Julie Hawkins

EDCI-631-701

Final Project

Movie: Freedom Writers

Julie E. Hawkins

Texas A&M University

EDCI – 631 – 701

Robin Rackley, Ph.D.

April 27, 2020

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Final Project

Write a short description of the tension

In the movie, Freedom Writers, (DeVito, Shamberg, & Sher, 2007) there was a

significant amount of tension between the teacher, Erin Gruwell, and her school administrators.

Erin Gruwell is a bright-eyed first-year teacher. She specifically wanted to come to teach at

Woodrow Wilson High School because of their recent integration program. However, Erin starts

to realize that the teachers and the administrators at the school do not view this program and the

students the same way. She begins to realize that the teachers believe these students should not

be here and that they cannot learn anyways. Erin Gruwell has tension both in the classroom and

within the school halls. Her students all segregate themselves into groups by race and often start

fights in the classroom. They feel as if Ms. Gruwell is not there for them, and that they have

more important things to worry about than school. Fights are constantly breaking out in the

classroom. Over time, Erin is able to build a classroom community, however, still faces tension

with her administration. Specifically, her department head, Margaret Campbell, often creates

conflict with Erin Gruwell. When Ms. Gruwell tries to get resources or meet the students' needs,

she is met with backlash from Ms. Campbell who believes the students are not worth it and

cannot be trusted with school resources anyways. Erin believes she can then talk to other

teachers, but Mr. Gelford is against her as well and openly mocks her and the diversity in the

school. This tension continues to grow as Erin Gruwell’s students are improving and she

continues to be blocked by other teachers and administrators. Every move Erin wants to make to

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allow for more student learning is blocked until she goes to Dr. Cohn to plead for her ways of

teaching and the community she has built within the classroom.

How did the tension arise?

This tension arose in many different ways. The first tension existed between the school

staff and the integration program. Many of the previous staff at the school did not see the good of

integration and only looked at the hardships it brought. These staff looked at the students as gang

members and felt that they did not deserve to learn as much as the students who had more

potential and wanted to show up every day. This negative attitude is what began the tension at

Woodrow Wilson High School. However, the tension went even farther back to racial

relationships, gang violence, and a culture of discrimination that the students in Long Beach have

grown up with. This entire culture has created a huge tension between the community. This

tension has carried over into the school with the integration program. The students do not want to

learn because they have much bigger issues to worry about and no teachers that care about them.

The school staff look at these students as a waste of time and energy, and do not want to teach to

students they believe cannot learn.

In comes Erin Gruwell. She begins creating tension accidentally because she disrupts the

status quo. Erin is ready to teach and is excited about the integration program, immediately

causing tension between her and her colleagues. This tension grew as Erin was unwilling to give

up and would often challenge authority in the best interests of her students. As Ms. Gruwell was

persistent about helping her students and was willing to overstep her authorities, a tension

between her and others on her campus arose.

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What did you do?

Unfortunately, in Freedom Writers, (DeVito et al., 2007), Erin Gruwell did not actually

have a mentor to guide her. First, she thought her department head, Ms. Campbell, would help

mentor her. However, Ms. Campbell does not believe in the students and does not want to waste

resources on them. Then she turns to another teacher, Mr. Gelford, but is met with even more

backlash as he talks bad on her and the entire idea of inclusion at the school. Next, she goes to

her father, who was once a champion for culture and standing up for diversity. He is more

worried about his daughter and does not want her teaching in a bad part of town and thinks she

cannot handle it. He demonizes the students and does not have faith in Erin. However, over time,

her father does come around and begins helping her as he sees the way she has touched the

students. The only mentor Erin Gruwell ever had was Dr. Cohn, and even then, it was less that he

advised and helped Erin, but more signed off on and affirmed her teaching methods. Therefore, I

will writ0e the rest of this paper from the perspective of a mentor that Erin should have had. I

want to step into the role of a qualified teacher on Erin’s campus that began mentoring her from

day 1 and discuss how I would have to support Erin throughout the events of the movie.

In the movie itself, there was no real mentor to guide Erin. Her husband encouraged her

in the beginning emotionally but was not able to provide active supports the way a mentor could.

Erin Gruwell was not assigned a mentor teacher and often only received help from others when

breaking up a physical fight. Dr. Cohn was the first to aid Erin by hearing her out and signing off

on her buying books for her students and taking them on a field trip. However, Dr. Cohn was not

a good mentor in the sense that while he affirmed Erin, he only created more tension with her

administrators and did not help her mend that relationship. As Erin’s father saw her

determination and her need for a mentor, he stepped in and started to act as a sort of mentor to

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her outside of school. Erin had some emotional supports throughout her time, and people who

would build her up as a teacher. However, she was lacking someone to give her guidance and

help manage conflicts.

What action did you take?

Due to the fact that Erin Gruwell did not truly have a mentor, I will step into that role and

discuss the actions I would have taken to aid Erin in her teaching journey. Ms. Gruwell began

her teaching career with high hopes and unrealistic expectations. As a mentor, I would have

affirmed her attitude and expectations for the students but warn her that it would take more time.

Studies show that the, “tension between ideals and reality” is problematic for new teachers and,

“the high expectations that new teachers hold when they get to schools and the decrease in

motivation and enthusiasm as time goes on,” (Flores, 2006). Her students could reach the level

she expected; however, it would not happen as quickly as she hoped. I would have told her about

the realities of the situation and the culture from which the students came from. I would have

advised her to start simply and work on relationship building with the students before expecting

quality work from them. At the current moment, these students had no reason to learn. She had to

become that reason before expecting them to succeed.

Next, I would have helped Erin set up her first day of class much better. She was not as

prepared since she was expecting more from the students. I would have also tried to sit in on the

first several classes with her to help her gain a bit of authority in the classroom without the

students taking over so easily.

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Erin Gruwell truly succeeded with her students. Although there were some tensions and

conflicts that a mentor could have aided in, the journey was really Erin’s and a mentor could not

have done much more than some advice here and there, as well as being a shoulder to hold the

burdens Erin read about. Erin and her students both went through a lot of emotional trauma

throughout the course of her teaching at Woodrow Wilson High school, and she simply needed a

friend who was an educational professional to help understand and guide her.

Where I feel like I could have best aided Erin Gruwell as a mentor is in her interactions

with administrators and other teachers on campus. Ms. Campbell and Erin did not get along, but

there was never anyone to help mediate that conflict. We know that, “building administrators

must develop an environment that encourages teacher autonomy and contributes to the greater

school community. Further, such efforts must embrace the novice who can bring fresh

perspectives and an open mind to other ideas,” (Watkins, 2005). However, at Woodrow Wilson

High School, the administrators did not take this approach. As a mentor, I would have worked to

develop relationships with each of them and serve as a mediator to their interactions. Having

another set of eyes in Ms. Gruwell’s classroom could help back up her and help Ms. Campbell

understand Erin’s ideas better. I could have also given Erin some tips on how to go about talking

to Ms. Campbell and other administrators before she above to Dr. Cohn and upset Ms. Campbell.

As a mentor, I could have guided her through, and my own relationships with these

administrators could have aided in her forming relationships with them as well.

As a mentor, I would have helped Erin feel like her fight was not one she had to go

through alone. I could have set her up with more realistic expectations and helped her

accomplish her goals without so much conflict. I would have taken steps to guide Erin in her

relationship building with the students while not feeling like she is the only one devoted to the

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students. I could have helped advocate for resources, so she did not have to work two additional

jobs. I could have helped her find resources that were appropriate for the students. Two pieces of

advice I would have given to Erin are, “Develop a relationship with someone who is positive and

willing to offer advice, someone who has a few years’ experience and can give insight” and

“Make one day out of your weekend a “school-free” day. Work expands to fill the space

allowed,” (Ruterford, 2005). She needed to work on finding someone willing to help her, like a

mentor, but also be willing to take a bit of time away from school and to keep herself the best she

can be. Erin Gruwell would have greatly benefitted from a mentor as she went through her time

at Woodrow Wilson High School.

What did you learn about your role as a mentor?

Throughout watching this movie and putting myself into the position of a mentor to Erin

Gruwell, I truly learned a lot. First, this entire story just showed the importance of having a

mentor. When you are left on your own without help from other school officials, it really can

take a toll on you and your students. As educators, we need support from others to truly do our

best and to succeed in our role. Next, I learned the importance of knowing your students'

background and meeting them where they are at. I always knew that this is crucial, however, it

really opens your eyes. As a mentor, giving teachers a realistic view of where their students are

at and coming from is something that can drastically impact their experience. Mentors need to

learn this on their own, and then pass the information onto their mentees so that the teacher can

start meeting their needs early on instead of taking a big wake up call as Ms. Gruwell had with

the diaries.

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I also learned as a mentor; just how important it is to have a mediator to aid in

relationships with the administration on the campus. This is an aspect Erin Gruwell greatly

struggled with, and many educators still struggle with to this day. Having a mediator to help

navigate these relationships is crucial to the success of the educators and the students. A mentor

can truly help in creating that school community by navigating through disagreements with

administrators. Studies show that, “working conditions and administrator support are among the

top reasons why teachers leave,” (Greenlee & Brown, 2009) which highlights just how important

a mentor could be in aiding this relationship.

This entire movie just showed me the importance of having a mentor. I was able to look

at the situation from Erin Gruwell’s perspective and see how much she wanted a mentor. I can

also look at this situation from a possible mentor and realize just how crucial my role would be.

Mentors are often overlooked on a school campus, and officials just delegate an existing teacher

this role. I learned about just how much of a difference mentor teachers can truly make in the

lives of teachers.

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References

DeVito, D., Shamberg, M., & Sher, S. (Producers), & LaGravenese, R. (Director).

(2007). Freedom Writers [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

Flores, M. A. (2006). Being a Novice Teacher in Two Different Settings: Struggles, Continuities,

and Discontinuities. Teachers College Record, 108(10), 2021–2052. DOI:

10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00773.x

Greenlee, B., & Brown, J. J. (2009). Retaining Teachers in Challenging Schools. Education,

130(1), 96–109.

Iancu-Haddad, D., & Oplatka, I. (2009). Mentoring Novice Teachers: Motives, Process, and

Outcomes from the Mentor’s Point of View. The New Educator, 5(1), 45–65.

Lieberman, A., Hanson, S., & Gless, J. (2012). Mentoring Teachers: Navigating the Real-World

Tensions. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.

Ruterford, P. (2005). The 21st Century Mentor’s Handbook: Creating a Culture for Learning. w.

DOI: ISBN 978-0-966336-6-4

Watkins, P. (2005). The Principals Role in Attracting, Retaining, and Developing New Teachers:

Three Strategies for Collaboration and Support. The Clearing House: A Journal of

Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 79(2), 83–87. DOI: 10.3200/tchs.79.2.83-87

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