Freedom Writers

I like any instructor that goes out of their way to find a way to teach, and that's what Freedom Writers is all about. In this true story, Hilary Swank stars as a new teacher who is assigned to a school with a group of kids that teachers have given up on. She takes over an English class with this group of kids and struggles to even get textbooks for them, as the kids didn't like to read them before, so the other teachers just quit teaching the kids altogether, just having them sit around.

It bothered Swank so much, she decided to do something about it, and started finding creative ways to teach these kids. She starts teaching them about Anne Frank, and creates diaries for all of them, encouraging them to write about whatever they wanted in these diaries, just like Anne Frank. It ends up changing their lives, and hers, and the other people in her life, such as her husband and father, don't seem to like the changes.

It certainly makes you think that if every teacher took that same stance, finding a way to teach the students, no matter what, it would make this a better place.

This is a very powerful movie, and I think an important one for everyone to see. Hillary Swank and Patrick Dempsey are both really good, and all of the teenagers/ students are strong and believable actors.

This is the story of a new teacher who ends up in front of a classroom of a diverse group of students. They are racist and judgmental, and all suffer other problems, including learning and behavioral. Of course, this is quite a challenge. But Mrs. Gruwell sees past it, and knows they're good people. She literally changes their lives forever, and they become the Freedom Writers.

This is a tear-jerker, a very inspiring movie. I highly recommend it.