Freedom Writers

    The practice of ethnic separation and segregation is common on every college and university campus. Since this practice has happened through history, it is remarkable that this has only been recognized recently as a true problem (Jacobs, 2). Segregation has hampered America as long as it has existed. Ethnicity and segregation was nearly the cause of this country splitting apart during the Civil War. Since then reformation and hard work has attempted to bring unity to this country. Though today, college students have regressed, university pupils are "standing by" their own and are not branching out to those who are unlike them in ethnicity. People in general, but more specifically college students

interactions for students as possible. Yet, I am noticing (over the last few years) students

They are changing so much in such a short time; they need to have a safe place where they feel welcome. They also need to know that you as their teacher care about them. “Teachers are responsible for creating the kinds of interpersonal relationships with students that can improve the quality of learning” (Brown, Knowels 107). You can form these welcoming classroom communities by getting to know your students. Encouraging open and un-judgmental conversation within your classroom, this also encourages positive student relationships in your classroom. I also think that setting up expectations in your classroom that are understood by everyone makes for a safe

students by making fun of them or not associating with them into their friend circle. This is a

Without communication and interaction, students of different ethnicities have only decades of discrimination and racial profiling to apprehend each other by. A problem contributing to this is that, even though colleges have done a good job at gathering students of different ethnic groups, they have failed at giving them a diverse educational experience. This can only be done by establishing connectivity and interaction among them. This is a situation that must be addressed because it can lead to serious problems between student groups, both physical through confrontations among students and mental through verbal abuse. This dilemma is mentioned in Frank Bruni’s article when he says “Some students’ insistence not just that their viewpoints be

& Nakayama, T. 2011)The same can be said about the races with in the Payson community, Hispanics and Caucasians simply refrain from un-necessary interaction. In High schools the races separate themselves from each other because of the cultural difference and language barriers. It is the responsibility of adults and leaders to break those barriers, and create an association between races.

The University of North Florida values “mutual respect and civility” which is important when attending a college that has students from many diverse experiences. I share this value as a student because college is where multiple nationalities, religions, and economic backgrounds blend in the classroom.I feel this is important for students to understand to learn how to respect one another’s opinions even when there may be disagreement. I became aware of this because the school hosts multiple clubs and activities that provide opportunities for students to learn about one another. These

As the student to be in charge of the rest of the students, in the program, I take it upon myself to try and fix things between the two social race groups in the program. I see both sides as equal. I could never put myself in the situation to favor one group over the other. Personally, I am come from a Spanish background but the majority of the people I am constantly around are Caucasian. Therefore, I can see both the positive and negative aspects of both groups. Very easy it has become for me to see why these who groups tend to judge one another. Though they see themselves as two completely different types of people with different backgrounds and appearances, they have so many things in

Finally, everyone regardless of their skill color, ethnicity, and religion deserves a place in our society. No one deserves to be discriminated against and be treated as a second class citizen. Indeed, I can say that things are changing in this generation, but we us a nation still have to do much to achieve a democracy and freedom many people risked their lives for. It very significant to stand for what we believe in, even when many cannot stand. As I watched the movie Freedom Writers Mrs. Erin stood up for what she believed in, even when many people did not believe on her work. Lastly, as an immigrant this movie showed me the dark side of American history, and also the movie showed me the way to get through obstacles which we face in life.

During the time, it was a high mixed percentage of Caucasian and black students that was integrated at the same school. By me attending that school, I befriended someone different from my ethnicity and his name was Bryan. I believe what made our relationship grow was that we both knew why we were there for a common cause and that was to learn. Integrated schools can help you build relationships.

To prove that this is a relevant problem at CHS, we personally set out with a series of two interviews, a survey, and a social experiment. The first interview was conducted with three random students at CHS to exemplify first-hand accounts of the problem. After questioning two sophomores and one senior, all three recognized that many students at our school are callous and cold towards others they don’t know. Saying “People at CHS can be mean and disrespectful if you try and talk to them without knowing them.”(Fernandes Interview) This was also the reason all three stated for not wanting to make more friends at our school. Clearly the results concurred as every single subject showed an obvious disdain towards social interaction with others in general, outlining the evident problems our school faces with claims such as “ I don’t like constantly meeting new people, it puts me out of my comfort zone.”(Fernandes Interview) This mindset displayed by one of our students shows how many others at our school view it as their personal choice to neglect interaction with their classmates.

UW-Madison is a place of diversity, fill with many different people from all kinds of background. International students play a prominent role in the diversity of the community. Walking in the street of campus, I find individuals who are Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, African American, Muslim, Caucasian and much more. In fact, I do not even know the racial identity of some students I met. Although, at a quick glance, the community seem well diverse, however, there are still barriers that prevent the community from being inclusive and welcoming for everyone. The language, cultural, and social barrier is what separate the international students from the domestic students. The lack of interaction between the two groups has been clearly visible all over campus. There has to be more communication between the two groups for UW-Madison to be an inclusive and welcoming community. The Dean of Student Office should provide events that will help guide domestic and international students to interact with each other more.

We all want to belong. It doesn't matter if we are introverts or extroverts we all want to feel accepted by our peers and a part of something larger than ourselves. As teachers, we play a huge role in helping our students learn how to associate with other children and establish friendships in a healthy way. Students building friendships with one another doesn't always come naturally, so teachers need to facilitate teambuilding and class building experiences accessible to help them along the way.

The movie Freedom Writers, stars Hilary Swank, Imelda Staunton, and Patrick Dempsey, and is directed by Richard LaGravenese, is based on a true story about a school in Long Beach, California (IMDB). Ms. Gruelle and at-risk students to learn how to apply themselves in the classroom, and shows them that their is more to their lives outsides of all the gangs, drugs, and the gang wars. Through unconventional ways of teaching and continuous devotion to her students. Ms. Gruelle teaches her students to appreciate the opportunity each student has and to have the motivation to get a proper education. The Freedom Writers is a great adaptation from book to movie that has a crucial look into true inner city schools and teaches kids to realize how privileged some people truly are.

That seemed to be what usually happened now and then. It also affected the community because this attitude the students had towards African American students in class. There was a big vandalism that had happened in my community that wasn’t too far from my house. It had a lot of crosses and religious sayings on them. Along with other forms of vandalism on the house. But no one had really talked or addressed these things so no one had talked about it. Which made it not change and just stay the same. So, I had always heard these things talked about in such a way until I had come to Bluffton University.