Zilky Mae Chavez August 27, 2019
MLS 4
Stand and Deliver
Teachers dedicate their time and efforts for the students to learn and achieve their goals. They have a
big impact on the students course of school life.
Stand and deliver is a great old movie, it revolves around how can a teacher point its students to a good
path for their future careers.
As the film opens, Jaime Escalante the main character of the movie has a reliable job but left it for a
lowly position math teacher at James A. Garfield High School. He left his high-paying job even knowing
that the school is where rebellion runs high and teachers are more focused on discipline than in
academics, he is determined to change the system and challenge the students to soar high in excellence.
Escalante is determined to change disobedient, academically disinclined students to work hard for their
brighter future. With this determination and perseverance, he was able to turn gang members, no-
hopers, and even the most troublesome teens into dedicated students who are ready to learn.
The school board has low expectations on the students and the teachers even called them illiterates. But
Jaime Escalante didn’t listen to the concerns and skepticism of his colleagues. Instead, he realized that
his students are capable of more than the expectations and criticisms thrown to them.
Mr Escalante challenged his student to a much higher level of knowledge. He developed a math program
so that they can take AP Calculus in their senior year. The students came to struggle in balancing other
adults’ expectations and the goals and ambitions they hold for themselves. They gradually came to
realize that the only way to escape their own poverty-stricken barrio is to improve themselves
intellectually. With Escalante to help them, they’ve found the courage to rise to the standard of success.
The students took the AP Calculus exam and the class’ academic achievements soar dramatically for
they all passed the exam.
Stand and Deliver is, indeed, a constructive movie which has delivered its messages very well. After
watching, it really has left me a good feeling. The movie, with its main character, Jaime Escalante, has
proved that no matter what situations you are in, you can rise and prove yourself to the world.
It was able to address the importance of education as which can help us to escape from poverty,
develop ourselves and succeed in life. The very lesson I have learned is that all of us, students, can rise
to whatever level expectation we are put on. All we need is the “ganas” or desire to succeed and good
teachers to help and motivate us.
