Freedom Writers to Freedom Warriors: Lessons for Life Through Education

Some life lessons never get old . . . Back in the 1990s, Erin Gruwell, a young English teacher, took on the role of a lifetime when she accepted the responsibility to teach at Woodrow Wilson High School to numerous at-risk students, many of whom were in gangs, teen parents, and homeless. Ms. G—as her students lovingly called her—was a pioneer of social-emotional learning (SEL).

SEL is the process by which people apply various attitudes, skills, and knowledge to cultivate healthy emotions to achieve goals while extending empathy to others in order to formulate positive relationships. Ms. G believed that her students could achieve high levels of success if they only had the proper support. Despite the life-altering challenges many of her students faced on a daily basis, she taught them how to embrace the power of the pen to help change the world.

The Freedom Writers Diary, and movie, Freedom Writers, explores how this idealistic teacher inspired a class of freshmen students to dream beyond their circumstances by harnessing the power of creative writing and storytelling.

While every one of her 150 students graduated high school in 1998, not all were able to attain their dream of a college education. Since 2018, Waldorf University, home of the Warriors, has been working to navigate a path to a baccalaureate degree for many of Ms. G’s original Freedom Writers. Now adults in their 30s, these students begin with "Lessons for Life" courses that build upon their life experiences to promote a culture of learning. During these courses, students are introduced to the process by which people apply the knowledge and skills necessary to manage emotions, set positive goals, and extend empathy—all while maintaining healthy relationships.

Additionally, some of Ms. G’s original students have completed undergraduate education degrees, and they have gone on to pursue graduate degrees. By embracing the M.Ed. in Social Emotional Learning offered at Waldorf University, these students are blazing a path as they continue to change the world—one classroom at a time. Through the program, they gain the tools necessary to inspire other students by embracing the unique pedagogy of social emotional learning to utilize stories of challenge, perseverance, determination, and hope throughout their classrooms.

Higher education is a goal that many of Ms. G’s students only dreamt about back in Room 203 at Woodrow Wilson High. Now, decades later, they are seeing their dreams become a reality by completing their degrees. Education opens doors of opportunity that many will never fathom possible. Through hard work, perseverance, and determination, the Freedom Writers have become Freedom Warriors, and they are once again proving to the world that delay does not always mean denial. Dreams really do come true, and their Warrior spirit is living proof of that!