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? Finally, what do you think is the most important message of the film?
31 comments:
Mrs Gruwell was given the advice because most of the student were considered hoodlums or thugs and that they would steal them right off. She ignored the rule and had faith in the students and thought they were better than that. I thought that none of the students knew what the holocuast was because they never learned about it and weren't told about it. They also live in a secluded place and never left there town. It was important when Ms Gruwell had the discussion with the department head because she went straight the source and someone who had the most power. I think the important message is that everyone has a different story and backround,everyone can succeed.
Before Ms. Gruwell’s first day of class, her department head advised her not to wear pearls because they were expensive and she thought the students would steal them. The department head thought the worst of the children and never gave them the benefit of the doubt simply of their color and background. Ms. Gruwell, on the other hand, decided to give the students a chance. She knew that if they were treated poorly without respect, they would act poorly and not give respect either. She was not judgmental like her department head was. It is shocking to me that the kids did not know what the Holocaust was, but based on the department head’s attitude towards them, I can guess that other teachers didn’t bother to teach the kids this important event. It isn’t completely the students’ faults for not knowing about history, especially when teachers refuse to give students the resources and knowledge to learn. For instance, the department head refuses to give the students new books. Ms. Gruwell believes in the better of the kids and wants to give them new books because that is what they deserve. This action further shows that Ms. Gruwell doesn’t judge them based on their past. I think the most important message of the film is that it is important to believe in yourself and believe you can over come challenges, even when other people don’t believe you can.
Ms. Gruwell was given the advice not to wear pearls because the villainous department head was obviously racially prejudiced against the students and thought the kids would take the pearls (same talented actress who played Dolores Umbridge, but I digress). She ignored it because she thought she could prove that the kids were actually good kids deep down and that she could handle herself in the dangerous environment (I'd say she was lucky not being robbed in the beginning). None of the kids heard of the Holocaust because their teachers never taught them anything meaningful in school except discipline and things they didn't want to hear. The teens were too wrapped up in their own troubled lives to realize that worse things had happened to other people in the past, and that they could learn from the Holocaust. They weren't educated well from a young age due to the poor schooling system. The importance of that discussion is to show that sacrifice is needed for success. The department chair turned down the request for new books, and Ms. G had to pay money out of her own pocket to get them. This shows her dedication to the students and how the students appreciate being treated as capable, trustworthy adults that deserve the books. The most important message of the film is for one to realize that there are others in the world that are or were in worse situations than him/her. It is easy to complain, but it is harder to be a good person who tolerates others regardless of skin color or background. This film teaches people to treat others with fairness and respect.
I think the department head suggested that she leaves the pearls at home suggesting that the kids were going to steal them from ms.G or mugg her. I think ms.G decided not to take the advice because she trusted the kids and trusted that that wouldn't happen. None of the students had heard of the holocaust because they had been deprived of a good education with books because none of the teachers they had prior to ms.G wanted to teach them and ne'er have them the chance to learn. The importance of the discussion between the department head and ms.G about getting he students new books was that you could see he two different view points and mind sets of these characters. The most important message of the film I think is that no matter where you come from and what you've done in the past or the reputation you may have, don't let anyone tell you that you can't succeed. Don't let anyone tell you what your future is going to be because only you can determine your future.
I think the department head suggested that she leaves the pearls at home suggesting that the kids were going to steal them from ms.G or mugg her. I think ms.G decided not to take the advice because she trusted the kids and trusted that that wouldn't happen. None of the students had heard of the holocaust because they had been deprived of a good education with books because none of the teachers they had prior to ms.G wanted to teach them and ne'er have them the chance to learn. The importance of the discussion between the department head and ms.G about getting he students new books was that you could see he two different view points and mind sets of these characters. The most important message of the film I think is that no matter where you come from and what you've done in the past or the reputation you may have, don't let anyone tell you that you can't succeed. Don't let anyone tell you what your future is going to be because only you can determine your future.
*never gave
Ms. G was given the advice to not wear her pearls to class because a lot of her students have gotten in trouble for crime before. The pearls were an expensive gift given to her by her father but while everyone told her not to wear them, she did. She ignored all of the comments that people said because she knew that she had the power to change this whole bias against the kids and had faith in them while the rest of the people in the school doubted the kids. I was surprised when the kids didn't know what the Holocaust was, but the kids were never given an equal chance to learn about it. I think it was the teachers fault because the department head never gave the kids a chance to even read about it she considered the kids to dumb to read normal books. The department head couldn't even supply the kids with taken care of books they always got destroyed stuff because they were considered not good enough. The kids didn't receive nice things because people viewed them as destructive. Ms. G believed in the kids and went out of her way to buy the kids new books that they read, took care of, and enjoyed. Ms. G saw the better in them and disregarded their troubled passed. I think the most important message in this film is to always believe in yourself and in others because anything is possible if you put your mind to it and you can make a huge impact.
At the beginning of the film, Ms. Gruwell’s department head suggested her not to wear pearls to class because the students would steal her expensive pearls. The department head obviously distrusted these students because of their race, appearance and background. Ms. Gruwell, however, wanted to treat the students with respect and believed that she could handle the tough situation. With the help of Ms. Gruwell, these teenagers became more open-minded about their peers and realized they needed an education. I was so surprised that none of the students knew what the Holocaust was. I think the teachers did not teach them because they thought it was worthless to teach the students who were in troubled and violent situations. The importance of the conversation was to give each student the same educational opportunities. I believe the most important message of the film is to stand up for what you believe and do the right things that are worthwhile to you. The students can reach their full potential and totally change themselves if they would like to try and believe in themselves. Also, real courage involves putting something important at risk. Determined to reform her students, Ms.Gruwell took two part-time jobs to pay for more books and spent more time at school. She put her own time into the students and never gave up teaching even though she got divorced with her husband. I was so touched by her courage and sacrifice for the students. I also remembered that she broke down the tough exteriors and searched for the real people beneath by requiring the students keep daily journals. After sharing their stories with one another, the students saw their common experiences for the first time and opened up themselves to each other. Ms. Gruwell sacrificed herself to reach a goal that was to make a real difference in the lives of her students forever. We, as human beings, should also never give up our goals that are worth every sacrifice to achieve.
I think that Ms. Gruwell was given the advice by her department head because the department head thought that the students would steal the pearls because they are so valuable. This action shows how little the department head thinks the students are worth. I think she ignored the advice because she was confident that the students would not steal the pearls because she wanted to treat them with respect and emphasize that they are good kids. I think almost none of the kids had heard of the Holocaust because they were never taught well. The teachers either give up or never try to educate them because of their ethnicities. The discussion about books shows how unenthused the teachers are to teach these students. They will not even try to give them books because they do not believe the students are worth it. I think the important message of the film is that you can be successful and not let anyone else tell you differently.
I think that Ms. Gruwell was given the advice by her department head because the department head thought that the students would steal the pearls because they are so valuable. This action shows how little the department head thinks the students are worth. I think she ignored the advice because she was confident that the students would not steal the pearls because she wanted to treat them with respect and emphasize that they are good kids. I think almost none of the kids had heard of the Holocaust because they were never taught well. The teachers either give up or never try to educate them because of their ethnicities. The discussion about books shows how unenthused the teachers are to teach these students. They will not even try to give them books because they do not believe the students are worth it. I think the important message of the film is that you can be successful and not let anyone else tell you differently.
The department told Mrs. Gruwell not to wear the pearls her father gave her because they automatically assume that the students would steal them. The department stuck to one view that these students were less than them and never gave them to opportunity to fully fulfill their potential. However, Mrs Gruwell continued to give her students respect and did not judge them in any way. Which is why she still wore her pearls. I believe that these students did not know about the Holocaust because of their school. It was clear that this school did not expect much achievement from the students. Once Mrs Gruwell taught the students, it was amazing to see how much it affected them. I think it was great that Mrs Gruwell went to the head of the department and was able to supply these students with new books. She believed that these students could succeed in school while other teachers failed to see that. I think one important message from this movie was that everyone has a story and that everyone has the potential to succeed.
I think Mrs. Gruwell was given the advice to leave her pearls at home because other teachers believed that the students in her class would most likely steal it because they were different races. But Mrs. Gruwell kept it on because that isn't what she believed in. She did what she thought was right and wore them because she trusted that these kids would not steal the pearls as it didn't matter what race they were. Also most of the students never heard of the holocaust because these kids weren't educated enough, it was the first time for most of them that they actually were going to school and liked learning, they didn't have the opportunity before. And also these kids had no time to learn about the holocaust because they were living in war their whole lives. They had to protect themselves and their own every night and had no time to learn about what had happened in the past. The importance of talking to the department chair about the new books was that Mrs. Gruwell didn't stop when she was told the children couldn't have new books. When she was denied, she went right to somebody in power who was able to give her permission for the students to get new books. It shows if someone tells you something you don't think is right, you have to go to the person in power because that is where change happens. I think the main message of the film was you can't judge people based on race. The kids in the story did that and in the end they realized each person had their own problems and everyone had a lot of similarities. They learned to love each other and unite as a class. The movie showed race doesn't matter to determine who a person is. It is what a person says and does. The movie showed us that these kids weren't so different after all. They were all fighting their own battles.
In the beginning of the movie, Ms. Gruwell was given the advice to not wear pearls because they show that she is wealthy, and students may steal them. Despite the department head's concern, she wore her pearls on the first day of school. I think that she ignored it because she didn't want to judge her students before she even knew them. When asked, her students knew nothing about the Holocaust. I think this was due to the fact that previous teachers didn't believe that they could understand the material, and simply chose not to teach it to them. We found out in the film that the students weren't even given new books. The department head refused to buy new ones for them because they damaged them and didn't respect them. However, Ms. Gruwell brought up the point that giving the students these worn down books gives them the impression that they don't deserve or aren't worthy of new ones. This conversations showed just how much Ms. Gruwell believed in her students and stood up for them. Overall, I think the most important message of this film is that you should never give up on something that you believe in. Ms. Gruwell had faith in her students, and even though people didn't believe in her, she ignored that and focused on what was important to her.
At the beginning of the film, Ms. Gruwell was told not to wear the pearl necklace that her father gave her to school because it was implied that it might get stolen, however Ms. Gruwell wore them on the first day. Personally i thought this was Ms. Gruwells way of showing that she is her own person and that she's not afraid of showing who she is. When one of her students were being bullied and she brought up the holocaust, none of her students knew what the holocaust was except for the one white boy. I think this is because based on the conditions they were living in at the time, they and their families were more worried about getting by and surviving then the past. On the subject of the books, the conversation was important because it showed that nobody was willing to give the kids a chance. Ms. Gruwell buying the books with her own money showed that she was willing to give the kids a chance and wanted to help them. The most important thing message i got from this movie was don't let your past or your background hold you back, and to never give up.
The department head and other english teacher told her not to wear the pearls because they're racist and thought her students would steal them from her. She didn't follow the advice because she believed that she could control the kids well and she did. The reason they hadn't heard about the holocaust was most likely because none of the teachers cared about teaching minorities. The importance of the book discussion is to point out that many whites don't believe minorities are smart enough to read books at the same level as whites, while Ms. Gruwell believes they can and she's right. I believe the most important message is the everybody, has their own story that should be heard.
Ms. Gruwell was told at the beginning of the film not to wear her pearl necklace. It was an expensive piece of jewelry and the department head warned her that it might be stolen. When entering a school where many of the students were living in the projects, displaying your wealth was not the best idea when trying to connect with your class. However, Ms. Gruwell does not listen to the warning and enters the class that day wearing her pearls. She is immediately judged by her students, but that does not affect her will to help her students succeed. I think she wore her pearls to show everyone that she wasn't going to change who she was based on a judgment about her students. The students in Ms. Gruwell's class did not know what the Holocaust was. This is because they were living their lives fighting their own violent battles. In school teachers did not think enough of them to educate them about important historical events, but rather focused on trying to get their test scores up to state standards. When Ms. Gruwell came along she recognized the potential that her students had. She realized that if they weren't taught about the Holocaust, there was a chance of history repeating itself. The students in her class entered with such hatred towards people that weren't "their own." Ms. Gruwell recognized the danger in this attitude and changed it. When she is trying to get new books for her class, the department head will not give them to her. She says that the students will just lose or ruin them and that the school cannot afford to put forth that kind of money for that kind of treatment. The department head doesn't even want to give the kids a chance. However, when Ms. Gruwell gives the kids all new books they are immediately gratified and are able to see that she truly believes in them. This has a large effect on their determination to do well in that class. I think that the most important message from this film is that your past does not determine your future. All the students in her class came from rocky pasts. Many of their family members had not graduated high school and they all knew multiple friends that had been killed by gang violence. However, this did not determine their will to succeed and their will to survive. As soon as they let go of the stereotypes and starting working together, they made amazing things happen.
Mrs. Gruwell truly changed the lives of her students. She treated them like intelligent individuals, and put hope into them, as opposed to the rest of the school. By buying her students books, she was showing them that she trusts them and that she thinks they are capable of taking care of the books as well as understanding the more complicated literature. Through these books, she was able to expand their views on topics such as the Holocaust. I was shocked that essentially none of the kids knew what the Holocaust was, although after thinking about it I wasn't too surprised. Since the kids live in their own world, and people don't teach them much because they assume they wouldn't care or wouldn't understand, they wouldn't have really had the opportunity to learn about the Holocaust. Finally, I think that the most important message of this film is to never let others perceptions of view dictate what you do.
Ms. Gruwell was told told not to wear her pearls the first day of school because the department head and english teacher were afraid they would be stolen. Ms. G decides to wear the pearls anyways- not to flaunt her possessions, but to give the kids the benefit of the doubt by showing that she has higher expectations of her students. The students are ignorant to history and the world outside of their neighborhood because they are so wrapped up in their own issues. Ms. Gruwell believes it is a waste to leave books sitting in storage, while the department head is reluctant to allot her books because she believes the children will destroy them. Ms. G believes that her kids will treat the books with respect if they themselves are treated with respect. The most important thing I took away from the film is to assert yourself and advocate for your beliefs in order to overstep the people in power and achieve something that you believe is for the greater good.
i think that Ms. Gruwell was given the advice because everyone expected them to be stolen because that was what people believed was a "normal" thing for these kids to do. I think she wore them on the first day because she didn't want to assume something about people she didn't know. She chose to give them chance which no one else had ever done. I was surprised that most of the kids didn't know what the Holocaust was. i think it was because they thought that they were the only ones who had ever gone through this struggle so they didn't pay much attention to the world outside their town. I really liked how they showed the kids expressions when they went on the field trip to the Holocaust museum because it showed their understanding. The reason that Ms. Gruwell wanted new books was because the kids had never had anything new so they didn't care how they treated the other books. Also the books they were given were easier than the originals. Giving them new books that were difficult to read made them feel like they were smart and that Ms. Gruwell didn't see them like the rest of the teachers did. The most important message of the film I think is that you're never alone. Everyone has to struggle through something but no one has to do it alone.
The department head of the school told Mrs. G that she shouldn't wear her pearls to class because the students would steal them or rob her. Instead she wore them all the time after that, illustrating her defiance towards the school as well as the faith in her students to be trustworthy people. I think almost none of the students were aware of the holocaust because the other teachers were giving them extremely simple tasks to do in school. They believed the kids couldn’t handle harder, more challenging work so they didn’t really try and teach them anything. The importance of giving the students new books is that it makes them feel like the teachers trust them and truly believe the kids can handle the literature. I think the most important message of the movie is to work hard at what you’re good at and to not let anyone else tell you that you can’t do something.
Ms. Gruwell was advised by her department head not to wear her pearls to class because it was typical of the students to try to steal them. I believe Ms. Gruwell ignored this advice because she believed that it was possible that the students could change their ways and that she had higher expectations of them. The majority of students in Ms. Gruwell’s class had never heard of the Holocaust because of the background they were raised in and the fact that they were not provided with a proper education. By asking the department-chair for higher-level books in better condition, Ms. Gruwell suggests that the students are capable of higher levels of learning and are worthy of a proper education. I thought the most important message of the film was that everyone is capable of achieving success, regardless of any troubles in their past.
Mrs. G was advised not to wear the pearls to class by the department head because they could easily be stolen. I believe she went against the advise because she had faith in the students. Even though the kids all came from a bad place, she knew if she tried hard enough she would be able to make a difference in at least one students life. I think the reason she was able to turn the kids lives around was because she gave them respect that no other teacher in the school did. she even was willing to use her own money to get supplies for them and they noticed that right away.Throughout the entire movie not many people supported was Mrs. G was doing, but that did not stop her from trying her hardest because she knew she could make a difference. I believe the message of this movie was that no matter how many times people tell you you cant do something, you have to continue and try your hardest because in the end that's all that really counts.
Mrs G is told not to wear them because the teachers around the school are scared of the students, they feel they are criminals, violent, and uneducated. And I believe she decides to wear them in order to make a statement to show that she is not at all intimidated by the kids that walk into her classroom each day. Mrs G was faced with some very tough situations in the school, one of them being a bullying incident against an African American Student. After seeing the picture and tackling the bully problem she asks the students if they had ever heard of the Holocaust. None of them raise there hands and I believe this is because the kids she is are very uneducated. And they are uneducated because nobody is invested in their teaching enough to really care if the kids actually become educated besides Mrs G. And this leads to what I think is the important message of this movie. That being, that if given a fair chance everyone can become educated and better there themselves and to some degree the people around them; i think of it as a pay it forward idea where good deeds are passed on from one person to another, and in this case its education.
I wasn't here for most of the film, but what I got from it was mainly that the students in Mrs. Gruwell's class were looked down on because of their ethnicity and because of where they came from. Mrs. Gruwell was able to look past that and treat the students as equals, which no one else in the school system or government had done for the kids. They were able to take an interest in learning because of being treated as equals.
I think that she ignored the advice of the other teachers because she didn't necessarily cared what they thought and did what she wanted. The kids were never taught it. Before all the other teachers told her to just get the job done, like they didn't care about the students at all. The students didn't know what to holocaust was because all there other teachers didn't bother to teach it to them. When Mrs. Gruell was asking for books the deparment head told her she cant haver any because those kids destroy them. This part was very signifigant because it shows that no one cares about the job, they just do it and get it over with. They don't trust only those kids with the books, because no one ever gave them a chance with real books. The department head also said that they weren't their reading level. No one had given these kids a chance to prove themselves. I think that the most important message is to never give up on what you believe in, even if everyone else tells you you are wrong.
I think she wrote the pearls because she wanted to give her students the benefit of the doubt and not just assume they were dangerous thieves. I also think that they didn't know about the holocaust until this point because no one cared enough to spend time teaching them. also the department head doesn't want to supply reading material to the kids because she thinks it's a waste. lastly I think the message is that you don't have to live by the stereotypes people set f or you
I was absent last friday, so I can't answer all the questions as I missed the part of the movie about the students not understanding the Holocaust.
But, I can comment on the pearls. When she was having her first meeting with the department head, the department head came off as being very impartial to the students success. The department head seemed run-down by the job, and commented on how Mrs. G would have to "do her time" teaching the freshmen and sophomores, and eventually she would get to teach the juniors, who were the students that didn't drop out and wanted to learn. The department head also said that Mrs. G shouldn't wear the pearls "around here", suggesting that the students were untrustworthy and criminals. But, despite what the department head said, Mrs. G went on to wear a flashy red dress and pearls on the first day of school. She certainly turned heads. But, she also made a stronger statement. She had no fear. She wasn't scared of the kids, they were just her students. And, beyond tha, she trusted them, as any teacher would trust their students. I think that this action resonated with the students and respect was eventually established.
What I thought were the main messages of the movie were that everyone has potential and that it is always best to do the right thing. The fact that all these kids probably would have dropped out, but they went on to graduate, shows that they all had potential that they had never realize before. It just took some encouragement from Mrs. G. Additionally, when the girl decided to testify against her own father in court, choosing to not falsely accuse the innnocent man, she did the right thing. Although it had many negative repercussions for her, she can still say that she did the right thing. This contributes to the other main message that I took away from the film.
Ms. Gruwell was confident that she would make a difference with her diverse class. When told not to wear the pearls, she showed confidence and perserverance by ignoring the advice and not too judge the students by their appearance. The students may not have heard of the Holocaust because they were never given the oppurtunity to learn about it. The children were never given good resources or literature to read and study because the school board and english department does not trust them. Which ties into the conversation Gruwell had with the english chair. She asked why she could not get books or stories the kids could relate too and the english head explained that she can not give out books if she will not get them back. The englsh head never gave the kids a chance to prove they can respect school property because she looked at the past. This conversation was important because it pushed Gruwell to get her own books showing trust towards the students. Finally, I believe the main message is to not let the past influence the present. Every child and Ms. Gruwell showed that they can over come their past failures to do extraordinary things.
I think that the reason she wore the pearls against her department heads advice was because she wanted to prove that she wasn't prejudiced like the department head. Also, she wanted to show that she had faith in the kids to not steal from her. I think that the reason that the students hadn't heard about the Holocaust was because they had been raised to only care about themselves and their own war, not other peoples wars. The discussion with her department chair showed how the kids in her class were immediately treated like criminals and vandals just because they were minorities. Finally, the most important message of the film was that even if everyone has given up on someone, and they have given up on themselves, they can still be saved as long as you are determined enough.
TH e pearls were what MRs. G was going to wear to school on the first day. WHehn she was told to take them off, I think she left them on because they were a part of her. SHe coudln't imagine the students, who were deprived financially, who had never really seen pearls, and felt isolated. I think the students weren;t taught about the holocaust becuase it was not something peopel felt important to tell them. the school felt that they were financially deprived kids, and trying to tell them aobut the holocaust would not work. THe reason the students never had books was similar. The woman herself said it was not worth teaching them- whatever they were told they did not learn. I think the most important message of this film is to be like Mrs. G. THis is a wide message, so I will shorten it into- don'tbe intimidated by your differneces. MRs. G was from a completely different financial background, and was not at all accustomed to the violence and fighting among the students she was teaching. but Instead of keeping to herself, she buckled up and tried to teach them. THis was the most important lesson to me
mrs gruwell was given advice from the department head. to not wear her pearls to school because she should be in fear that the students might take them from her. this didint stop mrs gruwell what so ever.in fact it inspired her to wear them everyday to make the kids feel like shes not afrade of them and treat them with the same respct as everyone else. this choice she made to treat theas thugs like normal humanbeings gave her the option to work with theas students and to help them learn. to me this movie was very inserpational and was a real tear jerker.
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