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The two teachers that we have studied in the second unit of this class have contrasting teaching styles, yet they desire to inspire similar lessons upon their students.  Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" are both dedicated teachers.  Their goal was to open the minds of their students and instill lessons that they could use in their lives beyond the classroom.  They had a profound impact on the lives of their students.

“Stand and Deliver” takes place at James A. Garfield High School, a real school in Eastern Los Angeles in the 1982.  It was a coed public school in a poor area in the west coast.  The students were disadvantaged and lacked discipline. 

“Dead Poets Society” takes place at Welton Academy, a the fictional east coast prestigious private prepschool in for boys in Vermont in the 1959 where tradition, honor, discipline and excellence was the school motto.

At Garfield High, the educational standards are set low.  Most students are not expected to attend college.  They come from working class families whose parents did not go to college themselves.

At Welton Academy, tradition of families attending the school for generations is a common theme.  As a prep school, it is primarily meant as a place to prepare for college, usually an Ivy league school such as Harvard or Yale.  Most students plan on going to law or medical school.

At Garfield, students lived at home with their families where they had many responsibilities such as taking care of family and jobs.  They lacked textbooks, higher end classes and money for technology such as computers. 

At Welton, the boys stayed in dormitories, concentrated on their studies, and had many options for enriching extracurricular activities such as the school paper, drama, rowing, and fencing.  Welton was primarily a high society upper class population.

Jamie Escalante quit a good job from a company to become a high school math teacher.  He originally was supposed to teach a computer class, but the school was promised funding for computers for the past two years and did not have computers yet.

John Keating was a former student of Welton Academy where he was part of many extracurricular activities including the secret Dead Poets Society.  He is introduced as a new English professor.

Jamie Escalante demanded discipline from his students at Garfield High.  He spent a large amount of time ordering his students around, usually by raising his voice.  He used ridicule and threats as a scare tactic to put his students into submission.  I think this is because the students lived under tough circumstances and he knew that this was the only way to get through to them.  He also took the time to speak to parents to try to convince them to follow his lead in what he thought would be the best for his students.  He controlled his class.  He had each student sign a contract to make his expectations clear.  He made sure each student and parent signed it so that he could hold his students to them.

John Keating had a different approach.  It was opposite.  He exercised his dominance in a more indirect way.  He led his students in exercises to open their minds because he wanted them to think for themselves.  His ways could be considered unorthodox in comparison to the teachings of the other professors at Welton Academy.  He didn't just want his students to follow his lead, but allow each individual follow where their own mind would have them go. Keating wanted his students to think for themselves.  He didn't approach the students or their parents outside the classroom.  He didn't confront them.  The students usually sought Keating out instead.