thoughts on the movie

I think the movie was interesting. I liked how they group became a family. The thing I realized it was hard for those kids to make a living for them. The worst part of the book was when the guys shot a another guys in the other guy and he missed and hit someone else. I didn't think she would be able to change the student like how she did. I feel bad for the teacher because her husband left her for something dumb. I didn't like the principle she was mean and snotty to the teacher. I am glad that she got to teach the kids till they graduate. I don't think a teach should treat a honor student differently because she was a different skin color then him. I liked how the teacher worked three jobs for her student so they can go out and eat at a nice place. I can't believe that the kids didn't know what the holocaust was. I was shocked. I don't think a father should make fun of his daughter career. I don't know how some people can send a innocent person to jail just to keep their own safe.

Entry 1: Injustice

So I guess I really haven’t seen anything that is unjust. I think the things that really are unjust are things you see on tv. For example while I was sick, for some reason, I watched a bunch of crime shows (about actual crimes, not made up ones). One was about this women who was getting beat up by her husband, so she started to fight back and she ended up killing him. The women ended up getting like 16 years in jail. I really don’t think that’s fair because it was self-defense. If you had been getting beat up for several years, wouldn’t you eventually get sick and tired of it? I think she just got to her breaking point and she didn’t know what to do anymore. I mean I understand that you can’t just go around killing people, but if it’s self-defense I understand why she would have done it.

I think it is hard for people to speak out. Especially if you know you’ll face super bad consequences for speaking up. Like in the movie, if you speak out against your gang, they’re probably not going to be very happy with you. You’ll probably get yourself shot or beat up or something like that.

Entry #3 Myranda

The movie and the diary entries we read were very touching and they gave me goose bumps. I really enjoyed this I wish we would have read the whole book. I would have actually read this! This book, well the parts we read, was amazing!!! One of the themes that stuck out to me was when the one guy said to Meip that she was his hero and he had never had a hero before and she said no I’m not a hero you guys are and the reason why they are is all the things they have over come on there own and how there survivors. That almost made me cry I had huge goose bumps. I think Erin is an amazing teacher who really touched me. She helped all those kids over come the I guess you could say the segregation they were going threw. Before Erin came into theses kids life's they didn’t get along with different races or ethnic groups. They had clicks and enemies, but after Erin came into there life they all had a different more positive view on life. I felt a connection with the white boy. He seamed to be scared and alone. I feel alone a lot and sometimes scared. I feel like the odd one out like he dose.

Entry #2

Tolerance can be a hard thing for me it is. It is really hard for me to be around someone I don’t like or someone who makes me mad or upset. Some people who were well I guess you could say out casts tend to ether except or not except in the cases I have seen its harder to except. I always was kind of a loner I guess you could say I didn’t have a lot of friends, I mean I had some but still I felt alone a lot. Most people belonged to a group or a so called “click”, but I didn’t really. When I was younger I struggled with my grades and school work. I was always be hind compared to the other kids in my grade. I felt very much alone and I just kinda stayed alone. Even when I was at home I was by myself I guess I just got so use to it and then preferred to be alone. Im not really sure if you can teach human empathy I think that things that happen to you are what makes you understand empathy such as like if your animal dies and your friends animal did to then you might be able to understand them more or relate better.

Journal Prompt 3

I thought that it was a great movie, I liked it because she really changed the students a lot. Some of the things I liked the most is that the kids were bad kids at first who did drugs and were in gangs and lived on the streets. I liked that all the kids were involved in the class and were able to be the first in their family to graduate and even go to college. Yes these kids had a very tough start to be bad kids then go out and be the kids that change themselves, friends, and even family. I thought it was kind of sad that the one kids mom kicked him out of the house because he was in a gang. Even though you may not like what your kids choose to do you should always love them and let them be in your home. I liked that he went to his house and asked his mom if he could come back home and not live on the streets. Yes it may be tough for her to take him in but I think she mad the right choice to take him back.

Post 3 Movie Response

Some pretty prominent themes in this movie would probably be overcoming adversity, believing in yourself, tolerance, and injustice. Those kids of all different races overcame adversity by coming together trusting each other during the time they spent together in the classroom. All the kids had to believe in their self to improve. Most of the kids had to tolerate their dangerous lives. Every time they walked out the door they could have died. I think she was a great teacher and always handled herself well. I don't think that if she were to have had to teach sophomores again she wouldn't have been able to bring them together like she did. Anyone would say Erin helped the entire class a ton and they all improved in almost every positive way because of her. I didn't make many connections with the story because I haven't had nearly as bad as things happen in my life. I have had a few bad things happen though and I know what it feels like to be scared or alone.

Journal Prompt #3--Thoughts on movie

Respond to the diary entries we read and the movie The Freedom Writers. What are some prominent themes in the movie? What do you think of Erin as a teacher? Analyze the lives of the Freedom Writers; how were they before Erin and after? Describe feelings you had or connections you made with specific scenes or characters.

Comments on Journal #2

There might be a way to show empathy and how you should deal with things, but if people don’t want to learn or care, I don’t think they will.
Some people WANT to change but don't know if they can.
Some people grow up with hate and it'd hard to stop the cycle.
Tolerance is hard because you can't relate to some people.
Tough times= more empathy
Empathy can't be taught but it can be shown (learned) through example.
Everyone does think differently, but that's where tolerance comes into play.

Journal Prompt 2

I think that sometimes tolerance is hard for some people because they don’t want to get along with others. I think some people just don’t have the mentality to like each other. Some people are great at working with others, they don’t have the problem of talking and getting along with others. Some people are just around the wrong people and don’t have the tolerance for anything. They would rather just do stupid things like smoke and drink. One time I was treated badly because some people just think they are better than others. And sometimes I am treated badly because I was short and fat. But now I just realize that I did the right thing and lost weight and got taller and showed that they need something better to do than make fun of me. Those things make me mad, I feel the same way when I drive. Sometimes you get those a holes that cut in front of you or flash their lights at you. It’s like jesus! I am trying to drive!

Tolerance Journal Entry 2

I think that some people have shorter fuses than other people, and that's why it seems like certain people have less tolerance than other people. People have more tolerance on some days, and less on others. If I'm having a bad day, of course I'm not going to have a lot of tolerance for everyone. A few years ago, I started doing different things than the girls in my class and they didn't like it. It was all of them against me. They judged me and made fun of me because I wasn't exactly like them, or exactly like I used to be. I absolutely hated it at first and it made me feel terrible, but after I realized I didn't need them anymore I was fine. I've hardly trusted the girls in my class that made me feel bad. I found new friends to have, and other things to do. It was hard at the time, but I'm fine with it now. It made me smarter, more independent, and made me put more effort into trusting people.

I think tolerance is something you acquire in your childhood. It depends how tolerant your parents are. If you see them being alright with anyone and everyone, then you'll most likely be very tolerant as well.

Entry #1

I have witnessed no Injustice that I can think of but I have watched criminal shows where the older brother took the blame for his little sister killing some one. I was thinking that I do not think I would or could take the blame for my little sisters doing a crime, especially if i knew they were guilty. Well I wasn't there so I could not really change anything. But if i was the brother I would go back and not take the blame and let my little sister take the blame. She did the crime she can do the time. If you can't handle the time don't do the crime. I think it would probably be hard to admitting to such a harsh crime such as killing someone let alone your parents. But at the same time its hard for me to connect to this because I can't imagine killing my parents let alone anyone else. For example I have seen if I had saw an older kid picking on a younger child I would step in and stand up for the underdog.

Freedom Writers Entry 1: Injustice

I think a lot of things that have happened to the kids in this movie are horrible, but thats just life. Famous quote time, its actually hanging in your room, "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life, it goes on." -Robert Frost
This movie does a good job of portraying EVERY MAJOR CITY IN THE U.S. However, it is, so far, a pretty good movie to watch.

Comments on journal 1...

Why don't people say anything when they witness someone getting picked on or someone doing something wrong?

Really I just think people are scared or people just don’t want to get involved with the situation.

People don't want to get picked on.

People want to fit in or not be singled out.

Journal Prompt #2

Journal Prompt #2----Human Empathy (Finish entry by mid-point of film)
Erin Gruwell teaches her students to be tolerant of each other. Why is tolerance such a difficult thing for some people but easier for others? Why do some people have such an easy time accepting others’ differences while other people can act so cruelly to others? When was a time when you were treated badly because you were different or not accepted for a certain reason? How did you feel and what did you do? Is it possible to teach human empathy or do some people just have it and others don’t?

Post 1 Adam Krog

I think what the Freedom writer means by “rock the boat” is to speak up. I think it is good to speak up when something bad is happening to someone good. There are many examples in this movie so far that show people not rocking the boat when they should be. I have been a witness to many injustices. There have been many injustices on the playground, in the dark alleys, and many other places. Some of them have been on me, some of them have been on my friends. I never wanted to get involved, so I just walked away. I should have told the person to take it easy and to stop. Instead I did nothing. If I could go back, I would have tried to stop the situation. It wouldn’t have been that hard. I truly believe that it is hard to speak out because you think you will get in trouble or hurt. I do not think that it is easy to tell someone to leave another person alone. It takes a lot of guts. But once again, not really that hard.

Journal Prompt #1---Injustice

Journal Prompt #1---Injustice (Finish entry by the mid-point of the film)
In Diary 94, a Freedom Writer argues that people should "rock the boat" and "speak out" when they witness an injustice.  When have you observed an unjust action or behavior?  What did you do?  If you could go back in time and revisit that moment, would you handle it differently?  Why, do you believe, is it sometimes difficult for people to speak out or act against wrongdoing?

Freedom Writers Journal Prompts

Throughout our study of The Freedom Writers Diary and viewing of the film, you will be responsible for completing four journal entries. Please be honest and open in your responses. Take time to think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. I want you to be meticulous, and, along with practicing your writing skills, I want you to take into consideration the power of your words and the power of your voice.
Each of your responses should be at least 175 words. (As a comparison, this entry is 186 words.) Take note of when the entry should be completed and posted to the blog. Remember to practice your writing conventions as you respond! While the majority of your grade will be based on the thoroughness of your answers, you will also be graded on your writing conventions. I know sometimes it's easy to go into "text-writing mode" when you are typing on a blog, but this is a graded English writing assignment, not a Facebook post, so be mindful of your capital letters and your "u"s and "lol"s.