Freedom Writers

This 2007 film is based on the real story of Erin Gruwell, a teacher in a Los Angeles high school. At first the students in her class who are from various ethnic groups/races, have no respect for her and don't want to listen to anything she has to say. But she doesn't give up and finds ways to get through to the kids and ends up having a significant impact on their lives.

When you first start watching a movie like this, I think it's kind of natural to think, "It's another teacher movie, and what's different about this one than say Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver, etc.?" But I was so engrossed in this movie. Knowing it was based on a real person/real events, made it very powerful; these kids were totally changed because of this teacher who took time for them, cared, even took on extra jobs so she could take the kids on field trips and get them resources. I thought it was cool how Gruwell taught the kids about the Holocaust and took them to the Museum of Tolerance, and how the students really connected with that and were effected by it. Awesome and inspiring film.