Freedom Writers Diary

I watch English movies that are more onto stories based on real and true proceedings. Thanks to Mr Tshewang Lhendup and Mr Tashi Dorji, my two buddies with all glowing intentions and inquisitive aptitude, for giving me a movie based on true stories.

‘Freedom Writers Dairy’ produced by Paramount Pictures and directed by Richard Lagravenese is breathtaking. The cast of Hilary Swank, in her capacity as a classroom teacher, is challenging on her part but is meaningful to the audience.

Her role as a class teacher for the freshman changes her position into a bin to collect hatred, curses, blame and discrimination. Her students dislike her because they are already aggressive. They hated her because she was white. Racial discrimination is one principal lesson that’s carried inside the bottle of the movie. 

Erin (Hilary’s role) hardly finds a note of acceptance from her colleagues while attempting to kick off something novelty and inclusive. Her students couldn't accept colour differentiation.  They don’t want the white to say to black and vice versa.

Their emotions are hurt. For many, it remains a tale of nightmare whenever they flip the pages down the album of their memory. Each of them has something in common: a story of betrayal and discrimination; a tale to the credence that colour’s powerful; a mindset to rebuke every proposal made for a common cause.

Ravi (2005) asserts that emotions are important for five simple reasons:

a)      Survival

b)      Decision making

c)      Boundary setting

d)      Communication

e)      Unity

Because the emotions of these students are collapsed completely, they are superficially handicapped to fulfil these five strands.

They see a narrow space for survival in a spacious world of classrooms. The decision isn’t always a piece of cake for them although scores of choices are available at their disposal.

And boundary setting as Meera (2000) writes:

If we learn to trust our emotions and feel confident expressing ourselves, we can let the person know we feel comfortable as soon as we are aware of our feeling. This will help us set our boundaries which are necessary to protect our physical and mental health (p.3).

This feather is missing in the wings of children’s minds in Freedom Writers Diary.

English language, many says, is rich in vocabulary and texture. And yet, this movie is crafted brilliantly to depict the ironic explanation that when emotions, the live gene of a living human is killed, even no rich language can do justice to repair it. Likewise, in the movie, the rich English speaking children discover communication taxing and a Herculean task to exhibit.  

Unity clearly is one rarest commodity not for sale in the market of their classroom. These usual human species behave in unusual conduct vibrantly.

The movie is worth watching. Hilary teaches us the ways to illuminate the darkest mindsets of our innocent children. For her, it doesn’t matter even if her colleagues sting her venom of hatred or family disgraces her for the short income in a tall job. Gathering all strings of determination, she vibrates to tune into the music of solemn hope to give her the greatest satisfaction. And finally, she’s the winner to capture the heart of all children.

Her patience emits a substantial quantity of humane values which can easily water the growing inferno of hatred in us into ashes.

She is the genius in her own lines. She is a teacher of Marva Collin’s illusion. Thus, it is worth leaving a quote of Marva Collin:

“Don’t try to fix the students, fix ourselves first. The good teacher makes the poor student good the good student superior. When our students fail, we, as teachers, too have failed” (as cited in Ravi, Meera. 2000:1).

Courtesy: Ravi, Meera. (2000). Teaching through the Heart: Action Plan for Better Teaching. Viva Books Pvt. Ltd: New Delhi.