Professional Development Activity
How do I teach a bunch of students who for the most part don’t care one bit? They already
know they are one mistake away from being locked in jail. They know this because they did not get to
have their parents as they were growing up because that is where they were. Some of these students
are not expecting to live to the age of 18 years old. My eyes were opened tonight to how some middle
school and high school students are living today in America as I listened to Ms. Erin Gruwell tell her
touching story. One student in particular had already buried 24 of his friends; he was a pall bearer
almost every weekend and he knew it was just a matter of time before that would be him.
As Ms. Gruwell began her story and I learned about her students, I thought, how can she
possibly teach these students? There was no help from her principal. When Ms. Gruwell went to talk to
him about her students, he told her that out of 97,000 students, she was teaching the students below
the bottom 25th percentile. He told her, “I hope these kids drop out before we take our standardized
tests at the end of the year”. Ms. Gruwell bought her 150 students four books, one being The Diary of
Anne Frank. One student in particular came storming into class the morning after she finished the book.
She screamed at Ms. Gruwell, “If Anne didn’t even make it, then I know there is no hope for me.” One
student then said, “Yes, she did make it, her story is still being told”. It is this comment that inspired the
students to write down their own, personal stories, the collection collectively known as The Freedom
Writers. Ms. Gruwell helped her students to turn away from the paths in which they were headed. She
helped 150 students who no one believed could graduate and even go to college. When I hear the
phrase, “reaching students”, I now know what this means.
Tonight as I listened to Ms. Gruwell tell her story of how she helped her students, I received a
better picture of how to meet my students’ needs. Some educators might just try to survive a school
year if they were in this teacher’s shoes. But Ms. Gruwell took the opportunity to change her students’
lives, without any help from her school. As she bought the four books for each of her 150 students, she
compared it to the amount of her student loans. Ms. Gruwell was truly dedicated to her students. Her
classroom was the one and only place many of the students felt safe. This teacher showed me how one
person can make a profound difference in the lives of many.
I am so happy I attended the Big Event. I benefited so much from hearing Ms. Gruwell’s story of
how she changed the lives of many of her students. She is an inspiration to me as I will begin teaching
soon. When I begin teaching, I may not be working in an environment Ms. Gruwell was, however I
might have student’s who are coming from similar situations. They may not have their parents at home
with them because they are working multiple jobs, or even in prison. They may not have a good future
planned out or even consider what they will do after they finish high school, or they may never have had
someone to believe in them, as I was so blessed to have. I will believe in my students. I will not limit
them by my expectations. Every student needs someone to support them, and I will be that person for
my students.