Teach With Your Heart, pg. 141-176

Abstract:

Beginning with the separation with her husband, this session of the book has Erin questioning her confidence outside of the classroom. She wonders why her determination in the classroom does not show in other aspects of her life. Erin realized that by writing in her diary she found more strength. She hoped that by having her students write their own stories in journal that they too would find more strength. After John Tu donated 35 computers to her class and after signing an honor code, Mrs. G's class began writing their "Freedom Writers" book ( a spin-off of Freedom Riders). As the class began to write and share their stories they decided they wanted to share their book with more people. Since the Freedom Riders started their adventure in Washington, D.C., it was suggested that they plan a trip to D.C. to share their story with the Secretary of Education. To raise money to send 180 people, including students and chaperons across the country seemed to be an impossible feat at first, but her students were filled with such determination that raised a bunch of money. John Tu was so impressed by that students' determination that he said he would provide whatever money they could not raise. So there they were on their way to Washington, D.C., where they visited the Holocaust museum, monuments, and hosted a dinner for the Secretary of Education. Wherever the students went, they went together almost like a big family. When they returned to California, word got out of the Freedom Writers trip. Nancy Wride, a journalist for the L.A. Times asked to write an article sharing their story. Once finished, the article Nancy wrote was on the front page of the L.A. Times that Sunday morning. So many people, including strangers we so moved by their story that the began sending donations. Among the people whom the article had grabbed the attention of, was Primetime Live, a news channel featuring Connie Chung. She personally wanted to tell their story to the whole country. This simple news story turned into a bigger ordeal than they thought it would be, as they were pushed further and further past their comfort zone. Finally, they were finished filming and had to wait for the spring to see the story air. Within this time, Mrs. G is promised by Dr. Cohn, who accompanied the students to D.C., that she will be able to teach her students their senior year.

Reflection:
Once again, it seems like the good luck this teaching has will never run out. Surprisingly, with the divorce from her husband, Erin threw herself even more into to teaching, which I did not think was even possible. She knew her students had a story to tell and she was willing to do anything to provide these students with the most opportunity. She knew she was not alone in her thinking which gave her the couraged to asked for help again and again. When I first read about the idea her students had to go to D.C. I thought it was impossible, but it was amazing how many people showered their support for those students. My favorite part of this section is Mrs. G's interaction with Henry after he had missed several classes and finally turned in his self-evaluation with an F on it. She freaked out at him, saying that it was a big 'f*** you' to her. She said if he really meant it and could say it to her face, then she would fail him. Since he obviously could not she did not fail him, which was he point all along. This interaction showed how deeply she felt for her student and this session showed exactly how far she would go for them.