus exam. I will probably opt to take the AP Calculus BC test even though it is harder. Most of the colleges I applied to only accept a four or five on the test for college credits so I hope I get at least a four. Receiving college credits for calculus will be very helpful because I am going to study finance and math in university. Hence, even though I feel like I am going to score a three, I will always strive for the perfect five. Leading up to May, I will give AP Calculus my 110%; I will study diligently and do extra practice problems if I need improvement. As you can see, I am very determined and have the ‘ganas” to do exceptionally well on the AP Calculus exam. My goals and dreams are to get accepted into a good university, travel the world, and live in New York City. Firstly, I already applied to college so it is too late to change anything. However, I wish I worked harder and got more involved in extra-curricular activities during my freshmen year. Moreover, in order to travel the world and live in New York City, I will need a lot of money; hence, I will need a high paying career. In ten years I picture myself living in an apartment on Park Avenue in the Upper East Side. In addition, I see myself working in the field of finance. Currently, I am planning on majoring in finance with a possibility of double majoring in applied mathematics in university in order to become a financial analyst. Hopefully, I will obtain a job as an analyst at J.P. Morgan, Bloomberg, or Morgan Stanley. Consequently, I will have enough money to live in New York City and to do whatever I desire. According to Webster Dictionary, success is the fact of getting or achieving wealth, fame, or respect.
However, I define success as achieving any goal, no matter how big or small it is. Success encourages people to achieve anything they set their minds on. It can be as small as getting an A on a test or as big as being a billionaire. In dealing with success, the sky is truly the limit. Therefore, success should be accounted for anything one does. Additionally, I also define success as being satisfied in life. Success ultimately brings fulfillment to our friends, our family, and ourselves. Achieving our goals brings great gratification into our lives, which everyone strives to receive. Therefore, success is achieving any goal and being content in
life. In the movie, I learned that anyone can achieve the impossible if you work hard for it. Escalante’s students worked diligently to pass the AP exam despite their economic and social setbacks. Likewise, if I work diligently in life, I too can achieve any goal or dream; hindrances are the things that motivate us into making greatness. In conclusion, success is demonstrated in the inspirational movie, Stand and Deliver; Escalante succeeds in being an outstanding teacher and his students succeed in passing the AP exam. Thus, it is learned in the film that anyone can succeed if they have the will to.
Stand by Me is a timeless classic coming of age movie featuring extraordinary performances from its young cast. The plot line relates to the semi-autobiographical novella by Stephen King, The Body. It follows the adventure of four adolescent boys on their quest in which they strengthen their bond of friendship, and ultimately find themselves. Coming out in 1986 and directed by Rob Reiner it illustrates universally popular themes and ideas that both young and old audiences will identify with. In particular, the four budding actors make this film their own, and it is little wonder that this film became their breakthrough into mainstream acting.
Guggenheim focuses his documentary on the teachers that make-up a large portion of the system. One of his strongest arguments is that the teachers are the problem, and the inability to rid schools of the incompetent teachers is the primary reason American schools are coming in so low in the international rankings. He also shares many facts and statistics that are staggering by their lonesome, but he presents them in such a way to exaggerate them by use of animation, music, and narration.
In books, the reader can usually relate to the characters with traits or preferences. While reading Schooled, a character I can make a strong connection to Darryl. Darryl makes lots of mistakes on accident the he didn’t mean to do. For example, when Zach and Hugh set Cap up to be hit by the football team, Darryl had been the one that hit him first. He and Cap were friends and he would never mean to hurt Cap in that way. After Darryl hit Cap, he felt lots of remorse that he had hurt a friend. I will do stuff like put a glass on a wood table and it gets stained. I didn’t even think about it but it still got me in trouble. Another way I am related to Darryl is that we both stick up for what is right. Cap is treated terribly by Zach but Darryl
The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. The eurocentrism and its effects on our educational system and influence on society is what is holding the African-American community back from their own success. Reaction When I was first told that I was going to have to read this book, my initial reaction was that of a stereotypical math education student: I was less than enthused. Reading has never been something that I did in my free time, and it was always something that upset me when an instructor said that I had to do it. This book also had an extra complication, the stigma of the word “negro”.
Success can be an extremely broad subject. There is an abounding amount of different views on what the “true” definition of success is. Personally, I believe that success is finding happiness. Success is waking up in the morning and not having to worry about whether or not the bills are going to be paid this month. Success is having a job that you enjoy going to every day. Success is having friends and family who love and support you. Success does not mean that one has to be exceedingly rich or have a lakeside mansion. As long as they are happy, they have succeeded in life.
The Giver is about a boy named Jonas who was chosen to be the community’s next Receiver of Memory. He lived in a community where everything was chosen for the citizens, and everything was perfect. During Jonas' training, he realized that the community was missing something and that there was more in the world. Jonas wanted everybody to know that. The Giver book was then made into a movie. Though the two were based with the same story plot, there are three important differences that results with two different takes on the same story. The three main differences between the book and the movie are Asher and Fiona's Assignments, the similarity all Receivers had, and the Chief Elder's role.
The first sign of disapproval toward Equality’s abnormal talent starts very young at the House of the Students. Equality lived and was taught at the House of the Students, from the age of five to fifthteen. He was always disliked by his teachers because of his ability to learn more information and in a shorter amount of
Stand By Me is a movie based on a novel by Stephen King. It tells the story of four preteens, who during a boring summer day, embark on a journey to find the body of a dead twelve year old, who has been missing by news accounts, but known to them, to be lying in the woods near a river bank. The story is told as an historical narrative about the lives and relationships of the four main characters in this movie, Gordy, Chris, Teddy, and Vern. In this essay, I will discuss how communication, and self-concept, affects the characters, and their interactions.
Many people give up too easily and can’t find the confidence and motivation to grow and overcome these challenges. Logan was an average student and coasted through school and his lack of skills caused him to not succeed in college. Logan had an epiphany and realized that he wants to make something out of his life and started to make goals and succeed in school. Which he changed from zero grade point average (GPA) to a 4.0. Soto was made fun of because of his hideous guacamole jacket. These cause him to be depressed and his low grades. Soto explains how the way one dresses can influence how they feel about themself. They both worked with motivation, confidence, and persistence to overcome these
Escalante’s students completed their Ap exam, they manage to the surprise of many score well above the average. Their excellence in their Calculus exam arises suspicion from the ETS officials, which causes them to think that the students of Garfield high school who took the exam had cheated their way up. This is known as racial discrimination because the ETS officers were quick to judge the students with cheating based on the fact that they were from a minority or of Hispanic/ Latino background. The students were accused because the officers as well as those who worked in the school felt like the students were incapacitated or incapable of obtaining that amount of success on a nationwide exam that is proven to be difficult. As said by Dr. Pearson, “There are two kinds of racism, Mr. Escalante—judging a group because they are a minority, and not judging a group because they are a minority” meaning that if he judged a minority he would be characterized as a racist and if he didn’t it would seem he favored them simply because they are a minority. The simple fact that Mr. Escalante’s students belonged to a racial minority groups was enough for the ETS officers to doubt the student’s intelligence because at first the Ap calculus students were part of gangs or right near the point of dropping out making them seem uninterested. The fact that the calculus students didn’t look or act the way a student from a more prestigious school would, made them seem as though they held no such ambitions or aspirations in
Both Erin Gruwell in Freedom Writers and Jamie Esclante in Stand and Deliver faced students stuck in low-income backgrounds and neighborhoods of crime. Despite the low achievement of these students, both teachers were able to foster a mastery of a subject to their students. Even though the subjects of English and math are extremely different, one method united both teachers and allowed them to teach their students effectively— trust. Erin and Jamie were successful because of the trust they put in their students.
This past week I watched the movie Stand and Deliver. It has many similarities as Freedom Writers; however, it is not as well known. Stand and Deliver, a true story, follows the account of Jaime A. Escalante. Escalante is a new teacher at James A. Garfield High School who is determined to change the education system and challenge his students. The school’s students primarily come from lower to middle class families who are well below their expected grade level in academics and social standing. Being the new teacher at the school, the students regularly taunt him, yet as the year progresses he is able to gain their interest. He uses innovative teaching techniques, by using props and sarcasm to illustrate math concepts. He comes into the school
“There will be no free rides, no excuses. You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion. Because of these two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do. Math is the great equalizer... When you go for a job, the person giving you that job will not want to hear your problems; ergo, neither do I. You're going to work harder here than you've ever worked anywhere else. And the only thing I ask from you is ganas. Desire.” Ramon Menendez (Stand and Deliver)
Success only truly comes with being happy. Happiness and success are the accomplices of one another. Someone cannot have accompanies without the other. Happiness brings success, and success brings even more happiness. Success, in the dictionary, is defined as the achievement of something desired planned or attempted. Therefore, success cannot be judged by anyone than oneself. It is a personal thing. It is the realization of goals, desires or plans made by one 's self. It is not measurable and yet is something we always use to compare others or appraise someone 's worth. Success, in one form or another, is something that someone should always be striving for. For some people it is something they will do subconsciously, and for others it will be something they will constantly labor for. Because success is something that is different for everyone, it is best that they measure their personal success by their sense of self worth instead of others. To have succeeded is to have lived, as someone wanted; ' it is to have lived well and laughed
The true definition of success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Although, many people have different perceptions of success. Success is judged by the individuals themselves. Success can be defined in many ways including: wealth, happiness, fame, etc. Success can be anything from material goods to concepts. It all depends on your concept and how you achieve your goals. You have to have persistence within yourself. Varying on your profession, you will need a certain skill level. Your definition of success can be suitable best for you, but not for others. It is about truly not giving up, reaching your full potential, and self-fulfillment.