Escalante vs Keating

They're both good teachers. Not much of an argument there. They're incredibly different teachers, and are so most likely in response to the environment they teach in. Escalante adopted his position, since he was originally supposed to teach something with computers. This can be explained by either a dedication to teaching or by care for the students in the classroom he is assigned to. Keating doesn't have to deal with the same situation to have a similar example, but it's at least implied he has some interest in the students. He does give them that book, after all. Escalante breaks the students' trend of slacking and disinterest with hard work and potential reward, while Keating broke the trend of excessive hard work and bland thinking with unusual teaching methods despite criticism. They both teach despite criticism, actually. Again, they're both good teachers, just in different ways.