In 1994, just two years after the L.A. riots set off by the infamous beating of Rodney King, Erin Gruwell was tasked with her first teaching opportunity. Erin was placed in room 203 at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. When Erin started teaching at Woodrow Wilson High, it had recently fallen victim to “Voluntary Integration.” The school was torn apart by race, class, and gender. Blacks, Whites, Cambodians, and Latin American Students all hated each other. Gang rivalry hung in a thick cloud over the entire district. Shooting, fighting, destruction of property, and disrespect towards each other and teachers was an average day at Woodrow Wilson High. Without the help of any of her coworkers, including the director and principle,
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Seeing as she wanted to get to know them a little better, she had the students participate in the “Line Game.” She asked the students a series of personal questions, which really opened her eyes and made every one realize that they all weren’t as different as they thought. The game made them realize the color of their skin didn’t determine what hardships they faced in life. After the game, Erin gave all the students diaries to write their stories in. This helped Erin understand the student’s backgrounds and connect with them on a personal level. Unfortunately for Erin, the school district didn’t care about the kids if they weren’t “honor students.” The principle told Erin “she doesn’t know the first thing about her students.” The children had never had any support from previous teachers. At one point Ava even said to her “What are you doing in here that makes a difference?” Erin was striving to provide her students a quality leaning environment, but the director and principle were holding her back. The director wouldn’t even let Erin have any books for the kids due to budget issues. The district didn’t trust her students, so Erin had to get two extra jobs to provide books for her students. When Erin bought her students new books they were completely shocked. One young man said “I can’t believe Mrs. G did all of this for us.” Erin was showing students that she did care about
Seeing as she wanted to get to know them a little better, she had the students participate in the “Line Game.” She asked the students a series of personal questions, which really opened her eyes and made every one realize that they all weren’t as different as they thought. The game made them realize the color of their skin didn’t determine what hardships they faced in life. After the game, Erin gave all the students diaries to write their stories in. This helped Erin understand the student’s backgrounds and connect with them on a personal level. Unfortunately for Erin, the school district didn’t care about the kids if they weren’t “honor students.” The principle told Erin “she doesn’t know the first thing about her students.” The children had never had any support from previous teachers. At one point Ava even said to her “What are you doing in here that makes a difference?” Erin was striving to provide her students a quality leaning environment, but the director and principle were holding her back. The director wouldn’t even let Erin have any books for the kids due to budget issues. The district didn’t trust her students, so Erin had to get two extra jobs to provide books for her students. When Erin bought her students new books they were completely shocked. One young man said “I can’t believe Mrs. G did all of this for us.” Erin was showing students that she did care about