The Freedom Writers Diary

A standards-based teacher’s guide from the educator behind the #1 New York Times bestseller The Freedom Writers Diary, with innovative teaching techniques that will engage, empower, and enlighten. Don’t miss the public television documentary Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart In response to thousands of letters and e-mails from teachers across the country who learned about Erin Gruwell and her amazing students in The Freedom Writers Diary and the hit movie Freedom Writers, Gruwell and a team of teacher experts have written The Freedom Writers Diary Teacher’s Guide, a book that will encourage teachers and students to expand the walls of their classrooms and think outside the box. Here Gruwell goes in depth and shares her unconventional but highly successful educational strategies and techniques (all 150 of her students, who had been deemed “unteachable,” graduated from Wilson High School in Long Beach, California): from her very successful “toast for change” (an exercise in which Gruwell exhorted her students to leave the past behind and start fresh) to writing exercises that focus on the importance of journal writing, vocabulary, and more. In an easy-to-use format with black-and-white illustrations, this teacher’s guide will become the essential go-to manual for teachers who want to make a difference in their pupils’ lives.

Percy is incredibly accident-prone, and holds the dubious record of the most accidents. Percy has had a small rivalary with Harold, however, they are always willing to help each other when in trouble.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The twentieth anniversary edition of the classic story of an incredible group of students and the teacher who inspired them, featuring updates on the students’ lives, new journal entries, and an introduction by Erin Gruwell Now a public television documentary, Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart In 1994, an idealistic first-year teacher in Long Beach, California, named Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. She had intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. She was met by uncomprehending looks—none of her students had heard of one of the defining moments of the twentieth century. So she rebooted her entire curriculum, using treasured books such as Anne Frank’s diary as her guide to combat intolerance and misunderstanding. Her students began recording their thoughts and feelings in their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers.” Consisting of powerful entries from the students’ diaries and narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an unforgettable story of how hard work, courage, and determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students. In the two decades since its original publication, the book has sold more than one million copies and inspired a major motion picture Freedom Writers. And now, with this twentieth-anniversary edition, readers are brought up to date on the lives of the Freedom Writers, as they blend indispensable takes on social issues with uplifting stories of attending college—and watch their own children follow in their footsteps. The Freedom Writers Diary remains a vital read for anyone who believes in second chances.

A true account of a teacher who confronted a room of "at-risk" students details their life-changing journey and includes diary excerpts

The students of today tell their stories of adversity and growth in letters to the original Freedom Writers—authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Freedom Writers Diary—who write supportive and powerful letters in response. Over twenty years ago, the students in first-year teacher Erin Gruwell’s high school class in Long Beach, California, were 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 its 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. With empathy and honesty, they address these young people not with the platitudes of a politician or a 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.

Incredible stories of struggle, redemption, and the power of education from the teachers taught by Erin Gruwell and the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of The Freedom Writers Diary Don’t miss the public television documentary Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart “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 Quindlen Now documented in a bestselling book, feature film, and public television documentary, the Freedom Writers phenomenon came about in 1994, when Erin Gruwell stepped into Room 203 and began her 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 800 teachers around the world. 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.

The extraordinary memoir of the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Freedom Writers Diary, who’s been hailed as “a true inspiration” (Hilary Swank) and “simply magical when it comes to inspiring people to action” (Los Angeles Times). Don’t miss the public television documentary Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart In this passionate, poignant, and deeply personal memoir and call to arms, Erin Gruwell, the dynamic teacher who nurtured an extraordinary group of high school students from Long Beach, California, who called themselves the Freedom Writers, picks up where The Freedom Writers Diary—and the hit movie Freedom Writers—left off and brings the reader up to date on where the Freedom Writers are today. Including their unforgettable trip to Auschwitz, where they met with Holocaust survivors; their tour of the attic of their beloved Anne Frank; and their visit to Bosnia with their friend Zlata Filipović, Teach With Your Heart chronicles what happened with the Freedom Writers as they made their way through college and beyond. Along the way, Gruwell includes lessons for parents and teachers about what she learned from her remarkable band of students as she traveled through the emotional peaks and valleys on the front lines of our nation’s educational system. A mesmerizing story of one young woman’s personal odyssey and of her unique ability to encourage others to follow in her footsteps, Teach With Your Heart is marked by the enviable radiance and irrepressible force of nature that are Erin Gruwell and her unbelievable determination to ensure that education in the United States truly meets the needs of every student.

"Reflections and Interpretations" is an anthology on The Freedom Writers’ methodology. It is an anthology for all those with a profes-sional need for texts explaining, not only how The Freedom Writers’ tools are being used, but also why they work so convincingly well. It is not an anthology of guidelines; it is an anthology of explanations based on theory. And it is an anthology written by Freedom Writer Teachers – who else could do it?

The ways and methods of the Freedom Writers as a pedagogical concept are not tied to theories but to practice and to practical life in the classroom. It therefore has more to do with tools than with books – and the most significant tool in the Freedom Writer pedagogy is the narrative. But even in a very practical world tools can be reflected on – and have to be reflected on in order to give us an idea about what is going on. So it is with narratives, too. Narratives are about lived lives, and a way to take or regain power over one’s life. Therefore, the narrative is a pathway to empowerment. By writing, reading or listening to the narratives the story-teller will experience forms of recognition that foster in him or her a feeling of self-confidence, self-esteem and self-appreciation – feeling that many have not been granted until now. This book is an account of a Freedom Writer-course, where practical writing- and art-exercises are ‘warming up’ the students – making them confident with the situation, each other and the published media – in order to write their own narrative.

In Washington DC, in May 2015, Rep. John Lewis taught us, a group of Freedom Writer Teachers, to 'get in trouble', just as he had been doing for his whole life – participating and organizing the Civil Rights Movement, the Freedom Schools, the Freedom Riders and speaking from the Lincoln Memorial against the wrong of discrimination and segregation along with Dr. Martin Luther King that summer’s day in 1963. "Get in trouble!" is an anthology of stories about standing up for one’s students, told and written by Freedom Writer Teachers from all around the world – all of them using the Freedom Writers methods and exercises: Stories from teaching Maoris of New Zealand to Inuits of Greenland, from teaching average kids in the schools of your neighborhood to youngsters in juvenile halls, from the love of teaching to the fights against standardized curricula. There are lots of ways and places 'to get in trouble' for the noble case of educating the next generation!

In most Western developed countries, adult life is increasingly organized on the basis of short-term work contracts and reduced social security funds. In this context it seems that producing efficient job-seekers and employees becomes the main aim of educational programs for the next generation. Through case studies of young people from urban and countryside marginalized populations in Germany, USA and Brazil, this book investigates emerging educational practices and takes a critical stance towards what can be seen as neoliberal educational politics. It investigates how mediating devices such as CVs, school reports, school files, photos and narratives shape the ways in which those marginalized students reflect about their past as well as imagine their future. By building on process philosophy and time theory, post-structuralism, as well as on Vygotsky's psychological theory, the analysis differentiates between two discrete modes of human development: development of concrete skills (potential development) and development of new societal relations (virtual development, which is at the same time individual and collective). The book outlines an innovative relational account of learning and human development which can prove of particular importance for the education of marginalized students in today's globalized world.

"Reflections and Interpretations" is an anthology on The Freedom Writers’ methodology. It is an anthology for all those with a professional need for texts explaining, not only how The Freedom Writers’ tools are being used, but also why they work so convincingly well. It is not an anthology of guidelines; it is an anthology of explanations based on theory. And it is an anthology written by Freedom Writer Teachers – who else could do it?

“A brilliantly conceived and long overdue opening up [or deconstruction] of the Anne Frank story.” —James Clifford, Professor Emeritus, History of Consciousness Department, University of California As millions of people around the world who have read her diary attest, Anne Frank, the most familiar victim of the Holocaust, has a remarkable place in contemporary memory. Anne Frank Unbound looks beyond this young girl’s words at the numerous ways people have engaged her life and writing. Apart from officially sanctioned works and organizations, there exists a prodigious amount of cultural production, which encompasses literature, art, music, film, television, blogs, pedagogy, scholarship, religious ritual, and comedy. Created by both artists and amateurs, these responses to Anne Frank range from veneration to irreverence. Although at times they challenge conventional perceptions of her significance, these works testify to the power of Anne Frank, the writer, and Anne Frank, the cultural phenomenon, as people worldwide forge their own connections with the diary and its author. “This collection of brilliant essays offers fascinating and unexpected insights into the significance of Anne Frank’s iconic Holocaust-era diary from many disciplinary perspectives in the arts and humanities.” —Jan T. Gross, the Norman B. Tomlinson Professor of War and Society, Princeton University “This volume is a major contribution to scholarship regarding Anne Frank's diary and its cultural influence . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice “Engrossing . . . The overall aim is to provide a greater understanding of the general and particular engagement with Anne Frank as a person, a symbol, an icon, an inspiration, and perhaps most polarizing, as one victim, not the victim of the Nazi holocaust.” —Broadside

Each chapter includes photographs, sidebars and fascinating facts about these groundbreaking women: Maria Montessori, founder of the Montessori method of self-directed learning Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, Helen's "miracle worker" Christa McAuliffe, high school teacher who died in the space shuttle Challenger disaster Dorval Onesime, a Native Metis educator in the early 1900s from Saskatchewan Denise Fruchter, a special education teacher with tourettes syndrome from Toronto Malalai Joya, campaigning for girlsÕ education in Afghanistan‰Û¬Erin Gurswell, founder of Freedom Writers USA Raden Ayu Kartini, campaigned for the education of women in Indonesia Marva Collins, African American teacher dedicated to improving schools in US cities

Packed with research-based strategies, this step-by-step resource shows educators how to cultivate a more creative teaching practice by accessing their creative resources, eliciting students’ creativity, and more.

This book will inspire academics, teachers and trainers to use film and television in their classrooms and to shows them how it might be done. It brings together respected international scholars who recount their experiences of how they have used moving images in their classrooms (defined widely to include distance-learning) with their explanations of why they chose this method of teaching and how they put their intentions into action. The book also illustrates how particular subjects might be taught using film and television as an inspiration to demonstrate the range of opportunities that these media offer. Finally, this book considers some of the practical issues in using film and television in the classroom such as copyright, technology, and the representation of reality and drama in films. This is a ‘practical, how to’ book that answers the questions of those people who have considered using film and television in their classroom but until now have shied away from doing so. The opportunity to see how others have used film effectively breaks down psychological barriers and makes it seem both realistic and worthwhile.

In , therapists John and Linda Friel gave parents an easy-to-understand guide to overcome the seven worst mistakes even good parents make while raising children. Now they’ve written a book for teens based on the same formula: it includes the seven worst things even smart—and outwardly successful—teens do, and shows teens how they can change these behaviors and assure their success in life as they grow towards adulthood. This book was written expressly for teenagers as a unique roadmap into adulthood. It was designed to stimulate the brain as well as the heart because teenagers who listen to both can eventually negotiate adolescence successfully. It will appeal to teenagers who like to think, wonder, question and challenge, as well as to teenagers who feel that they haven’t quite figured out this “life” thing. The Friels show teens the seven things they need to do in order to overcome common roadblocks they face or will face. These are: Become competent—don’t expect to have self-esteem without becoming competent Master your feelings—don’t let your feelings run the show Break the silence—don’t silently scream instead of making yourself known Get healthy power—don’t avoid learning about power Face the serious stuff—don’t hide the really important things you're experiencing Find an identity—don’t avoid the struggle to find yourself Learn to stake out the extremes—don’t live only in the extremes. Written in clear, straightforward language and including many interesting and colorful story interludes, this book is an easy-to-use, powerful tool for all teens.

Memoirs, autobiographies, and diaries represent the most personal and most intimate of genres, as well as one of the most abundant and popular. Gain new understanding and better serve your readers with this detailed genre guide to nearly 700 titles that also includes notes on more than 2,800 read-alike and other related titles. • A list of subjects and suggested "read-alikes" accompany each title • Appendixes cover awards, websites, and resources • Detailed indexes provide further points of access

Creating a healthy, social classroom environment. This book explains how the brain, as a social organism, learns best throughout the lifespan, from our early schooling through late life. Positioning the brain as distinctly social, Louis Cozolino helps teachers make connections to neurobiological principles, with the goal of creating classrooms that nurture healthy attachment patterns and resilient psyches. Cozolino investigates what good teachers do to stimulate minds and brains to learn, especially when they succeed with difficult or “unteachable” students. He explores classroom teaching from the perspectives of social neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology, showing how we can use the findings from these fields to maximize learning and stimulate the brain to grow. The book will have relevance to anyone concerned with twenty-first century learners and the social and emotional development of children.

The fields of writing as healing and health coaching have expanded to aid in the physical and emotional healing of patients. Using writing as a healing method allows patients to create new perspectives of their healing processes and professionals to propose new methods of healing that promote and maintain a positive outlook. Using Narrative Writing to Enhance Healing is an essential scholarly publication that approaches healing through the fields of education and medicine. Featuring a wide range of topics such as collaborative narratives, patient education, and health coaching, this book is ideal for writing instructors, physical therapists, teachers, therapists, psychologists, mental health professionals, medical professionals, counselors, religious leaders, mentors, administrators, academicians, and researchers.