Erin Gruwell
Erin Gruwell
Erin Gruwellis an American teacher known for her unique teaching method, which led to the publication of The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. The 2007 film Freedom Writers is based on her story...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTeacher
Date of Birth15 August 1969
CountryUnited States of America
stupid believe kids
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you tell kids they're stupid--directly or indirectly--sooner or later they start to believe it.
people evil good-people
Evil prevails when good people do nothing.
way noble wonderful
Education is such a noble profession, its a wonderful way to serve.
writing empathy way
Writing really evokes empathy in a way very few things can do.
fighting matter diaries
Fights don't solve matters, they just make things worse. (Diary 19)
teacher blessed teaching
I have learned that, although I am a good teacher, I am a much better student, and I was blessed to learn valuable lessons from my students on a daily basis. They taught me the importance of teaching to a student - and not to a test.
mexican proud way
I have always been taught to be proud of being Latina, proud of being Mexican, and I was. I was probably more proud of being a "label" than of being a human being, that's the way most of us were taught.
remember nazi
Remember not all Germans were Nazis.
silence history-repeats-itself repeating-history
Silence ensures that history repeats itself.
growing-up educational kids
I grew up in a very progressive family and with a great educational system, and I asked myself, 'Why doesn't everybody have these opportunities for a good education? So why not give back to these kids who didn't grow up with the same privileges I had?
dream heart men
It sounds strange, somewhat on the line between irony and absurdity, to think that people would rather label and judge something as significant as each other but completely bypass a peanut. ... World peace is only a dream because people won't allow themselves and others around them to simply be peanuts. We won't allow the color of a man's heart to be the color of his skin, the premise of his beliefs, and his self-worth. We won't allow him to be a peanut, therefore we won't allow ourselves to come to live in harmony. (Diary 18)
educational believe fighting
I believe that education is the greatest equalizer; thus, I will continue to fight to equalize the playing field in an educational atmosphere that is not always level!
moving acceptance ideas
It's not enough to be tolerant...now we're finally moving towards the idea of acceptance.
teacher believe calling
I am a teacher born and bred, and I believe in the advocacy of teachers. It's a calling. We want our students to feel impassioned and empowered.