Differences:
Mr. MacFarland was only 26 years old and was sloppy, with
wrinkled clothes and a sort of misshapen appearance. The students wondered if
he slept in his car. Also, he was an English teacher, instead of a math
teacher. He pounded them with work,
making them read frequently, giving them pop quizzes on their readings, and
issued essay assignments 3 or 4 times a month. He created a literary club and
invited all of his students to join.
Similarities:
He was able to build up their knowledge by making
connections to the students. He didn’t stick to just English, just as Mr.
Escalante did not stick with basic math. He also taught the students about
Greek philosophy & history, and western civilization. “We wrote and talked,
wrote and talked. The man immersed us in language.” He was able to tame the wilder,
more rebellious students. Everyone had his full attention when he began to
speak to the class, and he had theirs. The effect that both teachers had was
immense. The students really respected both teachers, to the point that they
tried hard to get good grades in order to earn their teacher’s respect. Mr.
MacFarland encouraged Mike to go to college, even though he didn’t believe he
could do it. He showed Mike that he had the talent & ability to be able to
make it. He even helped him get a student loan & made calls to ensure that
he got into Loyola – though the first year was probationary.
The differences between Mr. Escalante and Mr. MacFarland are
minor details. Age, family life, subjects they taught, etc. They are
ridiculously similar in the sense that both were fantastic teachers, and went
above and beyond to make sure their students learned all they could.
No comments:
Post a Comment