In the beginning of the film you saw Ms. Gruwell's department head suggest that she not to wear her pearls to class. The English teacher commented on them as well. Later we notice that she wore them to class on the first day of school. Why do you think she was given the advice and why do you think she ignored it? Also, you heard Ms. Gruwell ask her students if they were aware of the Holocaust after she saw an ugly picture being passed around the class. Why do you think almost none of the students had ever heard of the Holocaust? At one point she is having a conversation with her department chair about giving her students new books. What was the importance of that discussion? You will make a reflective comment to these questions and then make a comment on at least one other student's post.
54 comments:
Ms. Guwell was given the advice to not wear her pearls to class because both the department head as well as her fellow teacher thought they would most likely be either fancied or stolen outright. I feel as though she ignored it both to show that she wasn’t afraid of being accosted for them or having them stolen as well as to show the students that she trusted them enough to wear the necklace around them. I think most of the students had never heard of the holocaust because it had most likely never been discussed in school up to that point either because of a teacher choosing to omit it, never getting to it, or the students refusal to cooperate in the classroom environment. Finally, the importance of Ms. Guwell’s conversation with the department head about the books shows how very different the two viewpoints are between someone who has given up or chooses not to do anything about the situation (the bystander) and someone who chooses to try to do something and help people who deserve it (the rescuer). Overall I think this is a great film that shows how one person can truly change the lives of many simply by choosing to do something and by putting their mind to it.
Mrs.Gruwell was given the advice not to wear the pearls, because her department head and the high honors english teacher knew that pearls were expensive, and because her department head and this teacher are so judgemental and believe that the kids she would be teaching are nothing but hoodrats who steal and cause gang violence. Tried to warn her because they though that her students would try and steal the expensive pearls from her. I believe at first she ignored this advice because she did not completely understand how "bad" these kids were. She just wore them at first because she didn't believe these kids were bad. She also continued to wear them throughout the movie because when she started getting closer with the kids she knew that the kids were not as mean and evil as everyone steroptyped them to be. She trusted that her kids would never steal something that belongs to her because as they grew closer together they respected eachother more and more.
I believe that none of the kids had hear about the holocaust, because all the teachers in this school treated them like they were dumb and thought that they would not be able to understand the intense subject matter that is the holocaust. Other teachers also would probably not be able to control these "Wild" kids.
The importance abou the conversation with the department head on getting the new books, is because it showed Mrs.G how lowly the other teachers thought of "those kids" they would not give them good new books because they juds believed that they would trash them and that the kids owuld not be smart enough to understand the books. So they gave them cheaper abridged lower reading level versions of each book. This is where Mrs. G really shows er dedication to wanting to teach these kids because she believes that they should read better books than what they are given. This is where she begins her fight to help these poor kids. and show them the potential that they have always had inside of them.
I agree with Andrew Lampi that the other teachers in this school have just given up or not put in the effort to help these kids. I believe that many of them act as bystanders not even bothering to share their opinions on the matter at hand but I also believe some of them are the instigators such as the department head who by just giving the kids the simple material and giving up on them only promotes the idea that these kids are stupid and that they can't make anything of themselves. But if she did support them maybe they could have stopped the loss and jail time of misguided kids.
I believe that she was given this advice in not to wear the pearls because of the student body and their sterotypes, the administration felt as though the pearls had a good chance of being stolen right off of her neck. I feel as though she ignored it because she was new to teaching and didnt really have an idea of who her student were going to be. watching the teachers and seeing their attitudes they really didnt bother to teach the students anything because the teachers thought that they didnt want to learn. with that discussion as a viewer i saw that these kids had no adult support nobody was behind them backing them up, and that is why the kids didnt care because not one adult believed in them, instead the adults just gave up on them and stopped trying.
i agree with andrew on how this movie really shows how one person can change the life of so many when they put there mind to it.
Ms. Gruwell was given a lot of advice by the department head and the other english teacher but she decided not to take it. The department head and the english teacher constantly doubted the intelligence of the students, which made Ms. Gruwell very frusterated. It was extremely racist and judgemental for the department head to suggest for Ms. Gruwell to not wear her pearls. She wore them the first day of school because she had confidence that the students weren't as terrible as the department head described them. Since the department head and the other teachers assumed the students weren't capable of learning at a high school level, The Holocaust was never taught in the curriculum. The same goes for the books, the department head thought it was not a good decision for the students to read The Diary of Anne Frank. Ms. Gruwell proved the department head and the english teacher wrong by following what she truly believed and ignored all of the negative input from her fellow teachers and department head.
Ms. Guwell has a lot of determination to teach these students. She was advised to not wear the necklace for reasons as to it might get stolen or broken. She doesnt listen and decides to wear the necklace anyway cause she trusts every student. The first impression she had of the students didnt seem to good but she did not give up. As time went on she taught her students about the holocaust and they read Anne Frank. I admire Ms. Guwell's determination to teach these students because it is not easy, but in the end it is well worth it. I think this was a great film and it shows how one person can change the lives of many people. Thanks to Ms. Guwell, her students will have a bright future.
I agree with Andrew's thoughts. This was a great film that shows how a person can change the lives of many if they put there minds to it. Ms. Guwell did a good job on taking innitiative to buy her own new books for the students and i think that made a huge difference.
I think Ms. Gruwell is da Bomb for just ignoring the department head because it seemed like from the beginning the department head was trying to get Ms. Gruwell scared by saying the kids had bad grades. Ms. Gruwell really stood up to everyone and showed that she could teach those students and she also shows that she cares about the students because she got 2 other jobs just so the kids can just meet the survivors of the Holocaust and also have a nice dinner at the hotel she worked at and also picked all the kids up from their homes. I don't think any of the teachers at the school would even do that for their classes especially the honors teacher.
I agree with greg that teaching is really hard, especially the kids that are in Ms. Gruwells class. It took time for her to get along with everyone.
Mrs. Gruwell was advised not to wear her pearls because pearls are expensive, and the department head and honors English teacher knew that she would be teaching the "bad kids" and they might try to steal her necklace. I believe that the majority of the students had not learned about the Holocaust because their previous teachers did not bother to teach them. When Mrs. Gruwell went to the department head to discuss what her students should read, the department head refused because she thought that the students could not handle it, or would just destroy the books. She basically said that they were too stupid to read the books. So I believe a similar thing happened with the education of the Holocaust. Maybe previous teachers had thought that the students would not be capable to learn about it. Going along with the discussion Mrs. G had with the department head, I think hat this showed how racist and biased the school is. They constantly discuss that the school used to be a very good school, until integration. The department head complained about the students destroying the books. But in reality, if they just treated everyone equally and found god educators, their school would be a much better school. Overall, this film teaches a beautiful lesson showing that all it takes is yourself to make a change in your life. You can control your life, and together, you can make a difference.
Going off of Renata's comment-
I was really excited that Mrs. Gruwell decided to stick up for what she thought was right for the kids. It made me respect her so much, and I thought she handled the negativity from her fellow faculty members very well.
I agree with Molly's comment, the teachers in this school could have played a big part in the lives of these students. Instead though, most of them chose to either give up on the kids and let them live their lives and "babysit" them only for as long as they had to or chose to even be instigators, such as the junior english teacher who asked the only African American student in class to share with them the "black perspective".
The department head and the other teachers told Ms. Gruwell to take off her pearls because they felt that she was going to get robbed for them. she ignored their advice becuase she wanted to give the students the benefit of the doubt. I felt that she did not want to mnake any aussumptions unless it happened.
I felt that the students were never given the chance to learn about the holocaust. the reason why is that the teachers felt that they werte too out of control or too dumb to teach them about it. I felt that the importance of the discussion between Ms, Gruwell and the department head was to show that everyone deserves a chance of equal educaiton. The teachers already were giving up and decided to "babysit" instead of teach. Ms. Gruwell said herself that the students would only get rewarded if they worked hard and did their assignments.
I think that she was told not to wear pearls because the english teacher and department head believe that the kids can't be trusted and would probably try to steal them from her. i feel she continued to wear them anyway because not only do they mean something to her and she wants to wear them, but also too show that she trusts the students and sees the good in them, not the bad. I think that the student know about the Holocaust because from we can see, the students didn't pay much attention to any other classes. meaning they havne't learned about it. not only that but because of the war and area they live, not many people would bother to tell them about the holocaust. Unfortunatley i feel like that may be what happnes in regards to 9/11. it sounds odd, but htink about it, we were in second grade, almost any other grades below were probably to young to remember 9/11. and below that they weren't even born for the experience. so that being said, because they weren't there, over time they may not become educated about what happend on that day. This discussion was important because it sort of put the war the kids experience into perspective. showing that they aren't the toughest gang on the streets and that in the past there was much more severe gangs that the kids don't even know about. so it not only explained what it was but how it is still significant today.
Mrs. Gruwell was given advice not to wear the pearls because the school is not necessarily in the best neighborhood. The kids are portrayed to be involved in crimes and be a rough group. I think she ignored the advice due to the fact that she didn't want to be just another teacher that judges the students. I also think she has a certain amount of trust with everyone unless proved otherwise. Whether its naive of her or not she is not stereotyping the students. I think most of the kids have never heard of the holocaust because no one was ever willing enough to teach them about it. There was other conflicts that could have prevented them like, lack of respect for the teacher or teacher to student. It was prevalent that most teachers thought that the students Gruwell taught were just lost causes. The importance of Mrs. Gruewell's conversation with the department head shows that she wanted to go straight to someone of power. It demonstrated her extreme dedication and strong feelings about providing the proper things to her students. It clearly shows how much she disagrees with the principal because regardless of the principals response Mrs. Gruwell goes above and beyond so she is able to secure her desired privileges and hopefully gain the reward despite the risk.
I agree with everything lampi said, those are my thoughts exactly so i guess great minds think alike
I agree with Molly's comment. My reflection was very similar and I agree with every thing. One thing I didn't mention is that these kids have had there skills, Mrs. Gruwell just had to seek it out. Teachers in there school probably oppressed the bright futures they had because upon stepping into the school they were already labeled "those kids". There was no chance for them from the get go to prove themselves. There was also no understanding, its not like the teachers are the only ones living in fear, regardless of what they think.
In the beginning of the film Ms. Gruwell’s department recommended that she didn’t wear her pearls to school. I think they said that to her because they thought that th pearls would be stolen because they were expensive and nice. The department looked down on the school and viewed each student as beneath them and like criminals. I think Ms. Gruwell kept wearing the pearls to make a statement to her fellow teachers. I think she was going to decide for herself where or not these kid should be trusted.
I think most of the kids never heard about the Holocaust because their teachers never felt it was necessary to tell them about it. Their teachers felt they had no potential and weren’t worth wasting their time teaching students who “didn’t care” about education. The teachers may have decided to leave that out of their curriculum. Or the students never cooperated enough in class for the teachers.
The conversation between Ms. Gruwell and the department head was important because it showed the two perspectives the women had toward the students. The department head could care less about giving the kids new book or even books they had because she felt they were unworthy of them. She looked down on the students like they were degenerates. Ms. Gruwell was offended by this. She felt the kids didn’t want to learn because they were treated like they were dumb by using workbooks. She felt they had great potential and just needed the encouragement to succeed.
Ms Guwell was suggested not to wear the pearls because the students at the school were heavily involved with gangs and crime. From this fear, they warned her because it was likely that they would be stolen. She wore them the first day however to counter the prejudices against the students and to build a sence of trust with them. In a way she was trying to prove that she was their friend by not acting differently around them. I think that most of the students never heard of the holocaust before because they were probably never viewed as being mentally capible enough to lean such complex historic events. Also, many of the students really never cared to learn much as they had to deal with and survive the gang violence in the street. The importance of the conversation of getting the books for the students between mrs. guwell and the department head symbolizes resistance to change an old system and refusal to believe that the kids had any hope in life or potential. Due to this the school didn't even bother to give the students new books only saying that they would not learn anything without giving them the chance. Mrs. G fights against this by arguing that the only reason why the students don't learn is because they are not given the opportunity to. This shows how mrs g cares about the kids and rather than predetermine the students future like the other teachers at the school, give them a chance to prove themselves. This movie was very powerful in the message it created on race and prejudice and was a film which i greatly enjoyed.
I agree with Becky that the other teachers at the school felt like the students were "lost causes". I thought that was a really good way to put it. I also agree with her about how Ms. Gruwell efforts to go out of her way to get the support she was looking for showed her determination and dedication as a teacher.
I agree with mara on the fact that the school's staff's prejudice against the integrated students hindered learning. This is because they were more focused on how "good" it was in the past, rather than trying to make a better future.
Ms. Gruwell was given the advice to not wear her pearls to class because of the stereotypes about the students in the class. However, she does wear the pearls because she wants to show she is not like all the other teachers, and does not want to treat these kids any different than she would students in the honors program. Also I think most of the students have not heard about the Holocaust because before Ms. Gruwell's class it doesn't seem like many of the students went to school very often, so the teachers did not find it very important to teach them. After seeing the scense in the book room it is clear the department head did not think the school should even bother teaching the students in Ms. Gruwell's class at all, especially not something as important as the Holocaust. The importance of the conversation Ms. Gruwell had with her department head was it showed how little the department cared about trying to get the students to do well in school. The department head wanted to give the students books that were written for children just learning to read. Although the students may not have a high reading ability they should at least be given the chance to read appropriate books for a Freshman english class.
I agree with Andrew Lampi. The other teachers are acting as bystanders or even bullies in this school. They stand by and watch as students are given less chances to succeed than everyone else, and even seem happy about the idea that many of them will not make it to junior year of high school. There should be more teachers like Ms. Gruwell, who really give kids a chance to succeed and do well no matter what the odds against them are.
she was given advice to not wear the pearls because based on the city, it was a bad place were people do all types of dangerous things. also you had all different types of cultures trying to run everything but not be eaqually and far to one another. she wore them because one they were from her dad and two, she didnt see bad people but she saw normally human beings just like her. They never heard of the holocaust I think because seeing the way the kids grew up in gangs, no families, or in jail. the teachers dont want to educate them because they think its a waste of time and also they will just drop out of school. they used to be an A SCHOOL but they dropped down, so the teachers dont care for them.
i agree with Andrew, the teachers are acting like bystanders, bulling the kids, rather than trying to help them survive in this world, get threw school and not be in jail like ms. G is doing. she is giving them a Education.
Upon meeting her and seeing her pearls, Ms. Guwell's department head advised her to not wear the pearls to school. The reason for this was because they were valuable, which lead her to insinuate that they would get stolen, as the students at the school were mostly from poverty-stricken areas around Long Beach. I, personally think the students had never heard of the Holocaust because of the education system in place at the school. If they weren't in an honors class, they were determined to be unteachable. Finally, the significance of the conversation between Ms. Guwell and her department head is how it sets certain ideas in place, such as that while Ms. Guwell was looking to do all she could to help these students, the department head was going to do all she could to be an obstacle.
I agree with Lampi. This film effectively illustrates the differences in being a bystander versus a rescuer, or, really, anything else on the spectrum that Mr. Gallagher showed us.
Ms. Gruwell's department head and the Honors teacher suggested that she not wear her pearls to class because she had already judged "them" all to be delinquents who would steal the necklace. Ms. Gruwell knew full well that the students she would be teaching had been neglected all their lives but she didn't want to make the same judgement based only upon what she had heard. Personally, I only learned about the Holocaust because of the opportunities I got during religious schools at the various synagogues I've belonged too. It's actually been assumed in many of my history classes that I knew what that actually means. Ms. Gruwell's students probably never had any kind of opportunity to learn what the Holocaust was. Not because they are dumb, but because they truly didn't know any better. Ms. Gruwell's conversation with her department head shows the vicious circle that her students are in. The dep. head refuses to use new resources on non-honors students because she believes it will be a miracle if they are returned, and if they are returned, they will be damaged severely. However, the only reason Ms. Gruwell's students treat the books the way they do is because those which they are given are meant for young children. This is severely depredating to them because they know they can read books of a higher level and actually want to for that matter.
Robert, I don't agree with your comment about the students not caring to learn much and this being the reason for them not knowing what the Holocaust was. The students were judged by the district before they even stepped in the building because of where they came from. Teachers therefor were already apathetic about helping these students and they simply react by showing the same disrespect back at the teachers. Every student in Ms. Gruwell's class was eager to learn. They were absolutely thrilled when she gave them all brand new books. It showed them that someone actually cared about them.
I think Ms. Gruwell wore the pearls to class to send a message. She was told multiple times by experienced faculty members that it would be in her best interest not to wear them. The teachers basically think that anyone to who came to the school due to voluntary integration is a trouble maker and not worth teaching. They assume that the pearls would be stolen or a cause of conflict. Ms. Gruwell doesn't pass judgment on anyone and she isn't willing to walk into situations without giving people the benefit of the doubt. I think it's important that she didn't follow the stereotype because when you don't make decisions for yourself and blindly agree with other people, it can be dangerous. That is how hatred and prejudice occur. I think Ms. Gruwell asked her kids about the Holocaust because she wanted to know what they knew about history and life. You can see how drastic the change was in all of them once they were exposed to this tragedy. I think she knew it could make a difference in these kids lives who basically never had someone give them the time of day. Lastly, I think Ms. Gruwell asked the department chair for some new books to read because she wants to make an effort. She isn't willing to buy into the theory that the students are worthless and "unteachable". She further proves this by going to a bigger authority figure, like the Superintendent.
Justin, I completely agree with what you said about Ms. Gruwell being determined to make the difference and the department head determined to be her obstacle. I couldn't think of a better word. She feels threatened I think, so she intentionally tries to limit Ms. Gruwell's ability to teach. It's really selfish.
Mrs. Guwell was given advice not to wear her pearl necklace from the honors teacher and the department head. The reason why she was told not to wear the necklace is because the kids could have stolen the necklace. Mrs. Guwell didn't take the advice because she wasn't worried about the kids stealing it and didn't expect them too. None of the students have heard about the holocaust because they never had an education and learned it because of their gang kind of life style. I really liked the movie and it really made me think of the world that some people live. Its hard to imagine living in a life like some of the kids in the movie.
I agree with everything Andrew said about how the teachers gave up and how they are bystanders and how Mrs. Guwell is the rescuer.
The department head and the teacher gave mrs. Gruwell the advice not to wear the pearls because they were suspicious that the students would try to steal the necklace, considering these kids were so poor and misguided. I believe Mrs. Gruwell decided to wear the pearls anyway because she wanted to show the students that she trusted them enough to wear them in their presence, and also to show them that she was willing to give the students a chance.
The students never heard of the Holocaust, most likely, because their past teachers felt they weren't capable of comprehending such intense material.
The conversation between Mrs. Gruwell and the department head was important because it highlighted two very different outlooks on how "problem students" should be handled. On one side, the department head has given up on these students and refuses to work with them to help them learn the best they can. On the other hand, Mrs. Gruwell does everything in her power and abilities to give these students the best education possible, and truly wants them to reach their potential. I agree with Renata's points.
Ms. Gruwell was was given the advice to not wear her pearls because the department head said they might be stolen. She ignored these because she trusted these kids and had confidence in them that they would be good students. The students did not know about the Holocaust because the school itself did not teach it to them. They taught that they were "unteachable" and couldn't care less whether they received a good education or not. The conversation between Ms. Gruwell and the department head about the books further emphasizes the point that the school does not care about the kids. They care about their property more than giving them a good education.
I agree with Andrew that one person can truly change the lives of many. In addition, this film also shows that trust is important between humans. These kids are still human beings, but no one ever trusted them. Ms. Gruwell was able to change their viewpoints and attitudes towards each other, themselves, and the whole world by giving them one thing they never received: her complete trust.
I went to Amsterdam last summer and I went in Anne Frank's house, into the room where she actually hid. It was unbelievable. Her story is really eye-opening so Ms. Gruwell was smart for having the students read The Diary of Anne Frank.
I agree with Julie. Ms. Gruwell went out of her way to give the students the best education possible. By teaching the Holocaust, and introducing Anne Frank's diary into their lives, it really opened their eyes and changed their lives.
Ms.Guwell was told not to wear the pearls because they students were thought of as thieves and they were likely to steal the pearls. The students have not heard of the Holocaust because the teachers did not believe that the students would benefit from this information and neglected to teach the subject.Ms.Guwell's conversation about new books shows just how unworthy the department head considers the students. She refuses to even try and help then get better.
I agree with Andrew about why Ms.Guwell wore her pearls. She wanted to start of her relationship with the students based on trust and refused to be intimidated by rumors and suspicions. I also feel like she was making a point to show the students just what they can accomplish in life, regardless of what they have been force-fed about not amounting to anything.
She was given the advice because the other teachers thought that the students would try to steal her pearls. The faculty at the school all believed these students to be thieves and criminals and they wanted to warn Ms. Gruwell. She however choose not to listen to them and wore the pearls. I think she ignored their warning because she wanted to go into the class without any (negative) biases about the students. She wanted to give each one their fair chance to prove themselves to her. Most of the students hadn't heard about the Holocaust because they were so poorly educated. Throughout the students’ life Teachers have given up teaching them because the students don’t seem to learn. This cycle almost guarantees these students wont get a proper education. When Ms. Gruwell asked for the books the department head doesn’t give them to her because she thinks it’s a waste. She believes the students won’t learn anything from the books and just end up losing or vandalizing. This attitude is reflective of the entire school (besides Ms. Gruwell of coarse).
I agree with Jess; Ms. Gruwell wanted to send a message. That was the only way to get to these kids. Also she points out Ms. Gruwell effort in trying to teach these kids. Ms. Gruwell probably put more effort, thought, and time into teaching these kids than anyone had ever done in their life. And this is why they were so responsive to her. The other thing that made her such a great teach was her stubbornness. When Jess said “She isn't willing to buy into the theory that the students are worthless and "unteachable" it shows how Ms. Gruwell didn’t care what other thought and did what she wanted because she believed it would work.
Ms. Gruwell was given the advice not to wear her pearls because the department head and the other teacher thought the students were going to steal them. She ignored them because she was putting her trust into the students not to steal them.I dont think most of the students had heard about the holocaust because no one had taken the time to teach them about it. Ms. Gruwell's conversation with the department head just shows how little the school system cared about the kids.
I total agree with Lampi. I really like how he used the word bystander and rescuer when talking about the book converstation.
Ms.Gruwell kept the pearls on the first day of school because she did not think it was fair that she act a different way and dress a different way around her students. I don't think any of the students had heard of the Holocaust because no one had ever cared enough about them to teach them. The importance of the discussion with her department head about giving her students new books made her realize that she really didn't have any staff support and she came to realize that she would have to do this alone.
I agree with Andrew Lampi when he mentioned the bystanders and the rescuers. This movie is a great example of these different roles.
Ms guwell was given the advice to not wear her pearls because the rest of the teachers assume that from seing the kids behavior it would be an issue to wear them to school. this wudve led in the administrators eyes to stealing etc. i think that the students didnt know about the holocaust because they are to invested in their lifestyles that they werent able to get that chance to explore the history of the world. in addition to lampi, the department head had no intention of improving the book system because she had no desire too and she felt there was no need to as supposed to the rescuer or catalyst that ms guwell was and decided it was necessary and to give the kids a chance which i believe was necessary to chance your job for the benefit of others
Mrs. Guwell was one heck of a teacher. She went above and beyond everyone else, not just the department, but probably the whole school. Why? Because she felt it was her job or duty to fulfill the kids' dreams of becoming the one, the person most important in their life to succeed. Even though she was told by the department that the students won't read about Anne Frank, that they'll misuse the book and write in it, Mrs. Guwell didn't believe it. So she took a gutsy move in my opinion to go to the board of education inthe school district to come up with a plan to help these students. He agreed and in the end despite what other teachers thought of her as ignorant she was actually outstanding.
What i didn't like was that the department head came into the library to hear Miep talk with the students and even heard them ask questions to her. Not useless ones, but real intelligent ones. But after all this, the department head still thinks she shouldn't help these students anymore even though she has done what many have not. That to me is great and as for the department head, she's a ...
Ari's statement about the circle in the school with the department head is quite correct. In any school if you want a book part of the curriculum then you have to talk to the department head. But in this situation that lady doesn't agree with Mrs. Gruwell's decision. That's too bad. Like in court you can always appeal to a higher court to win your case. The same goes for this.
I believe Ms. Gruwell disregarded the comment made by the department head about her pearls because the statement was totally insignificant to the reason she was at the school in the first place. Sure, the department head can attempt to put fear in the new teacher, making a stereotypical comment that doesn't directly face the matter, but rather gets into the mind of the person perceiving the advice. getting under Ms. Gruwells skin so that by slight chance she would think she wasn't dealing with kids who maybe truly willing to learn! Ms. Gruwell ends up wearing her pearls to the first day of school because thats the point of the matter. She came to teach her students, what would be the worst that could happen with the pearls wrapped around her neck while teaching a class? the department head seemed to just overlook a certain percentage of students and ASSUMED they weren't willing to learn. which has to do with why they probably didn't have a clue what the Holocaust was. no teacher pushed the students brain power enough to even see if they had a freakin' ounce of interest to the subject. in the end they took much pride in the history and literature they studied through out the class. It was disgusting to see how the department head didn't push those bright minded students before Ms. Gruwell... To let them live up to the potential they ALL soon discovered!...(apologies on the late Input Mr.G!)
I agree with Lampi's Input on the blog. he makes a strong point involving the lack of support the department head gives, towards getting new books and educating the ones in need and who desire.
Ms. Gruwell was given the advice because the head believed that the children would steal them, but instead she chose to wear them anyways because she wanted to show that she trusted the students and wasn't afraid of having something stolen from her. The reasons that the kids had never heard of the holocaust are simple: no one made a legit attempt to communicate with them and teach them about something so horrific. It could also be because they never cooperated with a teacher before Ms. Gruwell. Ms. Gruwells conversation with the head regarding the books symbolizes how they both have different views on the kids. Ms. Gruwell believes that if the teachers choose to believe in the students (which no teacher has ever done before with these kids) then they will be grateful whereas the Department head is just a bitch who does not care about these kids and does not believe they can be helped. She has chosen to be a bystander. In conclusion, the film was absolutely incredible. It demonstrates how it only takes one person to believe in someone to change their life and make it much better.
I agree with both Lampi and Sciba as they said almost the exact same things I said. And yes Ryan great minds DO think alike.
I think that Ms. Guwell was given advice to not wear her pearls becuase all of the teachers prior to her believed the kids were bad and would never be able to be tagught or tamed, so they feared that her pearls would be stolen. i think she ignored it becuase she saw past the kids rough outside and into their true selves, and that person was a good person who she believed in. i think that none of the kids had heard about the Hollocaust becuase they had never been taught anything about it in school since they were "unteachable". also, becuase they have their own gang war going on they dont worry about outside things like that. the importance of Ms. Guwell's conversation with the department head about books is important becuase it shwos that she was the only one who believed in thekids.everyone else just assumed that they were stupid and wouldnt care about what they were being taught. she showed them all wrong and improved all the kids reading and writing scores. she also changed their lives and helped them so much to come out of their outside roughness.
I agree with andrew that all of the other teachers were bystanders in this situation, while Ms. Guwell was the rescuer. none of the other teachers tried to help her or anything because they didnt believe that she could do it or that the kids could do it. Ms. Guwell bravely toke on the task of being the rescuer and made such a difference in these kids lives.
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