Movie Comparison Paper

Movie Comparison Paper

            I watched Freedom Writers staring Hillary Swank and Stand and Deliver staring Edward James Olmos.  Both movies were based on true stories.  They depicted high school teachers, new to the profession, who were enthusiastic and eager to educate their students.   

            The two teachers portrayed were truly inspirational.  They had the “difficult” students.  Their students had low academic scores and came from low socioeconomic homes.   The diverse ethnicity of the students in Freedom Writers added to the problems the teacher, Mrs. Gruwell, had to overcome.  The school was part of the voluntary integration project in California during the early nineties.  Several students were bussed to the school from outlying neighborhoods.  This created a school population separated by race.  The students, whether white, Hispanic, Asian, or African American, all stayed within their own groups.   It facilitated a gang like atmosphere at the school.  None of her students, initially, felt they belonged.  They brought their territorial attitudes into the classroom.  With this “gang mentality”, difficult home lives, low academic scores, and unwillingness to learn, the school administrators and teachers had written them off. 

            Erin Gruwell, a first year teacher, chose this school because of the voluntary integration project.  She felt the “war” needed to be fought in the classroom.  She would not falter in her ambition to reach them.  Erin Gruwell battled to gain their respect and struggled with the department heads to obtain the materials she thought would reach them.  Her determination and willingness to hold her ground on both fronts lead to her success in motivating them to want to learn.  She really stepped outside the box and created a classroom environment tailored to their life experiences.  She did not simply teach them, she took them out and showed them.  They became so vested in their educational experience with her that room 203 became their home.  The students in room 203 published their journal writings and titled it Freedom Writers.

            There were similar experiences for Jamie Escalante.  He was the teacher portrayed in Stand and Deliver.  This story took place in the early eighties at East Garfield High School in East LA.  This school was populated with Mexican American students.  The school was facing the loss of funding due to low academic scores.  He left a career to become a teacher.  While older than Erin Gruwell, he was also a first year teacher.  His attitude was that students would rise to the level of expectations.  If you set the bar high and show them they can learn, they will rise to the occasion.  He taught remedial math.  Within days he was teaching them algebra and by their sophomore year he was teaching them AP Calculus.  Mr. Escalante dedicated an immense amount of time and expected his students to dedicate their time to achieve the ultimate success, passing the AP Calculus exam.  Like in Freedom Writers, this group of students became a family.  They were dedicated to their teacher and each other.  In 1982 all 18 students passed the AP calculus exam (twice).

            Both of these teachers moved heaven and earth to reach their students.  They took a personal interest in their lives and in their ability to learn.  Neither one let the students use their ethnicity or home lives as an excuse to fail.  They believed in these kids and taught the kids to believe in themselves.  The students in both stories accomplished great things against all odds.  The teachers did not simply teach them English and/or Calculus.  They taught them how to overcome adversity, trust in each other, and believe there is value in learning.  The title, Stand and Deliver, sums up the accomplishments of both teachers.  They both stood up for their students and delivered everything they promised.