Stand and Deliver
Year | 1988 |
Starring | Edward James Olmos, Eliot, Rosanna DeSoto |
Director(s) | Ramón Menéndez |
Rating | PG |
Genre(s) | Drama |
Runtime | 103 min |
Jaime Escalante, a no-nonsense mathematics teacher in a tough East LA high school, is handed a classroom full of “losers” and “unteachables”. Escalante is determined to turn his young charges’ lives around. Drawing from his own cultural heritage, Escalante forms a bond with his largely Hispanic student body, evoking the names of famous Spaniards and Latin Americans whose great accomplishments were predicated on their ability to learn.
Sample Discussion Guide Questions:
• Mr. Escalante, based on a real teacher, motivated his students to stay in school before and after normal school hours, and even in the summer, just to get ahead. Have you ever had a teacher who really motivated you to go above and beyond what you would normally do in school? What about that teacher motivated you so much?
• Angel and Mr. Escalante often had a stressed relationship. Why do you think their relationship was so volatile?
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