Paper 2 rough draft

Amanda Chance

Eng 101

2^nd Paper            

                  If you have ever been in school, you know the dreary of having a teacher that doesn’t care. You have felt the pain of, “Open your books to page 224 and read silently until the end of class. Your homework is on the board” In every single school around the country there is a teacher that fits that description. What each school does not have is a teacher that breaks the mold and shows a student the thrill of learning. A good teacher is a teacher that involves themselves in not only teaching a student a subject but also helps them acquire the tools they need to become successful in life. Two teachers that meet this definition are Mr. Jaime Escalante of the movie Stand and Deliver, and Ms. Catherine Watson of the movie Mona Lisa Smile. Each teacher had their own way of achieving their goals. They were admired and loved by their students while earning their respect. It is easy to compare them both to what a great teacher should be.  Also with knowing what they did differently it helps to understand how they could have improved their teaching methods, in whatever slight way.  A great teacher is easy to define with the help of professionals, especially if the professionals have degrees and personal experiences.

                Dan Brown is a teaching ambassador fellow from the US Department of education (Brown 2). He has the knowledge and resources to clearly understand what makes a good teacher. He has several different criteria that help to give definition to a great teacher.  He mentions specifically a teacher needs supportive staff around them (Brown 2).  Not just in the way that they say “great job” but they the staff offers constructive criticism and helps the teacher develop the skills they need.  Dan Brown also outlines the importance of being active in the school not just in the classroom. He specifically says on page two of his criteria that, “Going to a volleyball game and cheering your face off can sometimes make a world of difference,” (Brown 2) It is very easy to see how that would make a student want to do well inside the classroom. There isn’t a limit to the importance of supporting your students.  The most important part of Dan Browns criteria for a great teacher is motivation. He mentions that just getting the students to perform their best on a daily basis is a constant battle. It is safe to say that without dedication there is no reason for a teacher to even teach. Dan Brown uses the phrase, “tremendous dedication,” (Brown 2) there are many personalities that make for a great teacher but with the criteria outlined by Dan Brown, it is not everyone that should make teaching their career. Maybe one important thing not mentioned by Dan Brown is that teaching also involves creativity.

                Sir Ken Robinson is an expert on creativity. In a news release from September of 2007 from Portland community college, he explores just how important it is to incorporate creativity into the classroom. Sir Ken Robinson blames the lack of creativity in the classroom as being the reason the US is behind the rest of the world (Robinson 1). Creativity is a huge part of learning. Motivating the students on a daily basis is much easier if the teacher would incorporate some creativity. Sir Ken Robinson knows the importance of creativity in the classroom. He spent 12 years teaching how to be a teacher at the University of Warwick, which is located in the United Kingdom, now he works in the United States with all sorts of different companies (Robinson 1). All of which use creativity to spur their growth. Mr. Escalante and Ms. Watson both show an ample amount of creativity in their teaching styles. It is easy to see how well the amount of creativity mentioned by Sir Ken Robinson is used to encourage learning by both of the teachers and it is easy to see how both teachers meet the criteria mentioned by Dan Brown.

                Mr. Jaime Escalante and Ms. Catherine Watson are both teachers in their first year of teaching. They meet the criteria outlined by Dan Brown and by Sir Ken Robinson in several different ways. In one particular scene Catherine Watson is shown attending an after school dance party with the girls in the movie Mona Lisa Smile. This shows her dedication outside the classroom. She also attends the beginning of the year festivities where the girls engage themselves in silly traditional costumes and run races. In another scene she even goes to a secret society meeting with the girls of her class. It is no wonder the girls respect her so much when she gives so much of her time and opinions to her students. Catherine Watson is also very creative. She constantly keeps the students interested by asking them what they think about different types of art instead of just reading from a text book. In one particular scene, she takes the students to what looks like an abandoned warehouse that is full of modern art being unloaded from boxes. The assignment is to just “look” at the biggest piece of art in the room. You can see the awe in some of the students faces. Her level of dedication is definitely high. Her whole life revolves around her classroom. In her office you see all her ideas everywhere in various stages of unorganized chaos. Almost the exact opposite would be Mr. Jaime Escalante of the movie Stand and Deliver. He teaches a math class for the remedial students. He is the perfect picture of organized.  He meets the criteria in much of the same ways.  In Dan Browns article, “What Makes a Good Teacher,” the writer identifies several criteria that Mr. Escalante meets. The one that is most easily identified would be “trying to get the most out of them day in and day out,” (Brown 2) meaning getting the most out of the students. Jaime Escalante uses humor and his knowledge of the student’s culture to get the most out of his students. In one particular scene he actually creates a word problem using “Gigolos” and “girlfriends” as the subjects and actually asks the principle for gigolos to come in for visual learning.  He also fits through his dedication to the students. Not only does he work through a heart attack, he gives his summer and his nights during the regular school year to his students. His level of dedication is so intense his personal life becomes more chaotic. His Wife is unhappy at home as are his two children. His level of dedication proves how much he cares about his math students. Both teachers care deeply for the students in their classes. It is easy to see how much they sacrifice even if it is in slightly different ways.

                The difference in their teaching styles benefits the culture of the students and also the time that they are teaching in. The ways in which each teacher earned the respect of their students was different. Ms. Watson earned it through treating the students like peers, and valuing their opinions. Mr. Escalante earned the respect through fear and humor. Mr. Escalante did not back down when the gang member students came into the class to try and intimidate him. Ms. Watson was greatly intimidated by her students on the first day when they all knew all of the answers and had already read the text book. Ms. Watson was not from the same cultural back ground as her students , whereas Mr. Escalante was. He had the advantage of speaking the same language as his students as well as understands their ways of living. Ms. Watson did not have that advantage and as well as moving from across the country she was thrust into a new way of life. It is very interesting to see how they use those differences and advantages to become great teachers.

                The greatest teachers in anyone’s life are the ones that create a profound impact. They teach with all the patience of a parent and all the knowledge of an accomplished learner. Both Ms. Watson and Mr. Escalante show their patience continuously through their movies. They show how being involved and dedicated creates students that return those favors. The criteria that Dan Brown outlines and the creativity that Sir Ken Robinson mentions are both met by each of the teachers.  . A good teacher is a teacher that involves themselves in not only teaching a student a subject but also helps them acquire the tools they need to become successful in life. Each teacher did just that with their students and it is very obvious how successful they were at teaching. Throughout any student’s life, they can only hope to be so lucky as the classes of Mr. Jaime Escalante and Ms. Catherine Watson.

 

 

 

Works Cited

Brown, Dan. “What Makes A Great Teacher” http://wj.la/TEqyRv79397.html. 8-31-2012.

Robinson, Sir Ken. “Sir Ken Robinson Explores Creative Revolution” US Fed News Service, Including US State News, Washington DC. 9-17-2007.

Mona Lisa Smile. Revolution Studios. 3-4-2003

Stand and Deliver. Warner Bros. 4-11-1988