With Erin’s guidance they created a new reality and stepped into it. They broke the mold that their circumstance and culture had set for them. This is exactly what happened with the Freedom Writers. You can break “the rules” and become what you want. What better way to do this than to help them discover that reality is not “fixed”. You want to help kids that don’t believe in themselves.
I used to tell my students that I would teach them the rules so they could go out and break them.” As the discussion continued I couldn’t help but think how rare and refreshing these thoughts are. It’s very subjective there is no right or wrong way to do it. “Teaching literature and writing is a great way to help people because there are so many ways to interpret any story. When I asked my students to give of themselves in this kind of environment, they were able to find their own voice.” Finding our core values of love, trust and respect – that’s what teaching is about. “Education requires money, but money isn’t the answer. How could I not be a person, though? How could I not be compassionate and give a student a hug when they were hurting? I changed the most. I think I am the one who changed the most.
“What was it that really made the difference with your students?” I asked. Our goal is to help kids at risk and teachers who really want to make a difference.”
Freedom writers how to#
“We’re sharing the nuts and bolts of how to recreate the kind of environment that fosters inclusion, validation and accountability. “We want to extend what happened in Room #203 and make it available in all classrooms,” Erin said. We’re trying to pay it forward.”Įrin currently dedicates her time to The Freedom Writers Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to training teachers in her method. We find it so humbling and bonding and we’re more mindful of what we stand for and what we want to do with all the attention. She replied, “We’re responding with kind of a ‘gosh, shucks’. I wondered out loud if she anticipated all this media attention. Perhaps this is because behind the fierceness of her intent and scope of her contribution to society, she still sounds like the girl next door.
Freedom writers Patch#
I remember my conversation with Patch Adams, MD hearing in his voice the force and clarity of his dedication to a set of ideals that completely escape most of us. Over the years I have spoken with some powerful people. They also published a book called Freedom Writers Diary, which describes their journey. One of the original Freedom Writers students, Sonia Varela, currently lives in Murrieta with her husband and children. They pulled themselves out of poverty and oppression and are now raising families. Her students have gone on to college and productive careers. Low test scores, juvenile hall, alienation, and racial hostility helped us fit the labels the educational system placed on us: “unteachable,” “below average,” and “delinquents.” The result of their journey is simply amazing. Whether it was official or not, we all knew that we had been written off. Simpson trial, the mood in our city was unsettling, and on our first day of high school, we had only three things in common: we hated school, we hated our teacher, and we hated each other. Her class, consisting of hardened, rival gang members and other unfortunates, described their situation as follows:įollowing the Rodney King Riots and the O.J. Erin entered the Long Beach, CA school system in the fall of 1994 as a new teacher on her first assignment at Wilson High School. Two hours later I knew I had to speak with Erin Gruwell, the person behind the character played by Hillary Swank. But, at the urging of my teenage kids, I went along to watch Freedom Writers. Perhaps I am jaded, but it wasn’t on the top of my list of movies to see while it played in theaters earlier this year.
Freedom writers movie#
I thought it was just another movie involving tough kids and a dedicated teacher. Orriginally published in Healthy Times Newspaper. Erin Gruwell interview conducted by Mike Bundrant.