Connie Heerman, a 27-year veteran teacher of Perry Township in Indiana, has been suspended for a year and a half for using The Freedom Writers Diary in her classroom. So what kind of book IS this?
As an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of "unteachable, at-risk" students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust — only to be met by uncomprehending looks. So she and her students, using the treasured books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo as their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. They learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the "Freedom Writers" in homage to the civil rights activists "The Freedom Riders." This book they produced has powerful entries from the students’ own diaries and a narrative text by their teacher.The book deals with violence, homelessness, racism, abuse and other topics that this group of urban California students lived with. When Connie Heerman (pictured above) allowed her students to read the book, her supervisor -- unhappy with the language and content in the book -- asked her to stop using it in the classroom, even though her students had signed permission slips. When she refused, she was charged with insubordination and eventually suspended through the end of the 2008-2009 school year.
So what do you think? Was she really suspended for insubordination? Or is this an issue of intellectual freedom?
(If you've read the book, please tell us what you thought about it. I haven't ... yet ... but I have put it on hold at my library.)
7 comments:
There seems to be nothing in the book that would give grounds for suspension. Absurd.
i both read the book and watched the film last fall. my review is here.
i'm almost sick to think that a teacher was suspended for using this meaningful testament to the power of words in her classroom!
Alison, how about posting your review here, as well?
From Tom Heermann, husband of suspended teacher, Connie Heermann...
Connie and I want to personally thank you and all the hundreds of other passionate, caring bloggers who have continually spoken about this obvious book banning and censoring of a good teacher and her "at-risk" students.
Guess what, the Board sentenced Connie to an unprecedented, draconian, 18-month suspension, without pay or subsidized benefits, AT THE END OF MARCH...and the story still lives!
That's because the whole thing is so wrong: and the board refuses to understand the complexity of this issue.
Our local union president went on talk radio and called Connie's suspension, "cruel and unusual punishment; a "non-decision" that amounts to no decision at all!"
I have picked up blogs in German, Portugese, Russian, French, Chinese and Korean about Connie's plight. This issue touches us all -- probably because it is many rolled up in one. It's the story of book banning; horrible treatment of a tenured, innovative, hard-working and caring teacher; censorship of the high school press (her students letters were not published); administrative blunders, stonewalling and arrogance; a board that ignores the wishes of its constituents and letters from around the world... maybe even a few other issues!
I have been talking to other passionate bloggers like yourself. I have been brainstorming on how we could tie the hundreds of bloggers together as one -- to have a more powerful voice and be more noticed! I've thought of putting together one main web page and assembling, say, one hundred bloggers at once...but will have to figure out which format will work best...any ideas
Any ideas that you are your readers have -- will be greatly appreciated. We are listening...
Again we thank you all for your kindness. I look forward to corresponding with you soon.
Sincerly
Tom Heermann
Better known as "Connie's husband"
I should also say that the attention Connie's plight has obtained came from some of the following great coverage...
1. CNN - Gary Tuchman
2. Newsweek - Anna Quindlen
3. Huffington Post - Richard LaGravenese (director of Freedom Writers hollywood movie)
4. The Guardian - Suzanne Goldenbery
5. LA Times - Patrick Goldstin
6. WISH TV 8 - Leslie Olsen,Indianapolis
7. The Freedom Writers Foundation - the website for the foundation founded by Erin Gruwell has posted a site to donate for Connie...
I have a PDF file of all the links to these stories. What's so great is that these stories keep recirculating in cyberspace. Used to be, once a story ran, it vanished. But now it keeps going and going!!
Thanks again
Tom Heermann
Thanks for leaving a comment here, Tom. The blogs are a powerful tool in communication these days - and your idea to bring together hundreds of people through this idea is an excellent one. I have long been passionate about reading banned and censored material because I strongly believe in our freedoms here in the US...and that means reading what we want to read even if a few don't like it. Silencing your wife because she chose to allow freedom to read in her classroom is an abomination. They give the reason for suspension as "insubordination" because they have no other grounds to dismiss her - how dare she stand up for what is right!?!?? *please note my sarcasm!* This is an example of a system gone awry.
I've read about this book but have not yet read it myself. It seems to me to be a beautiful example of children speaking out against intolerance and hatred...why on earth would a school principle object to such a thing? You have to wonder about his own personal motivations, don't you?
Thats something too simple to be suspended for, just a book? Like really.
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