“Teacher, did Erin Gruwell’s husband really divorce her, or was it just the movie’s storyline?” many of my students asked me this after we watched The Freedom Writers. “I don’t think her life could be so dramatic,” some said. “The plot could be exaggerated.”
Well, I must admit, for a teacher to give up her relationship because of her students does sound very extreme. And after we discussed about this in class, I too wasn’t sure if Gruwell really did it. Curious, I bought her memoir, Teach With Your Heart, from Kinokuniya.
And the students were right about the story being dramatic. But ironically, the drama came from Gruwell’s story in real-life, and not from movie’s plot. If anything, the film portrayed only a tiny, extremely watered-down part of her experiences.
Yes, in the film we saw that Gruwell’s husband left her and she did invite Miep Gies to Wilson High. But it left out many of her other notable achievements: she raised enough money to take her students to Amsterdam to visit the Anne Frank Museum, to Auchswitz in Poland, and then to Sarajevo just after the Bosnian war.
She even met with Steven Spielberg with her students, ran for Congress and delivered talks nationwide even on the day of her father’s death.
I was left humbled by Gruwell’s determination and her love for her students.
It reminds teachers that it doesn’t matter if we are rookies or veterans, whether we have bright or not so bright students, whether we teach Maths or Literature, whether the kids are young or old. What matters most is a teacher’s sincerity.
Teach With Your Heart: Lessons I Learnt From The Freedom Writers by Erin Gruwell is available at Kinokuniya at $25.68.
June 22, 2008 at 10:33 pm |
I saw spotted the book too and picked it up 3 months back. But somehow, I placed it back. I suppose I know there are loads of teachers out there who can do such a good job. I’ve always wondered if I were to teach Am kids, how would I have been?
June 23, 2008 at 9:31 am |
MsDillyDally, I guess I was amazed not just because of Gruwell’s dedication but more because of her resolve and strength in the face of adversities (divorce, death, lack of $$). If we taught in America, we would probably worry about our lives and want to invest in bullet-proof vests? I don’t think I’d last.