Echo Glen Children’s Center students become ‘Freedom Writers’
June 5, 2012
By Austin Clausius
Students connect virtually with empowering author
The “Freedom Writers” program is a national movement to empower at-risk students to reach their full potential and grow into dynamic, educated adults. It is based on the book “The Freedom Writers Diary,” by teacher Erin Gruwell, who dramatically turned around her low-performing students using unorthodox methods in her California classroom.
At Echo Glen — a state-run children’s detention center in Snoqualmie with an educational program run by the Issaquah School District — teacher Jenelle Cleland decided the book and philosophy could motivate her own students. After reading “The Freedom Writers Diary” and watching the corresponding movie in her class, other staff members saw exciting results and decided to follow suit. The students learned to write without worrying about mistakes, and they began writing letters to Gruwell (“Mrs. G”) and the Freedom Writers Foundation. “Writing letters has been a form of empowerment for our students,” Echo Glen teacher Pat Barry said. “ … They poured their hearts out, shared their life experiences, and related to the characters in the movie and the real life students from Ms. G’s class.”
Some students also wrote to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and received learning materials and a membership in return. The real-life audiences provided an authentic and rewarding writing experience, according to Barry.
Best yet? Gruwell responded and offered to speak with students via the online video calling service Skype.
The students “were engaged, polite and asked great questions,” Barry said. “The experience was powerful, thoughtful, and at times, tearful.”
Gruwell spoke from the heart and from her personal experiences. She also made sure that every student who had a question for her had a chance to speak and she went well over the allotted time.
After the Skype session, students began a writing club called “Writers Unleashed” in which they are not graded on their writing but are able to generate their own quick writes and writing prompts. The experience is therapeutic, helping students connect to and express their feelings and experiences, Barry said.
They hope to publish their works for others to read.
Students also set up their own “Toast for Change,” in which they come together to make pledges in toast-format to reinforce their sense of community.
To foster more participation, Echo Glen administrators hope to secure grant money to pay for additional Skype sessions next year. Gruwell has also offered mini scholarships to the students to spark their hope for the future.
Austin Clausius is with Issaquah School District School Communications Special Projects. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
Comments
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
