The Freedom Writers Diary

I am quite the idealist when it comes to teaching. It's no surprise, then, that the story of the Freedom Writers has been nothing but moving.

During the summer of 2008, someone gave me a copy of Teach From the Heart by Erin Gruwell. Her story about how she affected her kids was astounding. During my four-and-a-half years in college, I worked at a community center that caters to the at-risk youth of Terre Haute. Erin's freshman English classroom consisted of the bottom feeder kids, the ones that nobody wanted to teach. She had the privilege of teaching them all four years of high school and helped them overcome their circumstances. Now many of those students are affecting the lives of other kids.

If you get a chance, check out The Freedom Writers Diary. It's very inspiring. MTV made a movie of the story.

Erin Gruwell and her Freedom Writers started the Freedom Writers Foundation to help support other teachers in recreating the success of the original group.

As I was reading the book (I am nearly finished with it), I have a hard time digesting the stories of the students. I cannot imagine what it must be like to have gone through their lives. Read it--story after story after story about overcoming adversity... one of my goals in life is to understand other's perspectives in life, and thus, I will be able to relate to my students much easier. It is difficult to do so when you have not experienced those things yourself. But, I wish to convey a sense of empathy, and I hope this helps.

And I have started the process of reading the literature that they mentioned in the book. Currently I am reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and The Diary of a Young Girl (The Definitive Edition) by Anne Frank.