Erin Gruwell
American teacher and speaker
Erin Gruwell is an American teacher whose classroom approach led to The Freedom Writers Diary. Her story was also adapted into a film.
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American Born 1969 in Glendora, United States
About Erin Gruwell
Erin Gruwell was born on 15 August 1969 in the United States. She became known for a distinctive way of teaching, which resulted in The Freedom Writers Diary, published in 1999. The book's subtitle describes a teacher and 150 teenagers who turned to writing to transform their own lives and their surroundings. Her story also underlies a 2007 movie called Freedom Writers and a 2019 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) documentary, Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart. Gruwell and her students, together with their nonprofit Freedom Writers Foundation, have won numerous honors, among them the Spirit of Anne Frank Award. Gruwell also gives talks for students, teachers and people in business worldwide. She lives in southern California.