One of the most controversial and emotionally driven concepts to explore in the world of education are the characteristics’ that make up ‘good’ teachers and according to much discussion within the English 101 classroom at Olympic College, most students agree that a ‘good’ teacher is an ‘effective’ educator. “Self-confidante,” “excellent communicator,” “compassionate” and “inspirational” are but a few of the characteristics discussed at length. All of which, undoubtedly have their merit, but for me, the most important aspects of a good teacher are the ability to identify a problem within the system, implement the necessary changes, and display a willingness to ‘get involved’ outside of the classroom by becoming an active advocate for the children within the class / school. Interestingly enough, I have encountered two educators in my life that I feel exude the ‘total package’ of what make a good teacher. One, Mrs. Kingsbury, I have had the privilege to ‘study under.’ While the other, Mr. Escalante, is the main character in a fact-based movie that I watched in class.
In 1978, I asked Mrs. Kingsbury what she thought she was to me and she replied, “My role is to inspire you to become the person you have yet to imagine for yourself. I will dare you to dream beyond the scope of your imagination and I won’t let you give into the temptation of giving up when the odds are not in your favor.” I can remember thinking that I had never heard anything more poetic. My next few thoughts were “what” “why” and “how.” ‘What’ would I dare to imagine if I couldn’t read beautiful words? Yes, I was dyslexic. Ink on paper looked more like stagnate ants then identifiable words therefore ‘seeing’ with my imagination wasn’t much of an option. Then came the ‘why.’ Why did this woman care whether I could comprehend the hieroglyphics as they presented themselves? I mean, she was going to be paid whether or not I understood the lessons, right? Finally the how… How was she going to hold fast to the conviction of not letting me give up, when I was not convinced pushing through was an option? Little did I know, Mrs. Kingsbury had a passion for the under-dog and one of her pet projects was to impart her enthusiasm for learning onto her students. To do so, she figured out individual curriculums that melded the strengths around the area of weakness, thus creating a fusion of sorts that nurtured the brain until it was able to make the necessary adjustments conducive to comprehension. For her part, she developed a reading program that allowed students with dyslexia an opportunity to ‘hear’ the story aloud before ‘reading’ it so that the brain had an opportunity to process the letters in a way that aided comprehension through the disability. What this meant for me was an introduction to the world of imagination. I ‘heard’ the story she read aloud. I imagined every detail and formulated a motion picture in my mind that I could relate too. After I listened to all of her words, I was asked to read, aloud, the same text and if my words did not mirror what I already had envisioned, then I was asked to go back and re-read the material until it correlated with what I knew to be true. Just as Mrs. Kingsbury recognized and adopted a progressive method to overcoming a learning challenge, so too, did Mr. Escalante, although his challenge was more cultural bias then academic he handled the adversity in an equally, if not more so, impressive manor. There is a line in the movie where he says to his students “There will be no free rides, no excuses. You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion. Because of those two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do. *Math* is the great equalizer...” I believe this direct and blunt statement built an immediate report with the students because they knew he understood where they were coming from and although they were not sure in the moment, they knew that what he was offering was somehow going to be their ‘way out.’ Mr. Escalante went on to develop one of the largest and most successful Advanced Placement programs in the nation.
By taking action to implement the programs designed to assist students in progressing forward in their academics, both teachers chose to ‘get involved” and thus became advocates for ‘keeping the students in class.’ For Mrs. Kingsbury, this meant ‘off the clock home visits’ that allowed her to become part of the extended family. In doing so, she was able to address any ‘home challenges’ she may have stumbled across and by default, head off potential reasons why a child might side step or forgo their education. Her gentle, yet honest demeanor often times put the parents in a state of ease, thus allowing Mrs. Kingsbury an insight into the ‘need’ of the family to which she would frequently find ‘creative solutions’ to meet said needs. An example of her vested interest took place when a young man in one of her classes posed the possibility of dropping out of school to provide for his family. After she listened to the situation she was able to assist the family with immediate relief (food and one months rent) thus enabling the boy to refocus on his academics and not the worries of 'life.' Her problem solving skills and solution oriented approach gave credence therefore the end result was the students willingness to trust that solutions were abound. Like Mrs. Kingsbury, Mr. Escalante also partook in the advocacy of students 'staying in school' by taking appropriate action when one of his students, Anna, faced outside pressures to ‘quit’ school due to hardship within the family business. According to an interview conducted in April 2012 by Jay Mathews, of the Los Angeles Times, the ‘real’ Anna is a girl names Leticia Rodriguez and the dramatized version of Escalante confronting Anna's father, Mr. Rodriguez, was an actually event. As the interview detailed Leticia's recollection of her time with Mr. Escalante, Mathew's writes: “The [actual] confrontation was as dramatic as the movie [depicted]." Rodriguez continued "Women are just here to get married and have kids and that's all, her father told the teachers. She [Leticia] has to work.~ Escalante exploded with rage, threatening to turn him [Anna's father] in for violating child labor laws. The teachers left El Farolito [feeling] defeated. Only the next morning did they learn from Rodriguez, flashing a rare smile that her father had cut her work duties to two nights a week and promised to put a desk in the restaurant for her.”
As you can see, both Mrs. Kingsbury and Mr. Escalante went ‘above and beyond the call of duty’ to encourage and inspire. They identified challenges, posed applicable solutions and followed through with their commitments to guide their students past adversities. These educators are an example of what every child deserves when they go to school each day and if we had more teachers like them, then perhaps George W. Bush’s now infamous coined phrase would hold merit… "Leave No Child Behind!"
Footnote: Sadly in May 2010, Mr. Escalante succumbed to his battle with cancer and in August 2012, Mrs. Kingsbury passed away from natural causes, thus rendering neither available for further comments. The impact these two teachers have had on countless people is immeasurable and, unfortunately, we will never know how many more lives will be positively impacted because of their innovations, dedication and heroic efforts in becoming ‘great’ teachers.
Work Cited
Bush, George “Patriot Act” April 2005
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_w_bush
Mathews, Jay “Lessons For A Lifetime” LA Times
Woo, Elaine “Obituaries” LA Times
“Stand and Deliver,” Ramon Menendez Warner Brothers, 1988, DVD
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