Freedom Writers

First of all, I had a thing for films that portray a teacher that inspire a class, almost every single movie that I’ve watched showing this has or either inspired to be more in involve in a social cause and also has made me cry.  As I already explained I come from a family of teachers and they all have been great examples in my life. When I was 18 years old I worked as an instructor in a cultural center for people at social risk or a city that needed some volunteer workers, it is until now a great experience to remember, I taught acting for kids and it was interesting to see how much they value those free classes for the community that the government was funding, the kids and their parents, some of them, were key for their learning experience. It was sad though to see how some parents were not involve, not interested or absolutely absent. Freedom writers put me on a delicate position that can be looked by a different prism, it is the white teacher saving the minorities and also it is simply a teacher passionately doing her job and inspiring students to look for an education now and in the future.

I said some of my background before, because some people did judge me when I was teaching people at social risk, they look me down because I was whiter and more educated, even though I was younger than almost everybody else. I’m not talking about the kids, but their parents. There was some sort of self-segregation from the one who had a better social status, although I’m not rich at all, but because they were so poor the breach seem big, and not being one of them make them hesitate a little bit.   In the case of Freedom writers, the teacher was a typical white person who was trying to make a great start in her career thinking that the doors would automatically open only because of the graduation diploma. In this film we may look some of what Stuart Hall described as the white in their  eyes:

 “By inferential racism I mean those apparently neutralized representations of events and situations relating to race, whether “factual” or “fictional,” which have racist premises and propositions inscribed in them as a set of unquestioned assumptions.” Stuart Hall.

I believe that the problem with some people is that in this film there is some inferential racism, and also some racist premises such as white people saving minorities, minorities are less educated and they deserve to need to be under control  or white people is self-righteous and uptight. All these assumptions may be valid in the film, and also questionable because as the teacher said,  “ I'm a teacher, it doesn't matter what color I am.” To what Gloria one of the Latinas in the class replied, “ It’s all about color.”

 On the other side I do feel that this teacher represents many of the things that I aim for in a class, she is worried about integration, and the learning process of the students. She challenges the class and think out of the box so that her students can do the same. On of the things that I like the most about this teacher is how much she invested in building confidence on students that think that their presence in the class didn’t matter.  One line that  I really  like in the film and there is a bad word involved (spoiler alert).

Erin Gruwell: The evaluation assignment was to grade yourself on the work you're doing. You gave yourself an F. What's that about?

Andre: It's what I feel I deserve, that's all.

Erin Gruwell: Oh really?

[pause]

Erin Gruwell: You know what this is? This is a F*#$@ You to me and everyone in this class. I don't want excuses. I know what you're up against. We're all of us up against something. So you better make up your mind, because until you have the balls to look me straight in the eye and tell me this is all you deserve, I am not letting you fail. Even if that means coming to your house every night until you finish the work. I see who you are. Do you understand me? I can see you. And you are not failing.

I really liked how passionate she is about the future of her students, although is not the most orthodox way to talk to another student in the class, still the message comes across. She is engage with the learning experience of her students and no one can tell her that they are worthless, not even themselves.  As Freire and Lystina explained in their texts both aim to free the students of the boundaries of an educational system that doesn’t allow the to grow. Every class is different and sometimes changes should be made in a lesson plan, in this extreme case it was change ,“If the structure does not permit dialogue the structure must be changed” ― Paulo Freire.  Erin did those changes thinking of what was best for the students so they can want an education instead of forcing it.

In conclusion, Freedom Writers may be taken in both different looks, as a white savior superiority over minorities or simply as a teacher that inspire a class to become better educated, and as an end goal, to have a better life free from the boundaries of ignorance and poverty. I believe that the film is a great tool to learn and to be inspired by someone that believeth in the real meaning of education.