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One of the most well-known teachers in twentieth-century American history, Jaime Escalante, passed away in 2010, but already his story is fading from our collective cultural memory. Recently I conducted an informal poll of the students, and even a few of the younger teachers, at my Southern California high school. “Do you know who Jaime Escalante is?” I questioned them. Almost every one said they didn’t, until I mentioned he was the teacher portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver. The recipient of numerous awards and special praise from President Ronald Reagan, Jaime Escalante was a popular and talented teacher who challenged supposedly “unteachable” inner-city Latino students to achieve beyond a level anyone thought them capable of, eventually leading them to unparalleled success on the extremely difficult Advanced Placement Calculus exam. In researching the life story of Escalante for my own book, Chalkboard Champions, I learned some surprising facts about this remarkable educator. For example, the movie never mentions that prior to immigrating to the United States, Escalante earned a degree in mathematics and a teaching credential in Bolivia. Escalante was a veteran teacher with nine years of experience in prestigious schools when he decided to leave his politically unstable homeland and come to America in search of a better life for his family. Once he arrived, unable to speak a word of English, he discovered that his education, training, and experience held no value here. Determined to return to the classroom, Escalante set about learning the English language and earning his university degree all over again. It took him ten years to get back into the classroom, at a significant cut in pay, by the way, but to this dedicated teacher, it was well-worth the hard work. A well-researched and well-written account of Escalante’s life can be found in the biographical bookJaime Escalante: The Best Teacher in America by Jay Matthews. For a condensed version of Escalante’s life, check out chapter 12 my volume, Chalkboard Champions. Either way, you’ll find his story compelling and inspiring.
Category Archives: Books
Beyond the Miracle Worker: The Story of Chalkboard Champion Anne Sullivan Macy
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The Miracle Worker by William Gibson is an iconic piece of American literature that is frequently taught in public schools. Exploring the extraordinary work of teacher Anne Sullivan Macy and her work with deaf and blind student Helen Keller, this award-winning play depicts the exact moment at which, due to Anne’s intensive instructional efforts, Helen was able to grasp the concept of language. This knowledge unlocked a world of isolation for the little girl, allowing her to connect with her fellow human beings, and making it possible for her to eventually earn a university degree at a time when educating women was rare. The scene is sweet. Yet the fifty-year relationship between the teacher and her student was riddled with ambiguity and complexity, as author Kim E. Nielsen demonstrates in her in-depth biography of Anne, Beyond the Miracle Worker: The Remarkable Life of Anne Sullivan Macy and Her Extraordinary Friendship with Helen Keller, published in 2009. The book is a fascinating read for anyone who wants to know more about this remarkable teacher and the instructional strategies she used that were so unique. You can discover more about this book on amazon.com at the following link:
I have also included an abbreviated but concise biography of this amazing teacher in my book, Chalkboard Champions, which can also be found at amazon.com at the following link:
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Chalkboard Champion Elaine Goodale Eastman: She Was a Sister to the Sioux
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One of the most fascinating books I have read in recent times was Sister to the Sioux: The Memoirs of Elaine Goodale Eastman (1863-1953). This inspirational teacher was born and raised in New England, but decided to give up all the comforts of home to travel to a South Dakota Indian reservation. She wanted to establish a day school for Sioux Indians because it was her strong belief that it was better to educate Native Americans in their tribal environments rather than follow the alternative practice, which was to take the children out of their homes and send them far away from home and family to Indian boarding schools. Before long, this talented classroom teacher was promoted to the position of Superintendent of Indian Education for the Two Dakotas. While serving in this capacity, Elaine witnessed the Wounded Knee Massacre, and with her fiance, Santee Sioux Indian Dr. Charles “Ohiyesa” Eastman, nursed the Native American survivors back to health. Great story, well worth taking the time to read. You can find this book on amazon.com at the following link:
Sister to the Sioux: The Memoirs of Elaine Goodale Eastman
If you prefer, you could read a chapter about her in my book, Chalkboard Champions. See the following link to amazon.com:
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Turn-of-the-Century Chalkboard Champions Found Homes for New York City Orphans
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Have you ever heard of the Orphan Trains? During the early years of the 20th century, there were literally thousands of homeless children living aimlessly on the streets of New York City. The Children’s Aid Society (CAS), an organization which still exists to benefit children today, developed a method for finding loving and wholesome homes for many of these children. The CAS organized small groups of children to be transported west and placed them in foster homes on farms and in rural communities. To care for these children, the CAS recruited teachers to escort them, conduct background checks on the prospective foster parents, and make periodic checks on the children’s progress. One such teacher was Clara Comstock, born in 1879 in Hartsville, New York.Andrea Warren has documented the phenomena of the Orphan Trains very diligently in her book, We Rode the Orphan Trains, available through amazon.com. You can also read a chapter about teacher Clara Comstock in Chalkboard Champions.
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Jodee Blanco’s Powerful Memoir Describes Anguished Life of a Bullied Kid
In recent years we have witnessed many well-publicized demonstrations of the disastrous effects that bullying can wreak upon on our students. As caring educators, we have dedicated ourselves to protecting our students from bullying as much as we possibly can, and to educating the bullies in an attempt to extinguish this destructive behavior. Please Stop Laughing at Me: One Woman’s Inspirational Story by Jodee Blanco gives us one more reason to renew our efforts. In her book, she painstakingly describes her personal experiences as the kid who was bullied all throughout her school years. This powerful memoir describes how one child was mentally and physically abused by her classmates. It offers a bold picture of what it means to be an outcast, how even the most loving parents can get it all wrong, why schools are often unable to prevent the behavior, and how bullying has been misunderstood and mishandled by the mental health community. Her story shines a spotlight on the harsh realities and long-term consequences of bullying, and how all of us can make a difference in the lives of kids.
Within 48 hours of its release, Blanco’s memoir hit the New York Times Best-Seller List. The volume is now required reading and summer reading in hundreds of middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities, and has become part of the curriculum in many schools.
The book was published in 2003 by Adams Media Corporation in Avon, Massachusetts. It can easily be found on amazon.com at the following link: Please Stop Laughing At Me.
