What did Erin Gruwell do for her students?
In the fall of 1995, Gruwell gave each of her students a bag full of new books and had them make a toast for change. After that, she saw a turnaround in them. The students went on to surprise everyone. All 150 Freedom Writers graduated from high school and many went on to attend college.
What happened to the real students from Freedom Writers?
0:002:21Original Freedom Writer speaks to youth - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd begin writing a new chapter in your life just as he did by age 16 Scott had lived in 26MoreAnd begin writing a new chapter in your life just as he did by age 16 Scott had lived in 26 different places lost his best friend to a brutal murder. And his father in jail.
How many students did Erin Gruwell have?
150Erin Gruwell The film is based on The Freedom Writers Diary, the New York Times Bestseller that chronicles Erin's extraordinary journey with her 150 high school students who dubbed themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights Movement.
What challenges does Erin Gruwell face from her students?
Her students were considered hopeless, and unteachable due to their exposure poverty, gangs, and murders at an early age. During class one day, Gruwell recognized a racial caricature being passed among students of a known trouble-maker at school ("The Freedom Writers." Scholastic Action).
Do any students died in Freedom Writers?
Armand Jones, who plays Grant Rice, died in the lobby of a Denny's restaurant early on the morning of March 17. Mr. Jones was an ambitious, bright-eyed 18-year-old whose dreams of a career in entertainment were starting to come true with his role in the movie.
How accurate is the movie Freedom Writers?
In real life, however, Erin Gruwell actually did do some great work at Woodrow Wilson High School (whose name a Change.org petition is now urging to change) in Long Beach, but real life is, of course, more ambiguous than the movie. Gruwell did a lot of good with her student, but other teachers in the school did too.
What happens to Eva in Freedom Writers?
Afterward, Eva is attacked and threatened, but ultimately spared by her fellow gang members, who dissociate from her, and she moves in with her aunt for safety. Meanwhile, Erin asks her students to write their diaries in book form. She compiles the entries and names it The Freedom Writers Diary.
Why was The Freedom Writers Diary banned?
Banning of the book in schools Administrators objected to racial slurs and sexual content in portions of the book.
What happened to Andre in Freedom Writers?
He also liked to participate in class assignments such as reading the diary of Anne Frank, and raising money for Miep Gies to come to Wilson High. But, when he went to his brothers trial and found out his sentence was declared, Andre went back to his old ways by selling drugs and skipping school.
Why do Mrs Gruwell's students hate and resent her at first?
Why did Mrs. Gruwell students hate and resent her at first? - they didn't like the fact that she was white and they feel that she hasn't earned their respect.
What are ways Ms G tried to engage make them interested the students?
How does Mrs. G attempt to reach her students again? To reach them, she uses books that the kids can relate to. She reacts badly because it was a racist thing to do and she points it out to everyone, bringing up the Holocaust.
How do the classmates learn to trust one another in Freedom Writers?
How does reading and writing initiate this change? The classmates initially learn to trust each other when they begin to play the Line Game. By playing the Line Game, they realize that they're not in it alone because they share some of the same experiences with one another.
What was Erin Gruwell's first job?
For Erin Gruwell, walking into her first teaching job was like entering a war zone. Gruwell was given a class of "sure-to-drop-outs," students no other teacher wanted, students who weren't expected to succeed. The school was tough, racially divided, and gang-infested. Fights and even murders were part of the students' experience. Some of the kids were homeless. Others came from broken or abusive homes. They saw people they knew using drugs every day. There were few places to go to be safe and few people they could count on.
What did Gruwell's students write in their diaries?
Inspired by their readings and field trips, Gruwell's students started keeping diaries in which they wrote about their daily battles and experiences. For some of them, Gruwell's class was the only place where anyone wanted to hear their stories. For others, it was the first safe place to share them.
What did the kids in the Gruwell story look like?
Some of the kids were homeless. Others came from broken or abusive homes. They saw people they knew using drugs every day. There were few places to go to be safe and few people they could count on. Gruwell was white, wore suits to class and looked like the well-educated product of a safe suburban life.
Who brought Miep Gies to the Freedom Writers?
Gruwell also brought Miep Gies to visit the students and share her experiences. Miep Gies was deeply moved by the students' concern and commitment to change, calling them "the real heroes.". Eventually The Freedom Writers' stories gained media attention.
Is Erin and the Freedom Writers a book?
Many of her freedom writer students from the early years of teaching at Long Beach High School have gone on to college and are now teachers themselves. Erin and the Freedom Writers have just published a new book: TEACHING HOPE. In 2009, the original Freedom Writers project celebrates its 10th anniversary.
What does Erin Gruwell recall in the epilogue?
Epilogue. Erin Gruwell recalls that, during the Freedom Writers’ trip to Washington, someone suggested that their next... (full context) Erin also takes part in a transition of her own, as she leaves high school and... (full context) ...of them have known what it feels like to believe in violence as a solution.
What is Erin's plan for Wilson?
(full context) Adapting herself to her students’ life stories and interests, Erin plans a curriculum that will keep them engaged. She chooses the diaries of two adolescent... (full context) Part III: Diary 25.
What is the epilogue to Room 203?
Epilogue Quotes. Without the comfort of Room 203, they had to adjust to new environments and their newfound freedom. Initially the transition was difficult. Room 203 wasn't just a classroom, it was home, a safe haven. I realized that in order for them to grow, they had to branch out and explore new ground.
Did the young men in Columbine share a community like the Freedom Writers?
Unfortunately, the young men in Columbine didn’t share a community like the Freedom Writers. Instead, they were alone and on the fringe. Their cries for help fell on deaf ears. And rather than picking up a pen and finding a solution, they turned to guns and bombs instead.
Our Story
In 1994, Long Beach was a racially divided community filled with drugs, gang warfare, and homicides, and the tensions on the streets had carried into the school halls.
Erin Gruwell
Erin Gruwell is a teacher, an author, and the founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation. By fostering an educational philosophy that values and promotes diversity, Erin transformed her students' lives.
Freedom Writers
On their first day of high school, Erin Gruwell's students had only three things in common: they hated school, they hated each other, and they hated her. But all of that changed when they discovered the power of telling their stories.
Where did Sue Ellen graduate from?
And after the diagnosis, Sue Ellen’s grades improved. She graduated from Wilson and obtained degrees from Long Beach City College and Cal State Long Beach. She now works in the Freedom Writers Foundation created by Gruwell in 1997. “Erin was the first person to tell me I could go to college, the first person who believed in me,” Sue Ellen said.
What is the Freedom Writers Institute?
Gruwell’s foundation created the Freedom Writers Institute, a development program instructing educators on how to engage and empower their students. Gruwell said more than 600 teachers have attended the Institute from all 50 states, along with 20 countries. The foundation also gives scholarships to high school students to go to college.