Freedom Writers Discussion

Freedom Writers Discussion Questions

Aaron Sebastian Mathew
B1201235
Department of Psychology
PSY 322
Miss Siew Ju Li

Freedom Writers Discussion

Freedom Writers Discussion Questions

1. Why are the students so unwilling to associate with anyone outside their ethnic/racial
groups? Where those this intolerance come from?
The students have pre-conceived notions and prejudices about other racial groups. They
believe that other racial groups are the cause of their own groups difficulties and hence, are
antagonistic towards them.
This intolerance comes from either their family or their own friends/community gang. It
also may come from their own experiences with certain people who belong to a particular
racial group. An example of this would be a Caucasian person arresting Evas father and
hence, she hating all Caucasians.
2. What would you do to break the ethnic and racial barriers in Mrs. Gruwells
classroom?
I would get them to get to know each other better, for them to see the similarities among
themselves. A lot of the students had an us vs them mentality. But once they start to see that
the other students in their class are actually in the same in group as they are, they will start
to bond with them.
Examples of this would be to play games where they get to talk more about themselves,
to invite speakers to talk about racial barriers and to show them the effects of racial
segregation through documentaries and field trips.
3. Ms. Gruwell is the first teacher to show trust and respect for the at risk students at
Wilson High. How does Erin Gruwell demonstrate this? Why are some students more
resistant to trusting each other?
One way Erin Gruwell shows this is by giving the students new books as well as books
that are at their reading level. By giving them new books, it shows that she trusts them to take

Freedom Writers Discussion

care of the books and by giving them reading material that is at their level, she is not putting
them down, as she acknowledges they can take on material at their level.
Some of the students are resistant to trusting each other due to their own biases and
preconceived notions about other races.
4. Why is trust such an important component of a teacher-student relationship?
Trust is important for a number reasons. Firstly, trust enables the student to be open to the
teacher. As Erin Gruwell wants to not just educate them academically, but also help them
develop good values, it is important that the students are open so as to not only allow her into
their world so that she can understand them better, it allows them to receive her advice as
well.
5. Why are the students filled with such anger at the beginning of the movie? Do you
think their anger is reasonable?
The students are filled with anger because of the perceived prejudices about other races
that they have and the own pain, struggle and challenges they face in their own lives. Some of
these are such as gang violence, crime, domestic abuse and racial discrimination.
On top of that, these students are aware that the school has given up on them. The school
looks at them as people who are hopeless and will not amount to much. Thus, they are angry
because others have given up on them and think that they are worthless.
Their anger is reasonable because they have gone through a lot of pain and suffering.
Especially as the students are very young, around 14-15 years old, they feel betrayed by
family and society. Children are meant to be well taken care of, as they cannot fend for
themselves. Yet, many of the students faced violence and abuse from a young age.
6. Why arent Ms. Gruwells students motivated to succeed in school? What outside
factors affect their ability to learn?
Ms Gruwells are not motivated for a few reasons.

Freedom Writers Discussion

a. The school has given up on them

The school has relegated the students to the junk pile, assuming that they will never
learn anything. Hence, the students themselves have given up, as they believe what
the school administration believes about them.
b. Many of their own family or friends have not succeded
Many of the students family and friends have never even finished high school, yet
alone go to college. The students see the glass ceiling and figure that it is unbreakable,
so they do not even bother to try. This contributes to their belief about education; No
one I know has done it, why should I think I can?
c. They do not see the point in an education.
Most of the students come from poor socio-economic backgrounds. Survival is what
is most important and to them, money is the most important means to survival. Hence,
they feel that studying is a waste of time and that they should just focus on making as
much money as possible.
Other outside factors are such as unsafe neighborhoods, lack of resources to learn more
outside class as well as poor home life, such as an unsafe home, parents that fight and
siblings/family that need their attention
7. What can we learn from the movie?
I learnt that one teacher can make a huge change and that I should not underestimate the
power I have as one individual to make the world a better place.
Additionally, I learnt that racial prejudices can manifest itself in very ugly ways and can
hold back an entire community from progressing. Furthermore, while the saying goes, It
takes a village to raise a child, the opposite is true in that a community that is violent or
unsafe can have huge impacts on children.