Freedom writers

Freedom writers is a great movie which I liked. It's about a fresh faced idealistic 23 years old Ms. G is ready to take on the world as she steps inside Wilson High School for her first day of teaching. Her class, a diverse group of racially charged teenagers from different walks of life African Americans, Latinos, Asians, juvenile delinquents, gang members, and students from poor neighborhoods hope for nothing more than to make it through the day. On the surface, the only thing they share is their hate for each other and the understanding that they are simply being warehoused in the educational system until they are old enough to disappear. Despite her student's refusal to participate during class, Ms. G tries different means to engage them on a daily basis.

A racially motivated gang shooting witnessed by a Latina gang member in Ms. G's class, and an ugly racial cartoon that Ms. G intercepts during class, become the most unknowingly powerful teaching aids. They spark a transformation in the classroom, force them to listen and force her to take off her idealistic blinders and take in the kids' survival stories of their undeclared war on the streets. Ms. G begins to connect with them. She brings in music from the Hood, and another kind of literature, The Diary of Anne Frank, and with these simple tools she opens her student's eyes to the experiences of those suffering intolerance throughout the world and the struggles of those outside their own communities.Knowing that every one of her students has a story to tell, Ms. G encourages them to keep a daily journal of their thoughts and experiences. After sharing their stories with one another, the students see their shared experience for the first time and open up to the idea that there are possibilities in life outside of making it to the age of eighteen.

I thought Hilary Swank did a commendable job acting her role as the teacher who's willing to involve personal sacrifice to reach out and gain respect from her class, in order to fulfill her objective of getting their attention, and giving them a good education.

Freedom Writers clocks in just slightly over 2 hours, but it's a delight to sit through as we follow the class and teacher through 2 years of school. Its message is simple, that we often misunderstand people who are different, either through looks, skin color, family name and background, and that often leads to conflicts of various sorts. The road to peace is naturally to reach out with sincerity, and truly understand the other party.