Past Support: Honoring Those Who’ve Supported Us Along Our Path

Many of you have probably already heard by now of the passing of Jaime Escalante (he died last Tuesday of cancer at the age of 79), the teacher who was celebrated in the film “Stand and Deliver.” If you recall, this teacher was one who pushed his students to excel, encouraging them to do things that many others had told them were impossible, and supporting them incredibly (including defending the students’ honor when they were accused of cheating). Mr. Escalante, and his personal story, as well as those of his students, have been in the media over the last week. This is a great time to honor not only this incredible teacher, but also the teachers in our own lives that have played supportive, encouraging and motivating roles. [And if you haven’t already seen the movie, “Stand and Deliver,” go rent it this weekend!] Many times, our greatest supporters are our teachers. Teachers have such an influence in our lives and yet are not often venerated in a public forum. Teachers work hard, have to find different ways to teach each one of us (since we all learn differently), have to keep our attention, and then, on top of all that, have to grade papers, too! Several of our Powerful Latina interviewees said that, after their parents, teachers had THE MOST important role in their lives. So it makes sense to honor our teachers, thank them, and also continually find teachers who can inspire us to learn new things! In the case of Jaime Escalante, here was a teacher who had a profound effect on Latino students, and was honored by having a movie made of his contributions! And yet… there are many teachers who do not have their lives made into movies. Thank you (!) to the Latino and non-Latino teachers who are our champions, our heroes, and our support.