Writing Response to Freedom Writers

People spend a good portion of their lives learning. We all sit in classrooms, we observe, we listen, and while there is someone there for us, someone to shed light on, to teach, and to guide. There is without a doubt that teachers are an important part of a someone's life, whether a child or a young adult, teachers are always there. A teacher has an impact on the person a child becomes, and also the person a child strives to be. The movie Freedom Writer is an inspiring story that throughout the film, Mrs. Erin Gruwell managed to be different as a commendable teacher, careless of the difficulties that surround her learning environment. She was fresh-faced, idealist and was ready to take on the world as she steps inside Wilson High School for her first day of teaching. Her class, a diverse group of racially charged teenagers from different walks of life (African Americans, Latinos, Asians, juvenile delinquents, gang members, and underprivileged students from poor neighborhoods) hopes for nothing more than to make it through the day.
More and more, teachers are becoming a crucial influence in children’s lives. It stands to reason that a teacher’s personality and teaching style can have an impact on children’s academic performance and general development. Mrs. Gruwell illustrated this beautifully in the film, in the beginning of the movie, her class hated each other and the understanding that they are simply being warehoused in the educational system until they are old enough to disappear. Despite her students' persistent refusal to participate in class, Mrs. Gruwell tries several means to engage them on a daily basis. However, at first, Mrs. Gruwell was timid and obviously new at her job, the kids caught onto that right away and had no respect for her. To break the ice, Mrs. Gruwell wanted to connect with them and brought music in that all of them would know and can relate to, but that didn’t do much. She took another step and moved the student’s seats in the