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USDLA 2023 National Conference is less than 2 weeks away: July 17-20
Happy July 4 USDLA friends!
We are thrilled to introduce you to this month’s guest on the Distance Learning Roundtable: Teacher, Author, and Freedom Writers Foundation Founder Erin Gruwell.
On Tuesday, July 18, Erin and Waldorf University’s Dr. Freda Braddock, will be hosting a special workshop at the USDLA National Conference from 1:30-4pm. Immediately after, Erin will be hosting a Cookies and Coffee session where we can all gather for an informal conversation with the woman who has changed the life of countless students.
Scroll down to learn more about Erin, her two groundbreaking books, and the film about her life starring Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank.
Have you signed up to be part of our amazing National Conference?
We’ll see you soon! — The USDLA Communications team |
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Tuesday, July 18, 1:30-4pm: Meet Freedom Writers Founder Erin Gruwell
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About Erin : Freedom Writers Founder Erin Gruwell is a teacher, author, and activist fighting for social justice for more than two decades.
Erin first gained national attention in 1998 when she and her 150 students appeared on an ABC special–PrimeTime Live–with Connie Chung. Erin’s students – affectionately called the Freedom Writers – came from backgrounds of poverty, gangs, and violence, and many were at risk of dropping out of school due to the school-to-prison pipeline. But, under Erin’s guidance, all 150 Freedom Writers graduated from high school and pursued higher education.
In 1999, she and the Freedom Writers published their book, The Freedom Writers Diary, which detailed their unique journey from hardship to hope (scroll down for details). |
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The book became a #1 New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a major motion picture, Freedom Writers, starring two-time Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank as Erin. The film brought Erin’s work to an even wider audience, and she has since used her platform to continue her fight for equity and inclusion with her non-profit, the Freedom Writers Foundation.
Erin’s work has been recognized with several humanitarian awards, including the prestigious Spirit of Anne Frank Award. Erin and the Freedom Writers have appeared on multiple television shows to promote educational reform, including Oprah, The View, Good Morning America, and NBC’s TODAY. They have also been featured on National Public Radio, numerous newspapers, and national magazines, such as People. In 2019, Erin and the Freedom Writers were the subjects of the Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart. Erin also hosts The Freedom Writers Podcast with guests who are authors, activists, and civil rights icons.
Click here to listen to our podcast on DistanceLearningRoundtable.com. Watch the video interview on DistanceLearningRoundtable.tv |
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Dear Freedom Writer: Stories of Hardship and Hope from the Next Generation
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About the book: “Today’s students tell their stories of adversity and growth in letters to the original Freedom Writers—authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Freedom Writers Diary—who write supportive and powerful letters in response,” explains Erin.
In 1994, she was a first-year high school teacher in Long Beach, California. “My students were labeled ‘unteachable,’ but I saw past that. Instead of treating them as scores on a test, I knew each had a unique story to tell.”
Inspired by books like Anne Frank’s Diary, Erin’s students began writing their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the Freedom Writers. Together, they co-authored The Freedom Writers Diary, which launched a movement that remains incredibly relevant and impactful today. Their stories speak to young people who feel those around them do not care about their lives, feelings, and struggles. They want to be heard; they want to be seen.
In Dear Freedom Writer, the next generation of Freedom Writers shares its struggles with abuse, racism, discrimination, poverty, mental health, imposed borders, LGBTQIA+ identity, and police violence. Each story is answered with a letter of advice from an original Freedom Writer. With empathy and honesty, they address these young people not with the platitudes of a politician or a celebrity but with the pragmatic advice of people who have dealt with these same issues and come out on the other side. Through its eye-opening and inspiring stories, Dear Freedom Writer paints an unflinchingly honest portrait of today’s youth and offers a powerful message of perseverance, understanding, and hope.
Click here to buy the book! |
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The Freedom Writer’s Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves
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About The Freedom Writer’s Diary: Back in 1994, Erin intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust.
She was met by uncomprehending looks—none of her students had heard of one of the 20th century’s defining moments. So she rebooted her entire curriculum, using treasured books such as Anne Frank’s Diary as her guide to combat intolerance and misunderstanding. Her students recorded their thoughts and feelings in their diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers.”
Consisting of powerful entries from the students’ diaries and a narrative text by Erin, The Freedom Writers Diary is an unforgettable story of how hard work, courage, and determination changed a teacher’s and her students’ lives. The book has sold over one million copies in the two decades since its original publication and inspired a major motion picture Freedom Writers.
And now, with this twentieth-anniversary edition, readers are brought up to date on the lives of the Freedom Writers as they blend indispensable to take on social issues with uplifting stories of attending college—and watch their own children follow in their footsteps. The Freedom Writers Diary remains vital for anyone who believes in second chances.
Click here to buy the book! |
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Eric Jones, President
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About United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)
The USDLA, a 501(c) 3 non-profit association formed in 1987, reaches 20,000 people globally with sponsors and members operating in and influencing 46% of the $913 billion. U.S. education and training market. USDLA promotes the development and application of distance learning for education and training and serves the needs of the distance learning community by providing advocacy, information, networking, and opportunity. Distance learning and training constituencies served include pre-K-12 education, home schooling, higher education, and continuing education, as well as business, corporate, military, government, and telehealth markets. Visit USDLA.org |
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