Erin Gruwell

The students of today tell their stories of adversity and growth in letters to the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Freedom Writers Diary--featuring powerful responses from the original Freedom Writers. Over twenty years ago, Erin Gruwell's first-ever class of high school students in Long Beach, California was labeled "unteachable"--but she saw past that. Instead of treating them as scores on a test, she understood that each of them had a unique story to tell. Inspired by books like Anne Frank's diary, her students began writing their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the Freedom Writers. Together, they co-authored The Freedom Writers Diary, which launched a movement that remains incredibly relevant and impactful today. Their stories speak to young people who feel as if those around them do not care about their lives, their feelings, and their struggles. They want to be heard; they want to be seen. In Dear Freedom Writer, the next generation of Freedom Writers shares their struggles with abuse, racism, discrimination, poverty, mental health, imposed borders, LGBTQIA+ identity, and police violence. Each story is answered with a letter of advice from an original Freedom Writer. Writing with empathy and honesty, they answer these young people not with the platitudes of a politician or celebrity, but with the pragmatic advice of people who have dealt with these same issues and come out on the other side. Through its eye-opening and inspiring stories, Dear Freedom Writer paints an unflinchingly honest portrait of today's youth and offers a powerful message of perseverance, understanding, and hope.

Eto realnaja istorija o tom, kak neravnodushie molodoj uchitelnitsy izmenilo sudby "trudnykh" podrostkov, na kotorykh vse davno makhnuli rukoj. Odnazhdy na uroke anglijskogo Erin Gruell perekhvatila zapisku s rasistskoj, karikaturoj i vypalila, chto imenno takoe otnoshenie privelo k kholokostu. V klasse povisla tishina: ni odin uchenik ne ponjal, pro chto ona. Zato im bylo otlichno izvestno, kakovo eto - kogda tebja ne schitajut za 'cheloveka...Porazhennye dnevnikom Anny Frank i drugimi knigami o vojnakh i nespravedlivosti, podrostki stali vesti dnevniku, razmyshljaja o svoikh problemakh. S pomoschju Erin rebjata slozhili ikh v knigu "Pisateli svobody", kotoraja razoshlas millionnymi tirazhami i dazhe poluchila ekranizatsiju s Khilari Suonk v glavnoj roli. Spustja gody povzroslevshie avtory dopolnili izdanie rasskazami o tom, kak slozhilis ikh zhizni.Segodnja Erin Gruell rukovodit fondom "Pisatelej svobody" v SSHA.Vmeste s byvshimi uchenikami ona gotovit uchitelej i pomogaet shkolnikam i studentam raskryt svoj potentsial.

There are lives lost in this book, and there are lives saved, too, if salvation means a young man or woman begins to feel deserving of a place on the planet. . . . What could be more soul-satisfying?These are the most influential professionals most of us will ever meet. The effects of their work will last forever. from the foreword by Anna QuindlenNow depicted in a bestselling book and a feature film, the Freedom Writers phenomenon came about in 1994 when Erin Gruwell stepped into Room 203 and beganher first teaching job out of college. Long Beach, California, was still reeling from the deadly violence that erupted during the Rodney King riots, and the kids in Erin s classroom reflected the anger, resentment, and hopelessness of their community.Undaunted, Erin fostered an educational philosophy that valued and promoted diversity, tolerance, and communication, and in the process, she transformed her students lives, as well as her own. Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers went on to establish the Freedom Writers Foundation to replicate the success of Room 203 and provide all students with hope and opportunities to realize their academic potential.Since then, the foundation has trained more than 150 teachers in the United States and Canada. Teaching Hope unites the voices of these Freedom Writer teachers, who share uplifting, devastating, and poignant stories from their classrooms, stories that provide insight into the struggles and triumphs of education in all of its forms. Mirroring an academic year, these dispatches from the front lines of education take us from the anticipation of the first day to the disillusionment, challenges, and triumphs of the school year.These are the voices of teachers who persevere in the face of intolerance, rigid administration, and countless other challenges, and continue to reach out and teach those who are deemed unteachable. Their stories inspire everyone to make a difference in the world around them."

A memoir by the author of The Freedom Writers Diary describes the challenges and rewards of her work as a teacher and advocate for at-risk youngsters, introducing the principles and practices of her innovative educational program designed to teach tolerance through literature and writing. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

Teacher's guide.

Straight from the front line of urban America, the inspiring story of one fiercely determined teacher and her remarkable students.As an idealistic twenty-three-year-old 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 ugly racial caricature, and angrily declared 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, to visit them in California, where she declared 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. 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. Erin Gruwell is now a visiting professor at California State University, Long Beach, where some of her students are Freedom Writers. 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.