The sad news is coming out of California today that Jaime Escalante has died at the age of 79, following a battle with cancer.

Escalante, originally from La Paz, Bolivia, was a teacher of math and physics in his own country for many years before coming to the United States. When he got here he could speak no English, began taking night classes to earn degrees in biology and calculus, and eventually received credentials to begin teaching in California.

And that’s where Jaime Escalante’s life really began to get interesting. After accepting a position at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, Escalante – appalled at how the school taught very little in the way of higher mathematics – took it upon himself to challenge the students at Garfield to take an advanced placement calculus course. Eventually the students proceeded to blow away darn nearly everybody’s expectations of them ...