Freedom teacher

Initially, I planned to take lightheartedly movie thinking "there are tons of movies, what's so special about this one?". I was in for a surprise. The movie portrayed an accurate picture of struggle, within a neighborhood, between races, within a classroom, between individuals. The divisions were so distinct that one can trace an invisible line between each race. What struck me the most was how Erin, the teacher and leading lady, then blurred completely erased that one line.

After the film, we divided into small groups to reflect. Our group concluded that this movie integrated both teaching and Ethics. We identified the values ​​inherent to the teaching profession which are also characteristic of great physical therapists. Erin has most: compassion, perseverance, courage, flexibility, patience and more. We were also able to identify barriers to learning, some of which are ethical dilemmas. For example, the high school's administration was not supportive of Erin's innovative program therefore she broke the chain of command and approached the head of the integration program himself. Other noteworthy barriers would be the student's initial resistance to learning, the animosity between students and the different learning styles of the students. 

Erin employed a variety of strategies to transcend these barriers. First of which was modifying her lecture to suit the tastes of her students (eg rap). Erin, literature introduced her students can relate to (ie Anne Frank, one about a boy in a gang rampant community.  Apart from her job as a teacher, she also applied to two more jobs in order to fund field trips, these field trips included dinners with real Holocaust survivors. She also extinguished by making the line game, it made ​​the students realize that they share the same experiences, the same griefs. She gave them the freedom journals where they can express themselves without criticism. Near the end, it has become quite evident that the students themselves actively search learning opportunities. 

Teacher Erin Gruwell was once hated by her students, and in the end, they did not want to let her go. Astoundingly, this film is nonfiction. It gave us hope that we too, have become our own Teacher Gs. To be a good PT we must first learn to know and love ourselves since we face multiple obstacles in teaching. I found comfort in Ms. G's rationale as to why she stuck to teaching despite adversaries: she love it, she found her life's meaning in it. This lesson, I took to heart. I admit I am afloat without a destination but one thought keeps me strong and guides me: PT is more than me. It is more than my ambitions and wants. I am in a position where I can serve and create ripples that will change a microsector of society. In the future, whenever low to average grades break me, I will keep in mind Ms. G and her courage to break barriers for the good of her students. She is an inspiration.