Rough Draft - incomplete but you get the idea!!

After watching Mr. Escalante in “Stand and Deliver” and Ms. Watson in “Mona Lisa Smile” I was stuck not only by the similarities of the two teachers but also by their differences.  They both had a tenacious streak that would not allow them to give up on their students even though the students sometimes gave up on themselves.  In Stand and Deliver Mr. Escalante consistently shows his absolute confidence in his student’s ability to learn higher math.  While they were both good teachers I think that Mr. Escalante greatly surpassed Ms. Watson with his dogged persistence in getting his students to the point where they could somewhat confidently take the Advanced Placement test for Calculus.  Ms. Watson goes to Wellesley College in Eastern Massachusetts with the intention of not only sharing her love of art with the select group of privileged female students but also of perhaps bringing some enlightenment  to the women in regards to having more in their lives outside of marriage, children and a showcase home. 

At the beginning of the movie, Mr. Escalante arrives at the school to find it in chaos.  He is told he will not be teaching computers but will instead be teaching math.  Instead of turning around and quitting he goes to his class and starts to teach.  When he meets the all Hispanic math class it firms his resolve to make a difference with the students.  He sees himself in those kids and wants to see them succeed in life and go beyond what society expected of them.    ADD EXAMPLE  

At the point in the movie where the class is working on a particularly difficult question, Anita reveals that that day is her last as her dad needs her to work at the family restaurant full time.  She is obviously very sad at the prospect of not completing her high school studies or going on the college.  Mr. Escalante does not say anything at that time but we find him later at the restaurant with his wife having dinner.  Anita introduces her father to Mr. Escalante.  ADD EXAMPLE

 

When the class finally takes the Advanced Placement test for Calculus after months of studying and even giving up their summer for additional tutoring they all pass with exceptional scores.  After being told that they have achieved their goal it is viciously taken from them when suspicion arises that there was cheating involved.  This proved to be yet another example of Mr. Escalante’s firm belief in his student’s ability, and honesty for that matter.  He defends them even to the point of calling out one of the investigators. ADD EXAMPLE

 

Ms. Watson displays her own type of tenaciousness when dealing with the superior behavior of her students the first time she meets them.  When she begins her slide show of well-known works of art and hopes to amaze them with her knowledge, she is somewhat put out when the students recite the facts about each piece of artwork.  She is in fact, a bit humiliated, but instead of tucking her tail between her legs and fleeing in embarrassment she compiles a new set of slides.  This set of slides, shown during the following class, are of little known and slightly vulgar paintings.  The students don’t know anything about them but instead of gloating, Ms. Watson proceeds to teach the women how to look at art from a different perspective, perhaps from the angle of the painter and why he/she painted it instead of the surface appreciation one feels when looking at works of  art.  She continues in this way and it pays off for her when the students begin to engage in more meaningful dialogue.  ADD EXAMPLE