Erin Gruwell Quotes


Hoping they'd been inspired by the examples of Anne Frank and other teens who had turned negative experiences into something positive by writing about them, I handed out notebooks for my students to journal about their lives. There was some initial resistance. But then the stories poured out of them, full of anger and sadness.


Citations

Gruwell, Erin. "How Writing Changed the Lives of the Freedom Writers." Guideposts, Aug. 2008.

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Erin Gruwell
Erin Gruwell
  • Born: August 15, 1969
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: Executive Director At Freedom Writers Foundation, Educator, Author, Social Activist, Podcaster

Erin Gruwell is an American teacher known for her unique teaching method, which led to the publication of The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them (1999). The 2007 film Freedom Writers and 2019 PBS documentary, Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart, are based on her story. She was an incredibly influential teacher who not only taught her students, but ensured their safety at home. She inspired her students to be successful by giving them guidance and being the role model they needed.