Freedom Writers

今天在電視前我哭了，但很開心
有時候一部電影不一定要是百視達(blockbuster)
淡淡的小品
一樣可以輕輕拍拍你的心
不一定要所有人都以訛傳訛地大肆在MSN上炒作
一樣可以鋪陳出深刻的午夜睡前

今天在鏡子面前我笑了，但很心酸
課堂上老師們都曾經強調分享的可貴
分享是一個很難的動詞?
在我的生命經驗中，受詞最難
很難找到對象，也很難成為那個被分享的人

我也希望自己是個Freedom writer
活在沒有種族拉扯的台灣社會，先天早就失去了多元性
我們又在體制的安排下，成為相似度很高的一群人
一路依循的我，乖巧的我
現在才想要衝撞，這已經搭設好的保護傘
會太遲?
I am still looking for my community full of diversity.


The Freedom Writers Diary is the amazing true story of strength, courage, and achievement in the face of adversity. In the fall of 1994, in Room 203 at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, an idealistic teacher named Erin Gruwell faced her first group of students, dubbed by the administration as "unteachable, at-risk" teenagers. The class was a diverse mix of African-American, Latino, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Caucasian students, many of whom had grown up in rough neighborhoods in Long Beach. In the first few weeks of class, the students made it clear that they were not interested in what their teacher had to say, and made bets about how long she would last in their classroom.

Then a pivotal moment changed their lives forever. When a racial caricature of one of the African-American students circulated the classroom, Erin Gruwell angrily intercepted the drawing and compared it to the Nazi caricatures of Jews during the Holocaust. To her amazement, the students responded with puzzled looks. Erin Gruwell was appalled to discover that many of her students had never heard of the Holocaust. When she asked how many in her class had been shot at, however, almost all of them raised their hands, and began lifting their shirts to show their scars. This initiated a battle-scar show-and-tell that left Erin Gruwell shocked and inspired to take advantage of the powerful energy she had sparked.

By fostering an educational philosophy that valued and promoted diversity, she transformed her students' lives. She encouraged them to rethink rigid beliefs about themselves and others, to reconsider daily decisions, and to rechart their futures. With Erin's steadfast support, her students shattered stereotypes to become critical thinkers, aspiring college students, and citizens for change. They even dubbed themselves the "Freedom Writers" - in homage to the Civil Rights activists the "Freedom Riders" - and published a book.