Mark's
Diary
Mark Louis A. Ampong
2019-01764
ETH 0008-15 Ethics
Final Examination
The Freedom Writers is a movie about an English teacher named
Erin Gruwell and her students at Wilson High School in Long
Beach, California, as they go from freshman to senior years.
Watching this movie has been an eye-opener for me as I have
observed societal issues which is timely and relevant even up
to this day.
One of the societal issues that I have seen in this movie is
cultural indifference. Woodrow Wilson High School is divided
into groups or gangs — “The Little Cambodia”, “The Ghetto”,
“The Wonder Bread Land” and “South of the Border”. All of
these gangs are present in Mrs. Gruwell’s class, whose
students live by decades of tight moral rules of defending
their own at all costs. Many students are involved in gangs,
and practically everyone knows someone who has been killed or
hurt as a result of gang violence. The main reason behind all
these is cultural indifference, leading to racism, and all
sorts of violence. People tend to belittle those who are not
the same kind as theirs to the point where they feel entitled
to humiliate or hurt them because they’re different.
In a large archipelagic country like the Philippines, culture
is very diverse. We have different ethnic groups, minorities,
and tribes which divides all of us as a nation. You can
observe that from each province people differ from their
language, culture, belief, religion, and even the way they
speak. This cultural indifference has also led people in a
non-pleasing situation, just like in the movie. People tend to
look down on the “Warays” or “Bisayas” because of their social
class. They are treated as nothing because most of them are
just maids and drivers. I have seen many Tagalogs make fun of
other ethnicities because of the way they speak, their
intonation, even the way they dress. Tagalogs are most likely
the “white people” in the Philippine set-up. They consider
themselves as the superior one because they live in the city
and they are “well-educated” compared to those who used to
live in the provinces; it’s like they see other people’s lives
as worthless, giving them the entitlement to do and say
whatever they want. This kind of maltreatment causes nothing
but harm to our fellow Filipinos.
This societal issue can also be observed in our country
nowadays. Having privilege or money in this country gives
you so much opportunity and powers. Privileged people can do
whatever they want because they have the money to do so and
because they can. And sometimes, they abuse it just like our
politicians; they can easily get away from their cases of
graft and corruption because they have the money and the
resources. I personally witnessed how money can turn things
around; people sometimes respect you not because they earned
it but because they have the money. They have nothing to
worry about because it can solve everything. On the other
hand, underprivileged people fight for their lives every
single day because they have to survive. One of the problems
they face is discrimination because of the social class they
belong, getting proper and quality education, securing a job
in the future, their health and safety, and so on. When you
‘re poor, you need to think of these things every single
day. These are the problems privileged people don’t think
because it doesn’t concern them. They just live in peace
just like the white person in the movie.
Lastly, I have seen how teachers are underappreciated in
this movie. Mrs. Erin Gruwell is an overworked high school
teacher but is also underpaid and underappreciated. Her
father in this movie seemed to belittle teachers because of
the salary they earn and thought she can do so much better
than being just a high school teacher. Her husband thinks
that she’s doing too much for her students. Also, as she
tried harder to get resources to properly teach her students
by juggling three jobs, she faced serious opposition with
her co-teachers such as Margaret Campbell, a 30-year teacher
in Wilson High, who is regulation-driven and sees using
books in the library as a waste and thinks Erin is
inexperienced enough to do whatever she wants, and Brian
Gelford, who defended his privileged position of teaching
senior honors classes.
In the Philippines, I have witnessed how our teachers and
professors are underappreciated for their work. They don’t get
the salary they deserve and is often deprived of the benefits
they should get. Being a teacher in the Philippines is very
challenging, most especially if you chose or have been
deployed in provinces where transportation and resources are
lacking. Some teachers travel for hours by walking just to get
in school and is earning below minimum wage. I have also
encountered some instructors complaining because of the
frequent delay in their salaries. It isn’t easy to become a
teacher. Teachers prepare for hours what to teach and how to
make it interactive and fun, handles numerous students, checks
their papers, prepare lesson plans, teach continuously for
hours without getting enough breaks, and so much more but are
underpaid. This societal issue just shows how their profession
is underappreciated in this country.
Personally, I have enjoyed watching the movie. It reminded me
how I wanted to become a teacher three years ago. In fact, I
passed
my
entrance
examination
in
Philippine
Normal
University, where I planned to pursue Education but my family
didn’t want me to. I want to have that kind of influence to
other people because just like Erin Gruwell, I have high hopes
for the youth. I want to impart my knowledge and wisdom to my
students because I believe they are our future. Teaching and
guiding the youth properly can solve these societal problems
we are facing right now and might be a way for the future
generation to live better lives.
As Erin Gruwell once said,
“If you can change a classroom, you
can change a community, and if you
change enough communities, you can
change the world”