Reaction to Part 2 of Stand and Deliver

I watched Stand a deliver a few times in the past and looked forward to watching it again.  This time, because it was part of an assignment, I took care to pay attention to details.

I felt that it was a good inspirational movie.  Although Mr. Escalate was a tough teacher, I felt he was fair.  His students knew what to expect from him, especially since he had them sign a contract.  He asked for a lot of his students; he wanted their  time, dedication and effort.  It may have seemed over the top, but in order for them to achieve the goal of passing the AP Calculus exam, it was necessary.  Otherwise, it would have been a waste of time everyone's time if they did not take it seriously.

In previous blogs, I wrote about how when the students wanted to give up or found that it was too hard, Mr. Escalante took the time to speak with then to remind them why they were going through the trouble.  He wanted his students to succeed.  He knew if they succeeded in the test, the tools they learned would help them in other times when things got tough.  Also, he had faith in them.  He knew that if they passed, it would encourage them to work for greater things in life.

Part two centered around the second year with Mr. Escalante as their teacher.  Against the wishes of a school administrator, he taught the students calculus.  She did not think it was necessary and doubted that the students would succeed.  He fought hard on his stance, even threatening to quit his job. 

When the kids put in all the hard work and passed the test, there was doubt that the kids scored well on their own.  They all scored very high and they got the same incorrect answers.  That led to a scandal about cheating.  Even when the administrator showed her doubt about the kids doing an honest job, Mr. Escalante stood by his students and their work.  The investigation did not go well.  The students decided to retake the test, even though they only had one day to study.  Even the second test was scrutinized.  In the end, all students passed.

I found myself upset during certain parts of the movie, feeling bad for the students.  I am glad that everything turned out in their favor.