Taking the freedom out of 'Freedom Writers'

Anyone who says that Hollywood filmmakers are dilettantes who talk the talk but don't walk the walk haven't met Richard LaGravenese. The Oscar-nominated screenwriter ("The Horse Whisperer" and "Bridges of Madison County") and director ("Living Out Loud") made a riveting film last year, "Freedom Writers," that starred Hilary Swank as a maverick high school teacher who gave inner-city kids a chance to tell their stories and show how the classroom could be a place that mattered in their lives. The story was inspired by Erin Gruwell's "The Freedom Writers Diary," which chronicled the real-life struggles of her Long Beach, California, schoolkids.

The days when movies were banned by local zealots are over. But a high school teacher in Perry, Indiana, has been suspended without pay by her local school board for allowing her students to read "The Freedom Writers Diary," despite the fact that she had overwhelming parental approval to use the book as a teaching tool. The school board has disciplined the local teacher, Connie Heermann, because the book contains occasional swear words and because Heermann disobeyed a direct order against using the book in her class.

But what does this have to do with Richard LaGravenese and Hilary Swank, you ask?

LaGravenese isn't just a gifted screenwriter. It turns out that he's an ardent polemicist too. When he heard about Heermann's dismissal, thanks to a CNN report, he sat down and wrote a spirited defense of academic freedom for the Huffington Post, which is a must read for anyone who cares about the sad state of education and academic freedom in today's society. One highlight:

"Through the creative act of writing these journals, [Erin Gruwell's students] learned about tolerance and service, they learned that hope was available to them and they learned how to learn. Which is exactly why Connie Heermann gave her students the book. In the CNN report, the Perry Township representatives cite the bad language of the book.... When CNN reporter Gary Tuchman remarks to School Board president Barbara Thompson how he couldn't believe that the students would be worse off by reading the book, Thompson responded: 'What worries me is that Connie Heermann sent a poor message to our children. If you're told no, do it.' ... What message is Ms. Thompson sending? Don't stand for what you believe to be right when faced with limited thinking, or worse, ignorance? Just say yes to censorship?"

LaGravenese is now trying to do more than just get the word out about this teacher's plight. With the help of Swank and "Freedom Writers" producers Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg, LaGravenese has organized a campaign to hire a crack legal team to defend Heermann, raise money to pay her bills during her suspension and support efforts to ensure that the book can continue to be taught in school systems across the country. LaGravenese points out at the end of his piece that "Freedom Writers" has been taught in schools and youth centers all over the world, from Holland to Brazil to Indonesia. As he says: "How may times, over how many centuries, do Americans like Connie Heermann have to fight for freedom of expression and thought in their own country?"

Hilary Swank photo from Paramount Pictures

Comments

[mp]

That was a horrible movie.

[E Gavin Pathenais]

I completely disagree with the above comment...I thought it was everything a movie should be...great acting, strong script and yes, content and theme that can change our lives, even just a bit. I remember the scene where the students are sitting with the holocaust survivor...proof that we can reach back into history and learn the real lesson-- to do our part to change the world for the better. Brava! to the actors, producers and writers who are stepping into the real world to back their ideals.

[Nika Cavat]

It just goes to show you that the bureaucrats in education sometimes need lessons themselves in the core function of education: to teach students to think independently, to reason soundly, to stand by what is right. The occasional swear word should never trump the higher ideals of education. Shame on this school board for forgetting they are stewards of the young, not dictators.

[caroline]

The issue is not freedom of speech but rather school board control over reading materials. If the instructor succeeds in teaching from books on the school board’s banned list, this could lead to radical texts and ideas introduced into the classroom: Imagine economics taught with texts by Thomas Sowell, political science classes with books by William Kristol and social studies classes with books by Charles Murray. Now THAT would be a revolution in the classroom.

[Nakigaia]

No question that there is some kind of a melt-down taking place in the US, and that people will react and polarize around anything. I've run out of sufficient descriptive adjectives for the sheer nuttiness that passes for administration, management, leadership and other perceived structures of authority in our country.

One can only hope that the tired, fearful and floundering educational system will simply split itself wide open from its bloat, and maybe once again focus on what it takes to actually serve the new generations of children. How about more input from the kids, and way, way less from the adults enamored with wielding clout in their self-important domains.

And to Connie Heermann: Thank you, thank you, thank you for following your heart. I don't know how this story will end, but I am confident that you will appreciate the outcome. The force is with you.

[Steve Wimer]

The teacher was insubordinate. Sure, the educational system is dysfunctional. Take away discipline, add social promotion, and the sum is poor results. But the teacher was wrong and deserves a reprimand.

[Yvonne]

This is about NCLB. Connie Heerman has been targeted. I would suggest 2 books to Connie Heermann:

1. Dealing with Difficult teachers, by Todd Whitaker. This is a staff development text, aimed at administrators about how to get rid of teachers. It suggests 3 ways... incompetence (dicumenting takes too long), firing for extreme behavior(like an affair or hitting a student; not your issue), or insubordination. They choose to make it insubordination because it is faster.

2. MOBBING, by Noa Davenport, et al. This is about surviving the emotional abuse of what they are doing to get you out. Good luck...I retired when it happened to me.

[Harold P. Donle]

I live just down the road from Perry Township and I use this film in my college class. These are not educational bureaucrats denying academic freedom it is the democratically elected school board bigots that disdain the Constitution and all that this country stands for, but that is typical of Republicans, their fundamentalist allies, and their ilk. In Indiana critical thinkers are not wanted, just keep your head down, pay homage to GOD, and obey whatever BS Authority tells you.

[allen from Indiana]

Next thing you know it will be book burning parties at the 50 yard line.

[RConstible]

Censorship, in this time we live in, is often one of those hidden forces that dictates how we conduct our lines: what we do, how we act, how we think. As a writer, I must daily take into consideration the political correctness of gender, race, religiosu beliefs, language, even sexual persuasion, or risk not being considered for publication. The problem is that when writing about events in the real world, one or more of these factors may play a role, and the role is not always complimentary.
The reality is that to deny access to the thought processes of others because of personal beliefs or hangups is to deny access to the knowledge that might be gained from indulging in those materials. But after reading Mr. Goldstein's article, I can see there is yet another book/film to add to my collection of censored material.

[SM]

This is one more reason to home school your kids and not let them become victims of the defunct public education system in the U.S. or to be controlled and brainwashed by parochial schhols.

There are many examples of school board bigots who could care less about the students and who are only on the board to bloat their self-importance and egos. "Take the Lead" is another example of a fact-based movie where a dance instructor used ballroom dancing and a combo of freestyle and hip-hop and ballroom dancing to teach the kids the same things that Erin Gruwell taught her students. Teachers and school administrators threw a fit about it, just the way they did at Woodrow Wilson High. Now, the dance instruction is used much in the same way in the New York school system.

Hats off to those teachers who really care and who push their way to make a positive difference in children's lives. The school board officials, school administrators, and teachers who are against such things aren't doing a damn thing to help their students... i.e. defunct educational system.

[Robin]

This punishment is all about power. The school board has it, and they just can't handle it when a teacher tries to gain sovereignty in her own classroom. How are we supposed to get our students interested in learning if the boards are more interested in covering their own butts than approving curricula that might actually make a difference? Why aren't we letting the parents dictate what they will and will not allow their children to read? For my part, I think a 99.3% return on the permission slips should be sufficient. The board needs to get their heads screwed on straight and think about the students rather than their own egos. It shouldn't be about them, it should be about the students. If nobody shows these kids how to fight for their rights, we'll raise generations and generations of drones. . . or maybe that's what they really want.

[Frankie]

I became a teacher only three years ago (I'm 40- a late bloomer) and I never realized just how real the political game is in the school system. It's not about what works for kids (all kids). I had students who were in jail on a regular basis for drugs, assault, etc; however, these kids began making an effort in my class because I let them know they were as good as the "jocks" and cheerleaders, etc. I was often told I had the "low-end" kids and just get them through. There are many closed minded, over paid administrators whose only vision is their careers. They only push because the government has a specific number they want on paper. The means are rarely legitimate and I find very little integrity in the school system. American kids are being cheated, neglected and still falling through the cracks; or should I say "shoved?" It is a shame that a teacher uses means to reach her kids, make a difference and really help them learn just to be "rewarded" by suspension. In my case, I've never been able to become tenured so my contract is never renewed. I'm not traditional either--my kids call me "mom" and we discuss life and relate it to what we are reading....and sometimes it gets rough. That's reality. Administrators...get your head out of your butt...you are killing our future by stifling their voices.

[Joan Thomas]

I am a 75 year old, white, faith devoted, grandmother who just finished reading the "Freedom Writers Diary" after crying though the film. Yes, the language is coarse at times, but I would recommend this to any of my 17 grandchildren over the age of 12. Do some people think that youth today are not familiar with the language in question? I don't personally use any of it either, but I don't live in a vacuum, and believe that this very reality the diarists use is what makes it so meaningful. These are tough kids, living lives I never dreamed of, and yet they have inspired me beyond words. Hats off to teachers with the guts to fight the system and liberate a generation literally dying to be heard and loved and encouraged to maximize their great potential.

[Arlean Lambert]

I am a 68 year old school librarian considered to be a very straight laced, no nonsense individual. After viewing the movie and reading the journal entries in Freedom Writers, I went to our school sperintendent to suggest that Erin Gruwell be brought to our district for a workshop. There are no words to express my sadness at what has been happening to Connie Herrman in Perry Township, Indiana. Hang in there, Mrs. Herrman. Follow the dictates of your heart. Following orders is what many Germans did in the 1930's and '40's who were thoughtlessly, blindly following Hitler. Look where that got them.

[joe narnor]

I am a Ghanaian living in Ghana. I have seen the movie. I wish I had read the Diary. In the inner cities all over the world, young kids suffer silently. I wish they will all have the salvation that the writers of the diary had. Sometimes I wish the people who take decisions that affect the lives of other people will have the opportunity to walk in their shoes before they make the decisions.

[mansi]

what happend 3 years ago when the freedon writers diary was out..will happen again..in a country like the states ...where children are already in an relatively open enviornment....i dont see how the suspension of ms connie is justified at all...the movie freeedom writers is out and playing on any of the leading movie channels..can the principal of perry high stop his kids from watching that???
the question is that freedom is freedom to the teachers of tommorow and the learners of today...!!!no one can take that away...