Erin Gruwell (born August 15, 1969) is an American teacher known for her unorthodox teaching method, which led to the publication of The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them (1999). The 2007 film Freedom Writers is based on her inspirational story.Gruwell is a graduate of Bonita High School, in La Verne, California, and the University of California, Irvine, where she received the Lauds and Laurels Distinguished Alumni Award. She earned her Master’s Degree and teaching credentials from California State University, Long Beach, where she was honored as Distinguished Alumna by the School of Education.[1]
Gruwell was born in California, United States. She began student teaching in 1994 at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. She was assigned the lowest-performing students in the school (computer generated IDs randomly selected the students she was to teach). One student, a boy she referred to as "Sharaud", seemed determined to make her life miserable. He had transferred to Wilson from a rival high school where he had allegedly threatened his teacher with a gun.[2] However, a few months into the school year one of her other students passed a note depicting Sharaud (an African American) with extremely large lips. Gruwell told the class that that was the type of caricature that the Nazis had used during the Holocaust. When only one of the students knew what the Holocaust was, Gruwell changed the theme of her curriculum to tolerance.[2][3] Gruwell took the students to see Schindler's List, bought new books out of her own pocket and invited guest speakers.[4]
After her year of student teaching, Gruwell returned to Wilson as a full teacher, this time with a class of freshmen. Her fall semester got off to a rocky start due to student protests of Proposition 187. But Gruwell persevered, and reached her students by asking them to make movies of their lives, keep journals, and relating the family feud in Romeo and Juliet to a gang war.[2] She also had the students read books written by and about other teenagers in times of war, such as The Diary of a Young Girl, Zlata's Diary and Night.[5] Writing journals became a solace for many of the students, and because the journals were shared anonymously, teenagers who once refused to speak to someone of a different race became like a family.[3]
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.[2][4] 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.[6]
Between 1994 and 1998, the Freedom Writers garnered a great deal of media coverage, including appearances on PrimeTime Live, The View and Good Morning America.[7]
DIARY SPRING 1998
SPRING 1998
•she always has some big teaching scheme even when we are nowhere near a classroom.
in the spring of 1998 i had the privilege to attend and belong to the meeting of freedom writers in this opportunity could not choose our roommate at the Marriott hotel, the teacher assigns us Ms. Gruwell our roommate
RACIAL PREJUDICE
NEW YORK!
•I was fascinated with New Tork, but the inconvenience of sharing a room with three girls of different race, gave me uneasiness. I had prejudices that my father had given me as a child.
•The first night I felt a discomfort, but the following three nights were very kind and friendly ties that were created with my roommates.
LEARNING….
My children will learn how special it is to bond with another person who looks different but is actually just like them. All these years I knew something was missing in my life, and I am glad that I finally found it.
NO TO RACISM
