Freedom Writers

Wow. Wow. Wow. What an AMAZING movie! I hope you all enjoyed Freedom Writers as much as I did. I think the movie goes hand-in-hand with what Beers wrote about in Chapter 13 on the importance of building community and setting high standards. I can’t imagine being an educator and not seeing the value of having a relationship with the students after seeing this movie. There were so many powerful scenes! One that really stood out to me was when Eva finished reading The Diary of Anne Frank and fussed about it to Ms. Gruwell then Jamal jumped in and gave his two cents. How many times do you think either of them ever discussed a book before? (Heck, how many times do you think either one of them ever read an entire book before?) They both clearly connected with the text and it had an impact on their lives. That is the power of reading. I think it goes along with Teri Lesesne’s thought of finding “the right book for the right kid at the right time.” Gruwell found the right book for these kids and made it relevant to their lives. If we examine Gruwell’s practice, we discover she didn’t just hand the kids the book and tell them to read it. She did a lot of frontloading to build that background knowledge so the students had some information about the topic as well as developed an interest in it. How do you suppose the students would have reacted to the book if they had not been to the Holocaust museum or learned anything about the Holocaust beforehand?

In case you haven't heard, Erin Gruwell is going to be at the WIN (Writing Improvement Network) conference November 7-9 this year.

When Kids Can't Read: Chapter 13

(Page 260) “Though we can say (and should say), ‘You can do it!’ on a daily basis, the reality is that unless students believe us, they won’t do it, won’t even attempt to do it. And students won’t believe us unless we create opportunities for success.”
I whole-heartedly agree with Beers when she basically writes about building community with kids. We’re never going to get kids to reach their full potential if they don’t think we have a genuine concern for them. Having a rapport with students is essential for them to be successful in class. Think about it: which teachers in school did you work the hardest for? I suspect it’s the ones you thought cared about you. I really like that Beers explains that just because students feel valued in class doesn’t mean we have to lower our expectations. I think if we have an environment where students feel safe, that’s all the more reason to RAISE our expectations—they’re going to be more willing to work for us, so we have the opportunity taken them to new heights!

(Page 274) “We suddenly also understand why young adult literature, with characters like the readers, will appeal more readily to students than adult classics.”

Amen! Perhaps if my teachers in high school had given me some YA literature, I would have actually read a book instead of the Cliff’s Notes. (Not that Cliff’s Notes are available for YA lit—another advantage of using it!) I really enjoyed reading about the stages of literary appreciation. I was able to reflect on students I’ve taught in the past and think about the stage they were as they were reading. What really got me thinking was the fifth stage of reading, “often not ever seen, but usually not seen before the college years.” Under the implications section, Beers notes that students at the fifth stage gain enjoyment from literary devices. Perhaps this is why so many of our students struggle with figurative language and other lit devices while reading. While they’re able to identify them in isolation, I think they have a more difficult time with them in general reading. If they’re only on the second or third stage of reading, they may not really be able to identify these things with much ease. I guess we just have to ensure that they read LOTS so that they can get to all of the stages!