Was Mr. Escalante a Good Teacher?

In my opinion, Mr. Escalante was an excellent teacher. He continuously pushed his students to do the best that they could and encouraged them to pursue their education. He went out of his way to make sure they stayed in school, even going to speak to a parent about keeping his child in school instead of forcing her to work at their family restaurant. Some may argue that he pushed his students too far or was at times a little harsh on them. This may be true, but I also think that this group of students needed a push. When he first started teaching them, they had no ambition to learn. Escalante transformed their way of thinking to value their education and themselves. He expected a lot out of his students because he believed that they were capable of it. Other teachers may not have been as demanding, but they also did not think very highly of their students and did not think they could handle the challenge. Escalante also set an example for his students by putting in just as much effort as he expected out of them. While his methods were sometimes unorthodox and even harsh, they were effective and always well intentioned.