Title: Jaime Escalante | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: Escalante, Jaime: 1930—: Educator
Escalante, Jaime: 1930—: Educator
Jaime Escalante: 1930 —: Educator
Early Teaching Experience
At a Glance . . .
Immigrated to the United States
Challenged Students to Excel
Became a National Hero
Joined English for Children Initiative
Sources
Books
Periodicals
On-line
Jaime Escalante
Jaime Escalante
Public Acclaim
Program Continues
Further Reading

Content: Escalante's father was an abusive alcoholic, so his mother took the children and moved to La Paz. When Escalante was 14 years old his mother sent him to San Calixto, a prestigious Jesuit high school, where his favorite subjects were math and engineering. When Escalante was a teenager his father died, which meant that the family would not be able to afford to send him to engineering school as he had hoped. Instead, Escalante did odd jobs until he was 19 years old, when he briefly joined the army to fight against leftist rebellions. When his service was over, a friend convinced Escalante to go to college at Normal Superior in order to become a school teacher. Early Teaching Experience
After only two years at Normal Superior, Escalante's remarkable abilities in physics and mathematics were apparent to his classmates and teachers alike. There was a shortage of physics teachers at the American Institute, and Escalante was offered the job, even though he had not yet been exposed to teacher training classes. At the age of 21, with no books and no experience, Escalante began teaching physics. He learned the skills of teaching by imitating other teachers whom he respected, and through trial and error. At a Glance . . .