Summary and The Main Idea of Brian Doyle’s "Joyas Voladoras"

Freedom writers is a movie directed by Richard LaGravenese which was released on January 5,2007 in the USA. Mrs. Erin Gruwell whom belong to the upper class of people in social stratification went to teach these high schoolers who ranged between the lowest level to the working class of people in the social Stratification pyramid. None of the students in room 203 of the said high school respected her when she first met them. They misjudged her abilities. They didn't care for her. They turned their backs on her and ignored her orders. Their rejection of her was a reflection of the broader hatred they had for white people and the negative impression they had towards them. They despised Mrs. Gruwell because she was a white Caucasian woman. Furthermore, the interaction among the students was so terrible; they were divided into groups based on race and ethnicity where they divided the class into the whites, the blacks, the Cambodians, the Chinese, and the Latinos. Daily, they had awful encounters in the classroom and on the schoolyard on a minor issue. It was more than evident that even the pupils despised each other. It astounded Mrs. Gruwell and made her feel insignificant which made her implement successful strategies to impact the lives of those students she had in her care.

Some of the strategies that Mrs. Erin Gruwell implemented and caused a great impact in the lives of her students where she arranged the classroom differently and they were not able to sit in their little groups, they wrote a journal every day which she read, they read books that she provided for them which related to the problems they were facing. She also took the class on a trip to the museum and explored real-life scenarios displayed at the museum. Conferencing with white victims of the past to share experiences with the students of how they overcame their issues and social conflicts of the past.

In this movie, it was evident that Mrs. Erin Gruwell being a young teacher encourages her at-risk students to develop tolerance, apply themselves, and continue their studies after high school. Overall, the 'Freedom Writers' films demonstrate how strong moral ideals such as learning the truth, doing the right thing, and treating others with kindness and respect can help us motivate ourselves and strengthen our communities. At the end of the movie, it is seen that Gruwell earned her students' respect and trust.

Mrs. Gruwell is such an example of an exceptional teacher. As educators, we need to impact the lives of our students in a positive manner. We need to do all that is at hand to assist our students in whatever they are going through. Here in Belize, we do have students that have no regard and respect for teachers. Students that have no interaction with other students due to their ethnicity or race or even do things such as bullying. Many times, as educators we overlook these situations because we want to complete our task for the day not realizing that for learning to take place in our classrooms, we need to reach the need of the students first. As educators, we need to influence the lives of our students not just in terms of teaching specific academic abilities, but also in terms of promoting student self-esteem. It is proven that if we boost our students’ self-esteem it will improve motivation and learning will take place effectively.

The strength of a teacher can be estimated by the fact that a teacher can turn an individual into a useful member of society as shown in the movie Freedom Writers, or heshe can destroy one's personality by shattering his self-esteem. In the film Freedom Writers, it is revealed that an English teacher also, is responsible for not only answering students' questions, grading and tracking students' work and progress but it is also his or her duty to manage classroom and the issues inside the classroom in such a way that it meets all students' needs.

A teacher can get to grips with all the troubling matters if the teaching philosophy as shown in Freedom Writers is practiced. Ms. Erin Gruwell fulfilled students academic requirements as well as encouraged their self esteem and acceptance for racial and cultural diversities by uniquely integrating lectures with discussion, active and cooperative learning along with Case method of learning as per the situations ahead. Organizing co-curricular and extra-curricular activities like keeping journals, dancing and singing sessions, Toast for Change activity, fundraising activity, saving Freedom writing in computers, all fostered students to truly express their thoughts and feelings, also enhanced and supported the educational environment.