Remembering Math Teacher Jaime Escalante

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I'm Alex Villarreal with the VOA Special English Education Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish Today we remember a man who was considered one of the best teachers in the United States. Jaime Alfonso Escalante was born in nineteen thirty in La Paz, Bolivia. Both his parents were teachers. He taught math and science in his home country for twelve years. In the nineteen sixties, Jaime Escalante and his wife Fabiola came to the United States. During the next several years, he learned to speak English and repeated his college education and teacher training. In nineteen seventy-four, Mr. Escalante was hired at Garfield High School to teach mathematics. The school was in a poor area of Los Angeles, California. Many of the students had serious problems with illegal drugs, gangs and violence. The school was in danger of losing its official approval to operate.Mr. Escalante's students were mostly Mexican-Americans from a Spanish-speaking area of the city. Many were the worst students at the school and thought to be "unteachable." But Mr. Escalante pushed the group to work hard. He told them basic math was too easy and that they had the ability to do harder work. He told his students that he believed in them, but they must have the desire to be successful.Jaime Escalante started an advanced math program with a small group of students. Advanced Placement is a program of college-level classes and tests. In nineteen eighty-two,

Published 2011-02-03 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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