freedom writer

I watched the freedom writers last night and I loved it. The last time I watched it was in 8^th grade for our English class. I forgot how good it was and how much I liked it until I watched it last night. It’s about this class of kids who all live troubled lives. They live in the ‘projects’ which is a poor community. Most all of them are involved in gangs and have seen things that scarred them. Such as someone being shot in front of them. Or parents being abused and them see it. And this teacher, Mrs. Gruwell, is a new teacher at their school. It’s her first year and she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. There school is very poor. They don’t have computers and they don’t even get books because the school knows they won’t get them back. And if they do, they’ll be damaged.  So they get thin paperback books. There reading level is the same as elementary students.  Mrs. Gruwell is interested in these students so she gets really into her job. She went out and bought all of them notebooks with her own money. She told them they had to write in it every day and she wouldn’t read it unless they wanted her to. She left a special cabinet open for those who wanted her to read it. And at the end of the day, she checked the cabinet and the entire class put there journals in it. She started to read them and they all wrote about something that has happened in their life that wasn’t good. Like being abused, homeless, and involvement with gangs. She cared for all her students and was willing to do anything to help them. She even got 2 more jobs so she could pay for their books. They all felt close to her because she was the only one in their lives willing to help them. She raised money to take them on a field trip. Everything she was doing for them affected her marriage. She ended up getting divorced. But she kept teaching these kids and helping them until they graduated. This movie is on my top 5 favorites because it’s so inspirational.