Keynote with Erin Gruwell

Erin Gruwell's father scoffed when she decided to become a teacher. His words for her were
"Please don’t eat the apples!" (Which was how she began her presentation!)

On Erin's first day on the job, her very FIRST teaching job, she found the following:

No textbooks
No technology
No enthusiasm for learning in her students
No love of reading

Derius, a student who came in first that day, came from a horrible background. Had already buried two dozen friends who died from violence. Derius' father had died when he was five. His brother was killed by a gang. Really good rapper, though! (In the Freedom Writer's film, he is known as "Marcus".)

Maria also entered the room, with an ankle bracelet and a probation officer with her! (She is known as "Ava" in the film.)

Erin knew that her year was going to be a tough one. Shortly, she asked her kids to write about something, to give them a voice. She strayed from her syllabus. Maria wrote about hating Erin Gruwell, her teacher!

So Erin decided to ask them to tell about their journeys thus far in their lives because of what she saw in their early writing.

Maria wrote about her journey with her background…dad in and out of jail, mom who did all sorts of jobs to make ends meet. Her mom quit school at the age of 7! When Maria went off to Kindergarten on her very first day, her cousin got shot 5 times right in front of her that morning. Right there she learned that the good guys don’t always make it! But she went off to school that a.m., even after the event, but she was different. Her teacher laughed at her that year. So she gave up on school. Her father became her teacher when he got home from prison. He bought her boxing gloves so she could get up swinging…and he taught her to never cry, never give up…..to be a woman warrior. She learned to make more money in one day on the streets, so she became a gang member. And she loved it, even though she was beaten, abused, treated terribly….because her father in San Quintin was her model. She thought it was her fate! Maria thought this kind of life was her fate as well.

Erin had to figure out how to tell this little girl how to live a ‘regular’ life. So she had a success toast day. She bought champagne glasses to toast, and Maria said, "I don’t want to be pregnant by the time I’ve 15 like my mama, and I don’t want to be in jail like my father. I want to change!"
Erin realized Maria wasn’t so tough after all……..

At this point, Erin showed a video clip of her old classroom, Room 203, and The Anne Frank video with Maria and Erin.

Derius realized the power of writing, just as Anne Frank did, which was the focus of Erin's study with the class. They learned that a legacy can be left behind through writing…that even though Anne died, they didn’t have to! They can leave a legacy and live on.

Derius found out the librarian from Anne Frank was still alive, and he wanted to write her. And they hoped she would cometo the U.S. if they wrote to her, telling her how their lives were like Anne's. They wanted to know what the librarian was a witness to!

Derius put coins in a jar and asked others to put coins in to raise money for the lady to come……but they had very little money…..and Erin told them that if she DID come, their lives would NEVER be the same. They sent 150 letters to her! And the woman planned to come!

This little woman saw hope, and likenesses to Anne. Derius organized food for the woman’s visit, with their families made goods! The community center they were to use was graffiti covered, so Erin and Maria told two of their graffiti artists at the school to make the room beautiful. It was an incredible experience of hope. Maria told Erin that she wanted to order Anne Frank in Spanish. Maria's mother wanted to read it--the book that changed her daughter’s life. The librarian told of the journey...and Derius cried….and told her she was his hero. And the librarian said, "No, I’m not a hero…..I did what I had to do…I delivered hope to Anne’s attic. I never gave up."

So never give up!! Never ever give up!

Here is Erin's website:

http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/site/c.kqIXL2PFJtH/b.2286935/k.AD6E/About_Erin_Gruwell.htm