The Freedom Writers Diary, is a non-fiction book written by students from Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. The teacher involved in the project, Erin Gruwell, encouraged students to keep journals in which they could explore personal challenges in their past, present and future.
Ms Gruwell was inspired to begin the project after discovering a racist drawing that had been circulated by one of her students. This prompted her to open a debate that included discussion of Nazi propaganda techniques. She encouraged her students to read books such as The Diary of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo.
With Erin Gruwell's inspirational leadership, the students produced a body of work that is a testament to the power of the human spirit and the transformational ability of the word to transform thinking and attitudes.
Connie Heermann, an Indiana teacher with 27 years experience, decided to use the book after attending a workshop held by the Freedom Writers Foundation.
She told the UK based Guardian newspaper:
"If you read the whole book you will see how these inner-city students grow and change and become articulate, compassionate, educated young people who want to do something good in their lives despite the environment in which they were raised. I thought my students would very much relate to those kids."
Ms Heermann received permission from her head and 150 parents to go ahead and use the book.
However the Perry Meridian High School Board still hadn't had its say on the matter. Board members were unable to see the wood for the trees. Instead of focusing on the positive and life affirming aspects of The Freedom Writers Diary, they got hung up on the small stuff, such as occasional swear words.
Connie Heermann received an email advising her not to use the book. She refused to comply with the order and was suspended. Her union is deciding whether or not to take the case to court.
The School Board has attempted to argue that this is a matter relating to insubordination on Ms Heermann's part. Nonsense. It's about a teacher who had the guts to rock the boat and try an original approach ... she aimed to inspire students to get involved in a creative learning and discovery process, and ended up getting penalized for it.
Connie Heermann is one of those rare teachers who seeks to expand the learning experience by introducing new ideas and inspirational material. A teacher with this type of initiative ought to be valued by the education system, not penalized.
Book banning and the repression of ideas hearkens back to an earlier era. This incident has made Perry school district look reactionary and out-of-touch. Education is about exposure to ideas, most especially ideas that challenge prevailing attitudes, so that students can arrive at a critical understanding of their own and get an insight into the lives and struggles of others.
Making it difficult for a teacher to use a book such as the Freedom Diary on the basis of petty objections with respect to content, shows a degree of small mindedness that undercuts the very purpose of education itself.
Ms Gruwell was inspired to begin the project after discovering a racist drawing that had been circulated by one of her students. This prompted her to open a debate that included discussion of Nazi propaganda techniques. She encouraged her students to read books such as The Diary of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo.
With Erin Gruwell's inspirational leadership, the students produced a body of work that is a testament to the power of the human spirit and the transformational ability of the word to transform thinking and attitudes.
Connie Heermann, an Indiana teacher with 27 years experience, decided to use the book after attending a workshop held by the Freedom Writers Foundation.
She told the UK based Guardian newspaper:
"If you read the whole book you will see how these inner-city students grow and change and become articulate, compassionate, educated young people who want to do something good in their lives despite the environment in which they were raised. I thought my students would very much relate to those kids."
Ms Heermann received permission from her head and 150 parents to go ahead and use the book.
However the Perry Meridian High School Board still hadn't had its say on the matter. Board members were unable to see the wood for the trees. Instead of focusing on the positive and life affirming aspects of The Freedom Writers Diary, they got hung up on the small stuff, such as occasional swear words.
Connie Heermann received an email advising her not to use the book. She refused to comply with the order and was suspended. Her union is deciding whether or not to take the case to court.
The School Board has attempted to argue that this is a matter relating to insubordination on Ms Heermann's part. Nonsense. It's about a teacher who had the guts to rock the boat and try an original approach ... she aimed to inspire students to get involved in a creative learning and discovery process, and ended up getting penalized for it.
Connie Heermann is one of those rare teachers who seeks to expand the learning experience by introducing new ideas and inspirational material. A teacher with this type of initiative ought to be valued by the education system, not penalized.
Book banning and the repression of ideas hearkens back to an earlier era. This incident has made Perry school district look reactionary and out-of-touch. Education is about exposure to ideas, most especially ideas that challenge prevailing attitudes, so that students can arrive at a critical understanding of their own and get an insight into the lives and struggles of others.
Making it difficult for a teacher to use a book such as the Freedom Diary on the basis of petty objections with respect to content, shows a degree of small mindedness that undercuts the very purpose of education itself.
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