Freedom Writers Critique

I recently watched the movie Freedom Writers, directed by Richard LaGravenese took place in Woodrow Wilson high school in Los Angeles, California in 1992. The film was about a highly inspiring teacher Mrs. Erin Gruwell who is fresh out of college, played by actress Hilary Swank. The story line is about integration, high school students that are not interested in learning, in light of the lifestyles they live. The setting of the movie was based in a low poverty area that involved gang life, black and Latino people would be shot or beat due to their race. Mrs. Gruwell’s was hired to teach a group of freshmen students with a fifth-sixth grade reading levels. On the first day of class there was no structure in the classroom, students sat in groups …show more content…
She explained that, that is how racial hatred starts and told them a few historical stories, one being about the Holocaust. She was shocked to find out that the students had never heard about the Holocaust.
After learning about the students’ knowledge about the Holocaust, she came up with the idea to introduce them to the book of Anne Frank. The school had the books, but unfortunately her students being from low poverty weren’t allowed to use the books, because the school administrators felt that the books weren’t at the reading level of the students and would they would be ruined or never returned which would cause them to order more the next year and that was considered wasting school funds.
Not allowing her to use the books for her class, Mrs. Gruwell decided to work two extra jobs so she would be able to afford the necessities for her students. She bought her students the Anne Frank books and personal journals with her own money. Which filled the students with excitement. Went above and beyond to give her students a class trip to experience life outside their own lifestyles. The students were truly thankful and felt that she truly cared about them and had high expectations that they grow to love