TWYH Ch. 1-5

The first five chapters from Teach with your Heart introduce the teacher, Erin Gruwell, her students, and some of the different strategies she uses to get them interested in her English class. Gruwell is a student teacher at Wilson high school in Long Island. She first expects the students to be eagerly awaiting her arrival and ready to learn, but she quickly finds that it is a very diverse classroom with clashing groups. Gruwell slowly begins to reach some of the kids by finding out their interests and relating them too class work. She finds this more difficult then expected; not only are the students hard to reach, but her colleagues and father are also causing road blocks. Gruwell is finding the only thing she can do is ask for help, and take extra shifts at the Marriot so her students can have the same opportunities as others. After reaching one of the studs in the class, as well as planning a field trip to see a Holocaust museum, and buying the students new books, she is slowly starting to help them all see their true potential.
I have enjoyed reading these first five chapters. Gruwell represents what being a teacher is all about. I have admired her willingness to go the extra mile and find ways for her students to have an opportunity to learn, especially where everything seems to be stacked up against her. It is difficult to follow a dream when you are on the door step to a job that guarantees wealth, your father is pushing you not to teach, and the students do not show any interest in learning. Gruwell looks past all of this, and only sees students with unlimited potential, with the need of some guidance. I like how Gruwell approaches the classroom. She seems very non-judgmental and approaches every lesson with something that she feels might interest the students. Even if her lesson fails, she still is succeeding because she is getting closer to find the method that will work, and making the students realize that she is not going to give up on them. I think the changing point in the first semester is when the class visits the Holocaust museum. The students not only realize how much she cares about their learning, but they find something they all can relate to. It was a powerful moment for the students as they all realized how common they are to each other and people who were around at the time of the Holocaust.