Is Mr. Escalante a good teacher?

Yes, I believe Mr. Escalante is a good teacher because he cares about his students and he believes in them. He goes out of his way for his students, like when he talked to Ana's father about keeping her in school instead of just being a waitress because he believed she could be so much more. He is invested in their futures and he creates personal relationaships with them. He could have let one student drop out of calculus for an okay-paying job, but he convinced him not too by showing him he could only see "the turns but not the path ahead" and in the long run, doing well in school would get him farther. He believes his students will rise to his expectations. If a teacher doesn't believe in his/her students, then most likely they will not try very hard or believe in themselves. And if a teacher doesnt care, neither will the students. But mr. Escalante does care and he does believe in them, making him a good teacher.