Observing Education:
Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keating
We have
two teaches, one that teaches in the 1950’s and another that teaches in the
1980’s. One teaches literature to well-educated prep students in Vermont, and
the other teaches algebra/calculus to illiterate Hispanic students from Garfield
high school in East Los Angeles.
Do Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keating have different teaching
technique? Is one a better teacher than the other? Who’s better or worse? No they are both great
teachers, what is different are their styles, ideas, reason and value. What
they have in common is a sense of purpose, high expectation for their students,
enjoy their time and work with their students, interact with their students
(one more than the other), the students and teacher adapt and change to the
students need, and the students adapt to the teacher quirkiness of teaching.
They both push for creative thinking. It’s how they both motivate their students
to want to excel and think on their own.
Both
teachers start the class in a very awkward state. Mr. Escalante is giving away
parts of apples to his kids and asking them “what you got?”, while Mr. Keating
is whistling the 1812 overture and walks in the class room thru and out into the lobby where the class follows him.
Where he tells his class to look at the young men’s picture of Weltons past alumnis
who are now pushing up daisies, to listen to them cause they will whisper their
legacy…”carpe diem, size the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.” It’s
good for the students to see this kind of behavior because it shows the teacher
reaching out to them but it also brings them to a student’s level, where they
see eye to eye instead of student/teacher relationship. It also shows that both
teachers have a good sense of purpose and that they are adaptable and at times
will stray from their curriculum. From
the beginning you can tell that both teachers have clear objective and a sense
of purpose. Mr. Escalante establishes a framework in which his students will
flourish and Mr. Keating who sees the big picture and wants his students to see
it also. To see further down the road of life, and to take the path least taken.
Both
teachers have expectations of success for their students. In the case for Mr. Escalante
he expects his students to succeed in AP calculus exam but also in life. ”math
is the great equalizer”, Mr. Escalante says. Know in math, they will knock over
those barrios barriers that have been put up by the culture they live in and
stereotype that they are expected to fulfill, a typical Mexican. Mr. Keating expects his students to succeed
in life, his students don’t have to struggle like Escalante’s kids but they do
lack guidance and leadership and free thinking. Mr. Keating taps into the mind
that all ready is successful and opens it up to them so each one can see the
world in a new perspective, “Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because
the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it.” The student’s
climbs into Mr. Keating desk to see a new perspective, “Now, don’t just walk off
the edge like lemmings! Look around You!”
He wants them not only to think outside the box but to look outside the
box too.
Both teachers bring fun into the classroom and have a sense
of humor. Mr. Escalante has a dry humor with his students, at times he is funny
but as a Hispanic we are known for our dry humor and sarcasm. He did in fact kept
them entertain in class with his “tic, tac, toe” and “pieces of cake upside
down” and calling them “burros” and “ kangaroos”,
it’s a love and affection, Spanish style, tough love. Mr. keating
pretty much ran his class like a comedy club. From reading
poetry and kicking soccer balls, form standing on his desk and “I sound my
barbaric yawp over the roof top of the world”, to ripping out the introduction
page off their text book, “it’s not the
bible, you’re not going to go to hell for this.” As the class hesitates to rip
out the introduction page.
Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keating both get their students to be
motivated and energized and creative.
Mr. Escalante gets his student to come in early, then to
stay later in class. Then they all come to summer school. And if that wasn’t enough
he has them all come in on Saturdays, the whole class does it. Its the respects
that he gives his students that they are willing to go the extra mile for him.
Mr. Keating motivates them and makes his students creative by informing then
and in a way guiding what the Dead Poet society is about, basically a bunch of
guys reading poetry, Mr. Keating lets them know it’s what you make off it. But
his students want to suck the marrow out of life. Mr. Keating quotes, “We don’t
read and write poetry because it’s cute we read and write poetry because we are
members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion and medicine,
law, business, engineering, these are
noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty,
romance, love these are what we stay alive for”. What he is telling them it’s
nice that a majority will become, lawyers and engineers and doctors, but learn
to live now learn to love now or what the use of living.
Another powerful quote by Mr. Keating, “That you are here,
that life, exist and identify; that the powerful play goes on and you may
contribute a verse, that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a
verse, what will it be?” Mr. Keating is dropping
the seed of critical thinking, creative thinking. The powerful play of life
keeps going and I don’t stop for no one, so make sure the verse you are going
to contribute in life, make it counts! It’s so powerful; it wants to make you
take on the world.
In
conclusion, as stated before both teachers are bonded by their creativity,
sense of purpose, clear objectives, positive attitude, humor, student’s
emotional support. Even though both
teachers are very different from each other, and I don’t think if we where to
reverse role we will have the same outcome both teachers came out swinging for
the fences, Mr. Escalante legacy continue to grow in his school and students
who went on to USC and UCLA, we will never know what happen to Mr. Keating, but
his legacy grows with those boys who went to Harvard, Princeton, Rice or MIT
and went on to become Lawyers, Doctors, Senators and Chief Justices. We know
that good teaching is a constant process. Both Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keating
had that process. These teachers seize more opportunities then they miss. They seize
the day, carpe diem, “Oh captain, My caprtain”.
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