Opportunity to Attend Freedom Writers Institute Training

A unique opportunity awaits a limited number of Oregon teachers to attend the Freedom Writers Institute training in Long Beach, California in 2008.

The program is currently open to Language Arts teachers 6-12.  For additional program information, please click here.

Background

The story of the Freedom writers has received worldwide attention with the release in 2007 of the feature film "Freedom Writers" and the sale of almost 800,000 copies of The Freedom Writers Diary, currently published in eight languages.

The Freedom Writers Foundation (“FWF” or “Foundation”) trains and supports teachers of at-risk middle and high school students, through a pedagogical framework patterned after the success of Erin Gruwell, who began her teaching career in the fall of 1994, in Room 203 at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. Ms. Gruwell encouraged her students to rethink rigid beliefs about themselves and others, to reconsider daily decisions, and to rechart their futures. With her steadfast support, the students shattered stereotypes to become high school graduates, critical thinkers, aspiring college students, and citizens for change. 

The Foundation is the legacy that continues the success of Ms. Gruwell’s teaching methods in order to replicate the success of her students, all of whom graduated high school, and many of whom have entered and graduated from colleges and universities. The Freedom Writers Method is a professional development training curriculum that is a direct outgrowth of Ms. Gruwell’s experience with her students, who named themselves Freedom Writers, and coined the name in honor of the Civil Rights leaders, the Freedom Riders. 

Mission and History

The mission of the FWF is to positively impact communities by decreasing high school dropout rates through the replication and enhancement of the Freedom Writers Method.  The story of the Freedom Writers is documented in The Freedom Writers Diary (Doubleday 1999).   The book that brought the message of the Freedom Writers to a worldwide audience contains 142 diaries penned by the original Freedom Writer students and some reflections by their teacher, Erin Gruwell. Their account is both compelling and extraordinary, having been developed into a major motion picture by Paramount, starring Hilary Swank, “Freedom Writers.” The FWF is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1997 with an active Board of Directors and an active Educational Advisory Board comprised of educators and community leaders.

The Freedom Writers Institute

It became apparent at speaking engagements made by Erin Gruwell and the original Freedom Writers that teachers were seeking additional information on replicating the Freedom Writers Method in their respective classrooms. Both youth and educators found similarities in The Freedom Writers Diary, bringing to the fore, a need to fill a void for educators of at-risk students who sought professional development to aid them in their teaching journey.

The call was very clear: nationwide, teachers of at-risk middle and high school students were using The Freedom Writers Diary as a teaching tool, yet were in need of guidance on how to transform their students both academically and personally. After numerous requests for a teacher’s guide and for “in-service training,” Erin Gruwell began creating curriculum materials to train teachers. Doubleday-Broadway, a division of Random House and the original publisher of The Freedom Writers Diary released the much anticipated The Freedom Writers Diary: Teacher’s Guide in October of this year.

In 2005, the Foundation held its first Freedom Writers Institute (“FWI”) to train teachers in the Freedom Writers Method. To date, 150 teachers from all 50 states, 2 Canadian provinces, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have already come to Long Beach and been trained. 

The Freedom Writers Method

The Freedom Writers Method, designed by Erin Gruwell, was created to meet the academic needs of all students and especially those who are struggling in their academic subjects. The model enhances the language arts curriculum in the areas of reading, writing, and oral communication. This model has proved to be useful in addressing students in schools that have serious educational challenges, such as: truancy, low test scores, educational inequality, high dropout rates, low teacher retention rates, poor literacy skills, lack of student interest in education, and lack of resources for special needs students. The Freedom Writers Method acknowledges the socio-economic obstacles that deter students from excelling academically.   It is this acknowledgement that enables us to assist teachers in making connections between the difficult realities of the lives of students and what takes place in the classroom.  

The Freedom Writers Institute

Developing teachers, professionally, changes the academic experience of students. Research shows that of all the educational resources devoted to helping students learn, teachers matter most. The FWI is designed to train and support educators of at-risk students, with the long term strategy of retaining passionate and dedicated teachers who are committed to transforming their students’ education, and ultimately their quality of life. 

Over multiple-day workshops, led by Erin Gruwell, the FWF staff and the Freedom Writers will provide materials and grade-specific approaches to using The Freedom Writers Diary, The Freedom Writers Diary: Teacher’s Guide, and ancillary materials in the classroom. Teachers will participate in and learn a pedagogical framework through which they can Engage students in the learning process, Enlighten them intellectually, and then Empower them to achieve their academic and civic goals. Interactive icebreakers, substantive writing lessons and analytical tools, as well as strategies and techniques for promoting service learning, are covered in each workshop. The FWI also places teachers within a professional learning community that is devoted to helping teachers help each other.

Please visit www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/training to submit an application.