I must say that I really did not want to read this book at all! I’m not sure why, but I think it had something to do with it being a movie. Sometimes I feel like many books gain popularity just they are made into movies. Where that statement could be true in some cases, I am glad after only reading the first two years of this four part journey that its story exists in several different mediums so it can reach more people.
Ms. G, the teacher in Freedom Writers, is a true hero in this story along with her many students. All of the “writers” in this book come from many different backgrounds, but they all have to face the reality everyday of hate and discrimination of what they call “an undeclared war”. I really had no idea how many factors were/are stacked against these kids from day one. I knew/know that violence of many forms exists within America, but didn’t realize that kids everyday die and get beat up because of it. I think one student said, “kill or be killed”, as being the choice given in his daily life.
As for me, I had a great childhood growing up on Mitchell, South Dakota. I just assumed everyone else did too. When I moved to Oregon, I started to realize that others did not have the same education and beliefs as myself. (Odd, I know that it took me until I was 18+ years of age to figure that out!) I really feel cheated that I did not know about these problems within my own country… you don’t hear about it on the morning news. Nobody wants to talk about it…why? I think many, like my brother, want to believe we live in the best country in the world. Hmmm… do we really? We live in a country that tells other countries how they ought to be treating their people, but refuse to look at out problems and lead by example.
I look forward to finishing the rest of the book over the next few days. I hope everyone in my group is finding it to be eye opening.
PS: Final thought:
It’s not that these kids have done anything original in writing diaries to help them reflect and workout their problems, but it’s how it made them change that makes what they did original
You raise a lot of great questions! We all want to believe we live in the best country of the world, but after hearing stories like those in the Freedom Writers Diaries, it is hard to think of it as being the best. I grew up in a small town. I grew up knowing about the Holocaust and so forth, but I never heard anything bad about the US! Heck, I had never even learned about the Japanese Internment Camps until I was in college! I was quite shocked that the school curriculum skipped right over that part of our history!
ReplyDeleteThese kids lived right in the US and I know I knew nothing of how they lived.
I agree with you on not knowing about the Japanese camps until college. Also, many jump over the fact of how early settlers in the new world terrorized the Native Americans. Is this intentional????? Are there really Americans out there who think we have never been/are terrorists?
ReplyDeleteIt made me think of what kind of "wars" are waged within our own communities. Sure, a lot of what the students in "The Freedom Writers" had/have to survive doesn't happen as much here, but there are still things that students must face everyday that also can prevent them from reaching their full potential. An example is a girl a the school I student taught at. She lived in poverty. She had to worry about where her next meal would come from and had to work outside of school to help bring in money. She was one of the first in her family to graduate from high school and the first to go to college.
ReplyDeleteI very much liked your final thought. I understand your feelings about not wanting to read the book after seeing the movie. I am very glad I never watched the movie because they are often a let down compared to the "real" story from the book.
ReplyDeleteFinally this time of year makes me think of something an experienced teacher shared with me my first year of teaching. We all know our kids get wound up as the end of the year approaches. Because of the wonderful childhood I had, I assumed that all children, as was true with me, were wound up because they are excited about all the fun they will have during the summer. This teacher told me that many students are wound up because they are anxious about what will happen to them once the structure of school is no longer there. Who will be home with them (if anyone)? Where will the sometimes multiple meals provided by the school come from now? Now I think of this at the end of every year.
I like your idea on continuing to chat after this class is over! I would love to do that! It is so nice to read and share ideas with each other. Do you want to ask Sue if she would give us a class list? :) What a great idea!
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