Erin Gruwell

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 Teachers are often seen by students as an adult who simply does not care for them and whom they have no respect for. This is a false statement that changed the mind of "at-risk" students when a new teacher, named Erin Gruwell, entered Room 203 with a determination to have all of her students understand the importance of education and to make school a fun safe-haven. Erin Gruwell, a high school teacher, activist and founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation, fought to change the lives of her 150 low-achieving students. Gruwell began teaching at Woodrow Wilson High School in the 1990's in Long Beach, California to 150 "at-risk" students where racial hostility was present in the classroom but also where she taught them to enjoy writing and began having them write into their own journals about their personal lives, which led to the publication of The Freedom Writers Diary. With immense determination, Gruwell puts all of her efforts towards her "at-risk" students knowing that they will display characteristics like their teacher, such as hard-work and care for one another.

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Gruwell puts immense hard-work towards her students as she worked a tremendous amount of hours dedicated to her students both in and out of the classroom. As a first-year teacher, Gruwell was not paid by the school and was still paying for her tuition at CSULB, so she sought out 2 part-time jobs to help supply for her students and her own necessities. " 'I had no budget for my schemes. So, I moonlighted as a concierge at the Marriott Hotel and sold lingerie at Nordstrom' " (Gruwell). Gruwell displays her hard-work throughout the day by continuing to work for her students outside of the classroom as she knew no one else would. Her hard-work as a first-year teacher did not go unnoticed as her fellow colleagues were inspired by her work and continued to motivate her. Other teachers saw this as a threat and opposed of her teaching methods and work effort. With a target on her back, Gruwell was fueled with even more determination to continue teaching her "below-average" students throughout high school, and even throughout college, to prove her colleagues wrong about the labels they put onto her students. " 'Yes. I created a cohort at the university and over the years I probably had about 35 to 40 "freedom writers" as my college students. It's been amazing. Many of those students who received scholarships from our program now work for me at the Foundation. So, our journey is still not done' " (An Interview with Erin Gruwell). Gruwell's perseverance throughout her student's high school and college education helped her students find their aspiration in life and education. Gruwell's hard-work will not only change her students, but for generations on as her students will pass on their knowledge and teachings from their teacher with others and children along with their work on their foundation. As well as having her strong ambition towards changing her students, Gruwell continuously works hard by sharing her teaching methods with others all around the world.

Gruwell uses Anne Frank and Zlata Filipovic (.amazonaws.com/skypeeducation.com ())

Gruwell, along with her hard-work, shows an enormous amount of care towards her students as they deal with hardships in their community. Gruwell's classroom racial tension among the racial gangs of the area (Latinos, Asians, and Blacks) hindered the capability of her students to learn as they viewed the gang life as the only way to survive." 'After hearing, 'Ms. G, this doesn't have anything to do with my life,' more than once, I made it my mission to prove my students wrong by finding ways to make my lessons speak to their experiences and tap into their talents" (Gray). Gruwell made it a personal mission to change her students lives for the better despite anyone else believing that it could be done, even her students themselves. Gruwell stepped outside of the normal curriculum and taught her students with her own teaching methods knowing that it would appeal to them. She used real life stories, such as Anne Frank and Zlata Filipovic, to see have her students realize that their lives were much alike and to intrigue her students into reading and writing about them . " 'Since many of my students are fifteen, and Zlata is fifteen and Anne Frank was fifteen when she died, I think the parallels between age, alienation, and teenage angst will really hit home for them' " (Gruwell). Gruwell's teaching with these two stories taught her students to not hold animosity towards someone based off their race. Gruwell's care for her students have also taught the students to care for one another, despite their skin color rivalries, which couldn't be surpassed before. Gruwell's concern for her students taught her students how to show affection for each other instead wield a weapon towards at each other.

Because of Gruwell's hard-work and care towards her students, she was able to change the perspective of her "at-risk" students. Gruwell had it in for her as she was faced with troubled students and teachers that did not believe in her. She surpassed those opinions and encouraged her students to read about lives similar to theirs and taught her students how to write, so they could express their hardships through paper rather than showing it through violence. She made her students the successors they are today and continues to inspire students throughout the world to do the same. "Erin's life demonstrates that she did have convictions of her own-convictions to inspire the next generation to excel and make a positive difference" (Gray). Gruwell's determination that changed her students lives inspire me to excel in my own education knowing that I am gifted to have more opportunities handed out to me then the students of Gruwell who had to work from rock-bottom to get where they are now. Gruwell's teaching methods also inspire me to also help out those in need of help in my school and to motivate my fellow peers who view school as a big waste of time And because of her ability to see the potential in all of her students and to be able to bring it out of them through her teachings is what makes Erin Gruwell embody the true definition of a hero.

Works Cited

"An Interview with Erin Gruwell." Interviews By Spencer -. Interviews by Spencer, n.d.

Web. 08 May 2015.

Frauenheim, Ed. "5 Minutes With ... Erin Gruwell; Tomorrow's Keynote 8:30 a.m."
    Workforce Management 26 June 2007: 10. Academic OneFile. Web. 7 May 2015.

FREEDOM WRITERS OUTREACH - ERIN GRUWELL." ERIN GRUWELL. Freedom

Writers Foundation, 2015. Web. 01 May 2015. <http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/fw-outreach-EG>.

Gray, Stephanie. "Erin Gruwell: The Teacher Who Inspired Change." Canadian

Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. N.p., 2012. Web. 04 May 2015.

(Gruwell, Erin. "In Defense of the 'Freedom Writers'" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media

Company, 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 04 May 2015.

Gruwell, Erin. The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing

to Change Themselves and the World around Them. New York: Doubleday,

1999. Print.