Freedom Writers - Movie Review Example

The movies main focus is to display how someone who is passionate about something can make a difference in the lives of others. Having a passion for something can really drive someone to success. In the movie, one of the main roles is played by a white woman. In the movie, the woman is a teacher. This white teacher is portrayed to have had an easy childhood. It appears her parents had money, came from a good neighborhood and allowed their child to attend college. The teacher's parents likely set goals for her and wanted her to be the best she could be.

This lifestyle is completely different than the lifestyles that the students in the movie are surrounded by. The school that the teacher begins working is located in a dangerous neighborhood. The school is full of misguided youth. The teens in the school are different from the teacher in so many ways. The students come from all different races and segregate themselves from one another. The Latinos, Whites, African Americans and Asians separate themselves from one another and refuse to participate in anything that involves unity.

This segregation they are forcing upon themselves is a result of segregation outside of the school. Gangs, deaths, shootings, violence, teen pregnancy and trouble at home plague the youth and the school. The area, in general, contains many homes that rely on welfare and have a lower social class. These problems are popular in minority groups and are a good example as to how certain minorities suffer different problems. Race regarding economics and other factors are more of an issue in the movie rather than gender.

In the movie, male and female teens share the same problems. Both male and female students have lost someone, struggle with peer pressure and racism. Throughout the beginning of the movie, the teacher struggles with obtaining the students' attention as they don’t care to listen to her because of her race. The students also feel that the teacher thinks she is more superior then them. The student immediately stereotypes the teacher and begin to tell her that she does not know what it is like to be like them.

Instead of quitting like she was encouraged to do, the teacher does not give up. The teacher notices that there are no materials available for the students and struggles with other faculty in the building. The faculty in the building also stereotypes the students. The students are stereotyped by the school administrator and other teachers. Books that should be available to the students are stuck on shelves because students in the past have not read them, lost them and damaged them. It is easy to see why the students are frustrated, unmotivated and unwilling to try to better their lives.

Based on stereotypes of previous students, the students who are not academically achieved and a certain race are neglected. What’s good about the story regarding the movie is that the teacher is able to look past statistics, stereotypes, and race and give the students in her class a chance. Obtaining the students' respect and attention was not easy. The teacher struggled to get the students to see past their race and realize that they were equal. The teacher shows the students that their race is nothing when compared to the similarities that the students share.

With a few simple activities and long nights, the teacher quickly grabs the student’s attention. The teacher opens the student’s eyes to a whole new world that was unavailable to them previously because of racial boundaries and lost hopes. As a result of the teacher’s hard work and determination, the students were able to break free from the statistics and stereotypes. The students were able to raise their grades, improve their attendance and focus on their future. The students were also able to see that if they work hard they are able to achieve goals.

This is proven when the students were able to go on a field trip and experience something they never thought possible.