Jim Esquibel, who died May 1 at age 71, spent his career as a Denver Public Schools teacher, counselor and substitute teacher, with a special place in his heart for children from limited backgrounds.
Born and raised in Alamosa, where he attended high school and graduated from Adams State Teachers College, Esquibel began teaching third grade in 1961 at Fairview Elementary School in Denver.
At the time, Fairview was crowded with children classified today as “high needs.”
Most came from impoverished families. More than half of the students received free or discounted school lunches. Some relied on those as their only square meal of the day.
One year, Esquibel’s class included 12 particularly challenging boys. When he learned that none had ever ventured beyond their impoverished neighborhood, Esquibel took them on a field trip to visit Denver’s tallest buildings. It was the first time any of them had ever been on an elevator.
At the end of the school year, when students customarily are assigned to new teachers, Esquibel asked to continue working with the boys. He did the same thing the following year.
Long after leaving his classroom, the boys stayed in touch with Esquibel. All his life, he kept a photo album filled with pictures of the boys and the art projects they created with him.
Esquibel went on to be a teacher and counselor at Moore Elementary School, Stevens Elementary School and Southmoor Elementary, where he taught bilingual classes. A passionate civil rights advocate, Esquibel sat on the directors’ board of the Congress of Hispanic Educators and chaired the National Chicano Caucus in 1975.
He continued working as a Head Start teacher and a substitute teacher after he retired. Esquibel became a familiar sight at Teller Elementary School, where his wife teaches second grade.
Even children who normally despised substitute teachers brightened when they saw plump Mr. Esquibel at their teacher’s desk. They knew he could be trusted with the classroom turtle, and that he knew how to help with a leprechaun display.
For his substitute assignments, Esquibel habitually carried a vast black bag that contained puppets. He told stories through energetic puppet shows, creating arresting voices and personalities for each puppet.
Students appreciated his ability to adapt his droll humor to their own comic standard. Calling roll, he would say, “Raise your hand if you’re absent.” He taught them to play what he called “Detroit basketball,” and how to spell “Mississippi” and other vexing words.
“Mr. Esquibel was a great teacher, and I miss him a lot,” wrote Anthony Kasawboski, one of his students.
Survivors include his wife of 37 years, Karen Esquibel of Denver; and brother Emilio Esquibel of Denver.
Staff writer Claire Martin can be reached at 303-820-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com.
