Freedom Writers Page #4

I don't understand.

Does the Long Beach Board of Ed agree

that these books should just sit here

and not be used at all?

Let me explain.

It's called site-based instruction.

It means that I and the principal

each have the authority

to make these kinds of decisions

without having to go to the Board,

who have bigger problems to solve.

Do you understand how it works now?

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to overstep your authority.

I would never do that. I just...

I don't know how to make them

interested in reading with these.

You can't make someone

want an education.

The best you can do is try to get them

to obey, to learn discipline.

That would be a tremendous

accomplishment for them.

Since you know Margaret

better than I do,

if I could just get

some backup from you.

I really think that the stories like

The Diary of Anne Frank and...

That they'd be so great for them,

and she doesn't seem to understand

that they could relate to these stories

considering all that they face.

Oh, of course. It's a universal story.

I mean, Anne Frank, Rodney King,

they're almost interchangeable.

- Are you making fun of me?

- Yeah.

God, listen to what you're saying.

How dare you compare them

to Anne Frank?

They don't hide.

They drive around in the open

with automatic weapons.

I'm the one living in fear.

I can't walk out my door at night.

And you blame these kids?

This was an A-list school

before they came here.

And look what they turned it into.

I mean, does it make sense

that kids who want

an education should suffer

because their high school gets turned

into a reform school?

Because kids who don't want to be here,

and shouldn't be here,

are forced to be here

by the geniuses

running the school district?

Integration's a lie.

Yeah, we teachers, we can't say that

or we lose our jobs for being racist.

So, please, stop your cheerleading,

Erin. You're ridiculous.

You don't know the first thing

about these kids.

And you're not qualified

to make judgments about the teachers

who have to survive this place.

We're gonna play a game, all right?

It's a lot of fun. I promise.

Look, you can either sit in your seats

reading those workbooks,

or you can play a game.

Either way,

you're in here till the bell rings.

Okay. This is called the Line Game.

I'm gonna ask you a question.

If that question applies to you,

you step onto the line,

and then step back away

for the next question.

- Easy, right?

- Yeah, whatever.

The first question,

how many of you have

the new Snoop Dogg album?

Did you steal it?

Okay, back away.

Next question,

how many of you have seen

Boyz n the Hood?

Okay. Next question.

How many of you live in the projects?

How many of you know someone,

a friend or relative,

who was or is in juvenile hall or jail?

How many of you have been

in juvenile hall

or jail for any length of time?

Detention don't count.

Does a refugee camp count?

You decide.

How many of you know

where to get drugs right now?

How many of you

know someone in a gang?

How many of you are gang members?

- Nice try.

- Nice try.

Okay, that was a stupid question,

wasn't it?

Yeah.

You're not allowed

gang affiliations in school.

I apologize for asking. My badness.

Okay, now I'm gonna ask you

a more serious question.

Stand on the line if you've lost

a friend to gang violence.

Stay on the line if you've lost

more than one friend.

Three.

Four or more.

Okay, I'd like us to pay respect

to those people now.

Wherever you are,

just speak their name.

James.

Beatriz.

Thank you all very much.

Now, I have something for each of you.

Everyone has their own story,

and it's important for you

to tell your own story, even to yourself.

So, what we're going to do is

we're gonna write every day

in these journals.

You can write about whatever you want,

the past, the present, the future.

You can write it like a diary,

or you can write

songs, poems, any good thing,

bad thing, anything.

But you have to write every day.

Keep a pen nearby.

Whenever you feel the inspiration.

And they won't be graded.

How can I give an A or a B

for writing the truth, right?

And I will not read them

unless you give me permission.

I will need to see that you've made

an entry, but I'll just do this,

skim to see that you wrote that day.

Now, if you want me to read it, I have...

Excuse me. A cabinet over here.

It has a lock on it.

I will keep it open during class,

and you can leave your diary there

if you want me to read it.

I will lock this cabinet

at the end of every class.

Okay?

So, you can each come up,

one by one, and take your own journal.

Whenever you're ready.

Eva holds back,

but I know she wants to be involved.

She's so stubborn.

Who really surprised me was Brandy,

who never says a word,

but she was the first to step up

and take a journal. I...

Honey, here. Here, sit down.

- It's all right. No, it's all right.

- I'll move this.

I don't mind standing.

Food goes straight down.

- How much longer are you gonna be?

- I don't know.

- Want to help?

- Not really, I'm a terrible drawer.

- You're an architect.

- All right, I just don't want to.

What's the matter?

Is something wrong?

No, it's nothing.

Well, it's just, you know,

I want to hear all this, I do.

It just...

I feel like

we haven't talked about anything,

other than your job, in like forever.

I'm sorry.

- Well, what's going on at work?

- Nothing.

I don't want to talk about that, either.

I just want to hang out.

I want to be home.

And I want to be with my schoolteacher.

I've always had this fantasy

about being kept late after school.

Well, I'm sorry I left

my dirty erasers at work.

Do all the other teachers

put in this much extra effort?

I don't know.

I'm kind of making it up as I go along.

And the other teachers don't really

talk to me. I mean, Brian and Margaret...

- Honey, I don't want to think.

- I'm sorry. Okay, don't think.

- I just wanna...

- I'm almost done, okay?

So, how much longer?

Not long. Promise.

Thank you so much for coming.

Susan's a terrific student. Thank you.

- Great to see you.

- Good night. Take care.

- Jim, thank you so much.

- Thanks, Brian.

I appreciate you guys coming

to Parents' Night.

Drive safe.

In every war, there is an enemy.

I watched my mother

being half beaten to death

and watched as blood and tears

streamed down her face.

I felt useless and scared

and furious at the same time.

I felt useless and scared

and furious at the same time.

Stay there, Brandy. Watch the kids!

- Get my money!

- Watch the kids!

I can still feel the sting of the belt

on my back and my legs.

One time, he couldn't pay the rent.

And that night he stopped us on

the street and pointed to the concrete.

He said, "Pick a spot. "

Clive was my boy.

He had my back plenty of times.

We was like one fist, me and him,

one army.

- That's heavy.

- Yeah.

That's the real sh*t right here.

Nobody'll jump us now.

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