Freedom Writers Discussion Questions Name _Lejla Sajra Ramović__

Directions: Read through the questions and then answer the questions as you watch the movie. Questions 12,
13, 1nd 14 can be answered after the movie. Your writing must be legible and neat.

1. Why aren’t Ms. Gruwell’s students motivated to succeed in school? What outside factors affect their
ability to learn?

Ms. Gruwell’s students weren’t motivated to succeed in school because all of them lived extremely
difficult lives and their priority was to stay alive. Poverty, bad living conditions, big distances from
school, bad influences, and relations to gangs are some of the main factors that affected their ability
to learn and their success at school.

2. 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?

Erin Gruwell showed her respect for her students by going out of her way to help them not only in
their studies, but in their lives too. She did everything she could to understand them and their
situations the best she could, and she used many methods to help them trust her and each other.
Taking them on trips, helping them with fundraising, buying them books and notebooks are some of
the ways she expressed her care for the students. By showing them respect, interest and engaging
them in many activities, she helped the students step out of their comfort zone and made them closer
with each other.

3. Describe how the honors English students are treated differently from the “at risk” students. Why?

The honors English students are treated differently from those “at risk” because the school
administration finds them superior. Those students come from “normal” families and
neighborhoods, they behave better, they have better grades and they show interest in their
education, while “at risk” students tend to act out and bring down the school’s rating.

4. What are some of the inequalities among students in the classrooms in Wilson High School?

In reality, all of the students are equal and all of them should be treated as equals, but because of
their situations, all of them had some type of prejudice toward the students that weren’t in their
“group”. In the beginning, all of the students divided themselves into groups, based on their race
and “gangs”. They treated other groups poorly; they fought, made fun of each other, and insulted
each other in many ways until they realized they have many things in common.

5. Why is trust such an important component of a teacher-student relationship?

I believe that trust is important in a teacher-student relationship mainly because of the atmosphere in class.
If students and the teacher don’t trust each other, many issues such as violent and aggressive outbursts can
occur. I also believe that trust is important in such relationships because many students need a parent
figure, aside from their own parents and care-takers, because they need someone trustworthy who can
guide them in life.
6. Why do some of Ms. Gruwell’s students believe they won’t live past age 18?

Some of her students believed that because their lives were very difficult. Many of them were engaging
in violent gang activities and their lives were put at risk every day.

7. How do the classmates learn to trust one another? How does reading and writing initiate this change?

The classmates learned to trust each other by sharing experiences and speaking about their issues. They
slowly began to realize that their lives weren’t that different from one another and that they faced many
similar issues. Reading and writing helped them realize those things because by reading books about
similar experiences and reading diary entries, they saw that they weren’t alone in the world and that
someone understood them.

8. Miep Gies, the woman who hid Anne Frank, is a hero to Ms. Gruwell’s students. What does Miep Gies
mean when she tells Ms. Gruwell’s students, “You are heroes everyday.”?

I believe that what she meant was, that by overcoming their personal issues, and fighting for and doing
the right thing, each of them fought a battle within themselves. Fighting such battles, even when one
doesn’t win them, makes one a hero, because the most heroic thing one can do is work on themselves
to become a better person.

9. Why is Eva so affected by the ending of Anne Frank’s diary?

I think that Eva is affected so much by the ending of Anne Frank’s diary because she found herself in a
similar position. She maybe didn’t have to hide for years to survive, but she knew that if she did the
morally right thing, she would be judged by her closest friends and family, and she would have to face
serious consequences that she wouldn’t deserve. I believe that the fact that Anne didn’t survive even
though she was a good person and she deserved a good ending affected her the most. Anne didn’t
survive just because people with more power decided that she didn’t deserve to live because she was a
different religion and ethnicity than them. I believe that Eva found herself in that part and she was
scared for her own life.

10. What makes Eva choose to “go against her people” in the courtroom? Do you think this was a good
decision? How does her family and friends react?

I believe that Eva decided to do the morally right thing so she could live with herself. She knew that if
she accused the wrong man of murder, she would do the same thing the people who put her father in
jail did. She knew she couldn’t live with that, and even though she knew her friends and family would
never forgive her, or even hurt her, she still stuck with her decision and did the right thing.

11. Do you think it’s more important to “protect your own” or do what’s right? Explain your answer.

I think that doing the right thing is more important than protecting your own. I believe that protecting
your own is also important, but if protecting them means hurting someone else, I don’t think it’s worth
it. I believe that everyone should be responsible for their own actions and that they should take
responsibility for them. At the end of the day, we only live with ourselves and the decisions we make,
and because of that I think that it is far more important to have inner peace and stability, than protecting
someone who did a bad thing.
12. Describe the transition in Mrs. Gruwell’s classroom from the first day of freshman year through the end
of the year – how have the students changed? How has Ms. Gruwell changed?

The biggest transition in the classroom was the trust and respect the students gained for each other and
Ms. Gruwell. By teaching them, Ms. Gruwell made a big impact on each student’s life and changed
them for the better. Each student grew as a person and overcame all their issues with the help of Ms.
Gruwell. The students also changed her, she realized that doing the right thing, even when no one
believes that it will work, pays off in the most unexpected and beautiful ways.

13. Describe how writing in journals helps transform the lives of the students. How does writing “free” the
students from their pain?

I believe that writing in general frees one from their pain. By putting their thoughts and feelings on
paper, it is easier for someone to face and overcome their issues. I find reading and writing one of the
most amazing things one can do for themselves. I think that also applied to the students, and with
sharing those thoughts and emotions, they formed a connection wich made them grow into better
people.

14. Ms. Gruwell gives her students the opportunity to find success and graduate. Do you think the students
continued along the path of success without the help of Mrs. Gruwell by their side? Why or why not?

I think that the students would have faced many issues and obstacles in their future, but I still think that
she gave them the basics and that they could work on themselves and help each other on the path of
success.