Mr. Escalante VS Ms. Watson

Ms. Watson in the movie Mona Lisa Smile was a teacher that was a good life teacher but maybe not a good art history teacher. She and Mr. escalante from the movie Stand and Deliver, have as much in common as they have not in common that made them good teachers. Catherine Watson was first very intimidated by her students when they came into the first class knowing everything from the text book.. Mr. escalantes first day was the exact opposite, instead of having students that were over prepared and ready, he had students that could not care less about his class. The students tried to intimidate him through fear but it didn't work. Both teachers reacted by coming to the second class ready to face the challanges and work harder for the respect they deserved. Mr Escalante got that respect through a comoation of fear and humor. Where as Ms. Watson put everyone of her students on equal ground with her and taught them how to respect their peers. Mr. Escalante aslo came from the same cultural back ground as his students. Literally, he spoke their language which made the barriers a it easier to remove for him. Ms. Watson came from accross the country and om a very different back ground as her rich and privalidged students. The teachers from each film were both very dedicated to their students but in very different ways. Mr. Escalante was trying to get his students to confrom to society and become functional members of a community. Ms. Watson was attempting the opposite. She wanted her students to break away from society and become free thinkers. The things they have in common were the personal interest they took in their students lives and the level of their dedication they had for their sudents. Ms Watson was not a good Art History teacher. She taught the girls a very valuable lesson in life. She taught them how to form their own opinions and how to think for themselves. Both teachers had a profound impact on their students lives just in different ways.