Teach with Your Heart: Lessons I
Learned from The Freedom Writers
by Erin Gruwell
Loved It!
In this passionate, poignant, and deeply personal memoir and call to arms,
Erin Gruwell, the dynamic young teacher who nurtured a remarkable group
of high school students from Long Beach, California, who called
themselves the Freedom Writers, picks up where The Freedom Writers
Diary—and the hit movie The Freedom Writers—left off and brings the
reader up to date on where the Freedom Writers are today. Including their
unforgettable trip to Auschwitz, where they met with Holocaust survivors;
their tour of the attic of their beloved Anne Frank; and their visit to Bosnia
with their friend Zlata Filipovic, Teach With Your Heart chronicles what
happened with the Freedom Writers as they made their way through
college and beyond. Along the way, Gruwell includes lessons for parents
and teachers about what she learned from her remarkable band of
students as she traveled through the emotional peaks and valleys on the

front lines of our nation’s educational system. A mesmerizing story of one
young woman’s personal odyssey and of her remarkable ability to
encourage others to follow in her footsteps, Teach With Your Heart is
marked by the enviable radiance and irrepressible force of nature that is
Erin Gruwell and her unbelievable determination to ensure that education
in the United States truly meets the needs of every student.
Personal Review: Teach with Your Heart: Lessons I Learned
from The Freedom Writers by Erin Gruwell
Many others have written detailed reviews. This is merely an attempt to
throw mine in the ring. I will begin by saying that I do not believe this book
was ever intended to be a "How To" manual, but rather it is Erin telling us
her story. One reviewer's title stated it was "Difficult to Replicate." I would
take that one further and state that it is IMPOSSIBLE to replicate (it is HER
story!) and we would miss the point if we tried.
Her ability to take these kids to screenings, and meet screenwriters, and
dine at the Marriott, and meet Miep Gies, and attend the Holocaust
Museum was due in part to their geographical location. Granted, all of
these resources were available to other teachers in the area -- but my
understanding is that no one was taking "those kids." So her willingness to
take these students to these places was a large part of what changed their
lives. However, depending on where you live, some of these things just
are not an option!
The bigger lesson is not to replicate (we would all try & fail!) -- but rather to
figure out what is it that I can do, where I am, with the resources I have in
front of me. Otherwise, we could excuse our inaction for lack of
resources. For me this book served as a means of self-evaluation -- and I
came away deciding that someone raised the bar, and it's time to step-up.
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