First, I must say that Freedom Writers is my favorite movie! Every time I watch this movie, I go through so many emotions ranging from anger to sadness to fear to comfort. Before I saw this film, I read Jonathan Kozol’s book, Shame of the Nation. I was so disgusted by the descriptions of the physical school environments and the lack of resources in the lower-income schools in New York. I was appalled when I read how a young black female felt that if the students, including her, died, they would not be missed. The overall feeling among these young kids was that they don’t really matter or even exist. Because I was reading this for my Foundations class, I immediately ran to my computer and wrote a personal letter to Dr. McKinney. I poured my heart out to her about how I wanted to do something, but I never knew what to do. I still feel helpless because I simply have not done anything.
Although I do not know where I will teach once I graduate, I do know I want to teach in a lower-income area school. I am so passionate about all kids feeling as if they are very valuable in this world. My classroom will be inviting, comfortable, safe, and every student will learn he/she is worthy of living and learning.
As for the "magic talk" idea, I LOVE it! I will definitely use this active learning strategy in my future classroom.
