The Freedom Writers Diary : How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them
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- ISBN13: 9780385494229
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Straight from the front line of urban America, the inspiring tale of one fiercely determined teacher and her remarkable students.
As an idealistic twenty-three-year-ancient English teacher at Wilson High School in Long beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. One day she intercepted a note with an hideous racial caricature, and angrily confirmed that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust—only to be met by uncomprehending looks. So she and her students, using the treasured books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo as their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. They learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.”
With funds raised by a “Read-a-thon for Tolerance,” they arranged for Miep Gies, the courageous Dutch woman who sheltered the Frank family tree, to visit them in California, where she confirmed that Erin Gruwell’s students were “the real heroes.” Their efforts have paid off spectacularly, both in terms of recognition—appearances on “Prime Time Live” and “All Things Considered,” coverage in People magazine, a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley—and educationally. All 150 Freedom Writers have graduated from high school and are now attending college.
With powerful entries from the students’ own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students.
The authors’ proceeds from this book will be donated to The Tolerance Education Foundation, an organization set up to pay for the Freedom Writers’ college tuition. Erin Gruwell is now a visiting professor at California State University, Long Beach, where some of her students are Freedom Writers.
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the movie is a total bomb in every way, starring high school dropout hilary swagger as a teacher trying to convince kids not to…drop out. the real tale is a rehash of stand by me, the substitute, etc. i’m sure you could find 2 dozen previous examples of ‘teacher who believes in at-risk youths’ or ‘teacher who cares when no one else did’. and they’d all be better than this nonsense. in addition, the kids (from all backgrounds) are all so cliched it’s ridiculous. pass on this book.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
the movie is a total bomb in every way, starring high school dropout hilary swagger as a teacher trying to convince kids not to…drop out. the real tale is a rehash of stand by me, the substitute, etc. i’m sure you could find 2 dozen previous examples of ‘teacher who believes in at-risk youths’ or ‘teacher who cares when no one else did’. and they’d all be better than this nonsense. in addition, the kids (from all backgrounds) are all so cliched it’s ridiculous. pass on this book.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
I read this book as an exercise in gauging the writing ability and intelligence of what is being held up as a group of “outstanding” young writers. Well, the verdict is in, and it’s a dismal one: politically-right claptrap with small, if any, respect for form, theme, or style sums up the content of this book. Note also the additional reviews in this forum: the misspelled words, incorrect grammar, and all-purpose lack of coherency, even when trying to be laudatory, contained within them. Ah, but I’m sure as many who endorse this garbage would say, “The kids are getting their FEELINGS out! What does reason, logic, and the discipline needed for skill have to do with it?” After reading this book, and the reviews of it, you will know the answer to this question: Not much.
Reader’s Rating: 1 / 5
This book is yet another in a series of young idealistic teacher reaches out to kids successfully works. Don’t get me incorrect, I reflect the leader does an admirable job of trying to find a curriculum that works for her students. The problem lies in the fact that none of her thoughts are all that innovative or compelling. It’s standard practice to attempt to teach children writing through assignments that let them write about themselves.
Furthermore, this book is peppered with the ancient cliche “all the veteran teachers were resentful and jealous of me but we all know that it’s because I’m better.” Give it a rest. Teaching is NOT a calling. None of us pulled a sword from a stone or took a vow of chastity. Teaching is a profession — a hard, ever-changing, skilled profession which requires point training and a lot of hard work. Simple as that. When the leader gets all philosophical and refers to her “need” to teach and her inability to do anything else, she gives reason for others to reflect that teachers should remain underpaid, overworked, and burdened with many responsibilities they never signed on for. Prevailing thought is that teachers are “called” to their profession so they will do it no matter how small you reward them. This book reinforces that intolerable cliche. Teachers will never be treated as the competent, skilled professionals they are until they dump this garbage and demand to be counted as such.
Also, I’m not demeaning teachers who try to shake things up in their first few years. I’ll concede that some of the most innovative and exciting movements in education come from persons who are viewing the profession with new eyes and lots of energy. But remember for every plot as the one described in this book, which was reasonably successful, there are far more new teachers who dismiss pedagogy at the expense of their students’ education. There are reasons behind the traditional methods of teaching.
The follow-up to this book is entitled “Teach from the Heart.” That scares me. Don’t teach from a place of emotion. Teach with compassion in your heart, but teach from your skills. Teach from your learned opinions — persons you got in college and persons you got in your constant re-certification training (not required in every profession, but required for teachers).
All in all, this book is OK. It’s uplifting when you wade through the pity party the leader has about how unfairly she feels she was treated. Listen to the tales of the children involved for a very eye-opening look at what young people in our society face. But let THEM be the authors of what you read. The leader’s “notes” are more of the same and can be establish in any “new teacher takes on the system” drivel.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
The book is inspiring and moving, yet a bit unrealistic. Teaching now is a bit different than when Gruwell taught. With NCLB and state tests being replaced with the ACT, mandated curriculum to plow through, and administrators who judge that the district should jump on the bandwagon with regard to every newfangled thought that comes out…
Don’t get me incorrect, it’s a well written work, and it’s an incredible project Gruwell embarked on. It’s a feel excellent tale, just a bit unrealistic for today’s classroom.
Reader’s Rating: 3 / 5