1) Erin Gruwell begins her first teaching job at a racially integrated high school where tensions between different ethnic groups are high. She is unprepared for the challenges her students face, coming from backgrounds with gang violence and poverty. 2) Erin starts having unsanctioned discussions about real issues facing the students and assigns a daily journal for students to write without grades, allowing them to open up. 3) As Erin works harder to provide resources for her students, she faces resistance from colleagues focused on rules rather than the students' needs. Her dedication places strain on her personal life but helps students change.

2. It's 1994 in Long Beach, California. Idealistic Erin Gruwell is just starting her first teaching
job, that as freshman and sophomore English teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School, which, two
years earlier, implemented a voluntary integration program. For many of the existing teachers, the
integration has ruined the school, whose previously stellar academic standing has been replaced with
many students who will be lucky to graduate or even be literate. Despite choosing the school on
purpose because of its integration program, Erin is unprepared for the nature of her classroom,
whose students live by generations of strict moral codes of protecting their own at all cost. Many are
in gangs and almost all know somebody that has been killed by gang violence. The Latinos hate the
Cambodians who hate the blacks and so on. The only person the students hate more is Ms. Gruwell.
It isn't until Erin holds an unsanctioned discussion about a recent drive-by shooting death that she
fully begins to understand what she's up against. And it isn't until she provides an assignment of
writing a daily journal - which will be not graded, and will remain unread by her unless they so
choose - that the students begin to open up to her. As Erin tries harder and harder to have resources
provided to teach properly (which often results in her needing to pay for them herself through
working second and third jobs), she seems to face greater resistance, especially from her colleagues,
such as Margaret Campbell, her section head, who lives by regulations and sees such resources as a
waste, and Brian Gelford, who will protect his "priviledged" position of teaching the senior honors
classes at all cost. Erin also finds that her teaching job is placing a strain on her marriage to Scott
Casey, a man who seems to have lost his own idealistic way in life.
- Written by Huggo

3. CHARACTERs
MARCUS
At the beginning of the movie, Marcus has trouble trusting authority figures .
He was accused of murder as a kid, and was kicked out of the house for being a gang
member. Throughout the movie, he develops a passion for learning, and ends up walking
Miep Gies to the stage. With the unconditional support of Gruwell, Marcus changed
immensely throughout the movie, and was finally able to move back into his home when
his mom saw how much he has changed.
EVA
Eva has had a tough life. Her father was a latino gang member, resulting in her
becoming a third-generation gang member. She believes that life is a war, putting up a
tough front and never letting ayone in. In the beginning of the movie, she watches her
boyfiend shoot Sindy's boyfiend. By believing in her and loving her unconditionaly, Mrs.
Gruwell was able to break down Eva's walls, and she eventually testified against her
boyfriend in court, risking her life.

4. SINDY
Sindy is an asain gang member. It was revealed during the movie
that she was sent to a refuge camp, and viewed it as a prison. Her and Eva
were at conflict with one another throughout the film since their gang
are at odds. Throughout the movie, she begins to trust Gruwell and start
to write more intimate entries in her journal.
ANDRE
At the beginning of the movie, Andre gets in many fights, and i
very agressive. He is a very tough kid, and has trouble trusting authority
figures, which was shown when he asks Gruwell why she deserves hi
trust. He lives with his mother in the projects. In one scene, he was shown
selling drugs in order to make a living. At one point in the movie, Andre
begins to doubt himself and gives himself a failing grade. Gruwel
confronts him on this and tells him that she believes in him and that he
can do much better. Realizing that she cares, Andre was able to bette
himself and become a better students.

5. JAMAL
At the beginning of the movie, Jamal believes that school is a wast
of time, and is seen fighting with Andre. One of his classmates dew a racis
picture of him as a cruel joke. He has had a tough life and "has seen more
dead bodies than a mortician." After his father left him at a young age,
Jamal was soley responsible for taking care of his mother. Even though his
motehr cannot look at him without seeing her ex-husband, Jamal still love
her immensely, and ended up selling drugs to take care of her. With the
support of Gruwell, Jamal became more responsible for his actions and
gave up selling drugs.
BEN
Ben is the only white kid in Gruwell's english class. He is very shy
and outspoken, and seems to fear the other kids in the class. By Gruwell
creating an atmosphere of trust in the classroom, Ben was able to
overcome this fear and become friends with his classmates, which was
shown at the end of the movie when he goes up and shakes all their
hands.

6. MORAL VALUES
The moral values that I have learn from the movie are gain the knowledge about
the truth and higher moral values, and do the right thing, lastly treat others with kindness
and respect.
One of the most encouraging messages was the fact that the students gained
knowledge about the truth and higher moral values, and then applied what they learned
to their own lives and the people around them.
Then, we should do the right thing because right thing always lead us to
goodness. For example, to gain something like successful in study we need to study hard
and smart, not with cheating the exams. So that when get the result either it is good or
bad, with our honesty people will respect us and will try to help us to success.
Lastly, as a human being, we need to treat others with kindness and respect,
because if we want to respect we need to respect other first. Such as, respect and treat
our parent with kindness, as the result they will give their blessing and love to us back.
All in all, the “Freedom Writers” movies shows that a very good moral values like
gaining knowledge about the truth, doing the right thing, and treat others with kindness
and respect will help us to motivated ourself and make our community become stonger.

7. INSIGHTs
Upon watching the film, mixed emotions were felt from me.
At first I felt pity with Ms. Gruwell for it was her first time to be in that
school but she was already assigned on the last section, it was a big
challenge on her part, but God really has a reason why she was put in
that class. The second emotion I felt is happiness for the students at
the end changes their lives and Ms. Gruwell gained respect and trust
on her students. But upon viewing the film at the end, I felt sorry for
Ms. Gruwell – she succeed on changing her students but she failed to
support her family’s needs. She and her husband separated at the end
of the story.

8. There is only one thing that I like best in the
film, though the whole film is really great, but this part
caught my attention for I also encountered it during my
first of practicum – that is the part when Ms. Erin
Gruwell first met her students. Being a teacher,
meeting the class you are going to handle has a lot of
mixed emotion, you may also have a lot of questions
clinging on your mind upon entering the classroom,
but she made it. She managed how to introduce
herself and started to walk on her students’ path.