Vol. 41, No. 16
February 28 , 2007
CONTACT: JIM MORRIS |
Erin Gruwell to be Keynote Speaker at Pathways Conference
Educator’s Story Is Depicted in New “Freedom Writers” Movie
Erin Gruwell, the Long Beach, Calif., teacher whose story is portrayed in the recent movie, “Freedom Writers,” will open a statewide conference for educators Sunday (March 4) at Osage Beach. The keynote presentation begins at 3:00 p.m.
The 20th annual Pathways Conference is sponsored by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for educators of at-risk students. A conference program is available online (http://dese.mo.gov/divteachqual/leadership/index.html).
Ms. Gruwell will discuss her educational philosophy and experiences as an educator. Topics of her presentation will include becoming a catalyst for change, teaching tolerance and nurturing the leader within ourselves. Her presentation is scheduled for:
Sunday, March 4 • 3:00–5:30 p.m. • Tan-Tar-A (Salon A), Osage Beach
She will be available to the media after her keynote and book signing.
In the fall of 1994, Erin Gruwell was a 23-year-old English teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif. Her students were a diverse group of at-risk teenagers deemed “unteachable.” The teenagers resided in a racially divided urban community where they had first-hand exposure to poverty and gang violence. When a racial incident occurred in her classroom, she turned it into an ongoing dialogue that ultimately transformed their lives. The students came to be known as the Freedom Writers, and Ms. Gruwell helped them to publish a nationally acclaimed book, “The Freedom Writers Diary – How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them.” Paramount Pictures recently released the film “Freedom Writers,” starring Hilary Swank as Erin Gruwell.
Currently, Ms. Gruwell serves as president of the Erin Gruwell Education Project, a non-profit organization that promotes inclusion and provides scholarships for children in need.
For more information, contact: Paul Katnik, director, The Leadership Academy, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (573/751-2990).