I realized if you can change a classroom, you can change a community, and if you change enough communities you can change the world. Erin Gruwell changeclassroomcommunity Change image and share on social
Writing really evokes empathy in a way very few things can do. Erin Gruwell empathyevokething Change image and share on social
I think a lot of teachers feel like they're teaching to a test. Our response is you teach to a student, you really teach to the kid. Erin Gruwell feelkidlot Change image and share on social
Hoping they'd been inspired by the examples of Anne Frank and other teens who had turned negative experiences into something positive by writing about them, I handed out notebooks for my students to journal about their lives. There was some initial resistance. But then the stories poured out of them, full of anger and sadness. Erin Gruwell angeranneexample share on social
That's the beauty of education, kids taking lessons out of the classroom and back into their own world where they can positively affect their family, their friends, and their greater community. Erin Gruwell affectbackbeauty Change image and share on social
Some teachers feel that if they ask for emotional help, they're a failure. But teaching is a team sport. Erin Gruwell emotionalfailurefeel Change image and share on social
I have learned that, although I am a good teacher, I am a much better student, and I was blessed to learn valuable lessons from my students on a daily basis. They taught me the importance of teaching to a student - and not to a test. Erin Gruwell basisblessdaily share on social
When you're too robotic and scripted, the students tune you out. So I always tried to use different learning modalities - kinesthetic, auditory, visual, whatever might bring learning to life. Erin Gruwell auditorybringkinesthetic Change image and share on social
Paying to teach in the trenches was like putting my face through a cutout hole at a carnival while a quarterback threw pies at me. At least with a carnival, I'd see it coming. Erin Gruwell carnivalcomecutout Change image and share on social
Writing is powerful. Whether it's a little girl hiding from the Nazis in an attic, or Amnesty International writing letters on behalf of political prisoners, the power of telling stories is usually what causes change. Erin Gruwell amnestyatticbehalf share on social