The Freedom Writers Diary : How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them

This book was an eye opener. Excellent and I feel grateful for the good home I grew up in. All kids should have to read this book.

It's a familiar story: an idealistic, dedicated young teacher is thrown into a classroom filled with a bunch of kids who have been written off by the educational system. This teacher looks inside the heart of each student and cajoles, pushes, nags, and inspires each one to be his or her best. As a teacher, I believe this kind of story can never be told too often. Instead of...more

It's a familiar story: an idealistic, dedicated young teacher is thrown into a classroom filled with a bunch of kids who have been written off by the educational system. This teacher looks inside the heart of each student and cajoles, pushes, nags, and inspires each one to be his or her best. As a teacher, I believe this kind of story can never be told too often. Instead of kow-towing to the insidious NCLB and spending valuable classtime on grammar drills so students could survive high-stakes testing, Ms. Gruwell gave students relevant, interesting reading materials that would inspire them to grow into the kind of adults who give to the world and make it a better place. Which classroom environment is better for kids (and the future of our planet)? I know where I would choose to be. What about you?   hide

It's a familiar story: an idealistic, dedicated young teacher is thrown into a classroom filled with a bunch of kids who have been written off by the educational system. This teacher looks inside the heart of each student and cajoles, pushes, nags, and inspires each one to be his or her best. As a teacher, I believe this kind of story can never be told too often. Instead of...more

It's a familiar story: an idealistic, dedicated young teacher is thrown into a classroom filled with a bunch of kids who have been written off by the educational system. This teacher looks inside the heart of each student and cajoles, pushes, nags, and inspires each one to be his or her best. As a teacher, I believe this kind of story can never be told too often. Instead of kow-towing to the insidious NCLB and spending valuable classtime on grammar drills so students could survive high-stakes testing, Ms. Gruwell gave students relevant, interesting reading materials that would inspire them to grow into the kind of adults who give to the world and make it a better place. Which classroom environment is better for kids (and the future of our planet)? I know where I would choose to be. What about you?   hide

It's a familiar story: an idealistic, dedicated young teacher is thrown into a classroom filled with a bunch of kids who have been written off by the educational system. This teacher looks inside the heart of each student and cajoles, pushes, nags, and inspires each one to be his or her best. As a teacher, I believe this kind of story can never be told too often. Instead of...more

It's a familiar story: an idealistic, dedicated young teacher is thrown into a classroom filled with a bunch of kids who have been written off by the educational system. This teacher looks inside the heart of each student and cajoles, pushes, nags, and inspires each one to be his or her best. As a teacher, I believe this kind of story can never be told too often. Instead of kow-towing to the insidious NCLB and spending valuable classtime on grammar drills so students could survive high-stakes testing, Ms. Gruwell gave students relevant, interesting reading materials that would inspire them to grow into the kind of adults who give to the world and make it a better place. Which classroom environment is better for kids (and the future of our planet)? I know where I would choose to be. What about you?   hide