My diary

“ the freedom writers diary” is the opportunity for me to think how to understand other persons for me. In Japan, there is a little opportunity to contact another races. So at first, I felt that this book is unfamiliar for me. However as I read this book I recognized that I don’t know another person’s background, experience, hopes, or value even my friends. So I thought that this book should be read and I need to understand how the students change the way of thinking.

By the way, my special topic was “current event”. In this class, I learned about the problem the world has especially in the U.S. I learned there are a lot of problem in the U.S. For example I learned about racism, immigration, education or conservative and liberal etc. So I think this is connected with the problem the students have in the book.

I think people should understand the difference between each person. We need to share each person’s views. It makes us tolerance. In fact, in this book, sharing another experience or the way of thinking, the students could be more tolerances. Also they recognize that people should not label other people. This is the same thing even in our life. In order to resolve various problems people need to be tolerance and listen to another opinion seriously. I want to construct friendship like the Freedom Writers.

In these 3 weeks, this was good opportunity for me to communicate with another country people. The class inspired me!

Thank you so much!!

hope

In the freedom writers diary, the students have various background. Also through speech, Anne’s diary or editing diary each other, they could recognize that there are people who have similar experience and share each background or experience. In my opinion, Mipe Gies’s or speech was one of the most important parts of the book. It changed their the way of thinking dramatically.

She told me that what she hopes people will learn from her life“ is that every individual, even a very ordinary housewife or secretary, can make a difference” I can’t wait to share her simple philosophy with my students that they too can make a difference—like Anne or Zlata.(entry 5 p.109~110)

She wanted to say that what each people hopes is very difference and the student wanted to share their difference.
I think that sharing their differences, people can recognize various person’s or their hopes themselves. For example we study English or subject we want to make use of in future. But each person have various reason why they learn them. They are very different between each person. Similarly what people have hopes are different. However it was not bad thing. People should know their difference and respect each hopes. In fact, in the book, the students shared and respected each other and they could construct the friendship like a family. Therefore difference is a worthy thing.

Self-reliance

In the book the freedom writers diary, Ms. Gruwell handed out a self-evaluation sheet and asked the students to write the letter grade they felt they deserved. Her plan is the oppotunity to look at themselves.

The only obstacles are the ones you allow. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A truly self-reliant person finds his weak link and strengthens it. I want to be a self-reliant person, now and forever. (Diary57 p120)

So far, the students get to know about anothr person. In my opinon, Ms. Gruwell think that to know about themslves is as important as to know about other persons. One student thought his grade was "F". However Ms. Gruwell rejected his opinion because he couldn't understand himself. Finally he could recognize himself by Ms. Gruwell.

In my opinion people sometimes don't recognize what they achieve. Especially, in Japan, a modesty is regarded as a virtue. So many Japanese couldn't have confidence about thier opinions and don't recognize self-reliant. Netehr do I. However I think we need to look at and know ourselves collectly.If I cannot believe myself, who can believe me? So in order to construct relationships, we need to know our weakness or strongness. That is the reason why self-reliant is important.

Tolerance and acceptation

In the Freedom Writers Diary, the word “tolerance” is often used by the writers. In my opinion, “tolerance” is one of the most important key word in this book. At first, the students regarded other classmate as opponents or enemies. However Ms. Gruwell gave them the opportunities to know another persons backgrounds. For example, it was the “Peanut Game”.

I realize that a peanut is still peanut even if the shell is different…“Don’t judge a peanut by its shell, judge it by what’s inside of it,” made perfect sense to me. As long as I know that I am a human being., I don’t need to worry about what other people say. In the end, we all are the same! (Diary17 p38)

This sentence means that the students recognized that people should not judge another person and should accept another person’s backgrounds. In fact the students get to accept and respect another person in this book. This is the tolerance. People can be tolerant by accepting another person.

In my experience I often judge a person by looking only outside. Especially, when I meet a person first time, we don’t have the way of judging except looks. Sometimes we assume that the person is bad or I don’t want to be familiar with the person. Then we should remember the “peanut Game”. By knowing another person’s inside, we can be tolerance because in the end, we all are the same!

Fear and making decisions because of fear

In The Freedom Writer Diary, the students in class often fight another races persons because they don’t have interesting about their background, also they want to protect their territory from another races. In order to protect their territory, they get along with same race persons. In other words, there are some fear that their territory may be broken by another races person. These fear will not be necessary. I think that when they fight each other, they feel not only hostility but also fear. If they can abolish their hostility and fear they will be able to know about another races person more deeply and recognize that they should fight each other.
In my experience, my decisions are often disturbed by my fear. For example, when I start new thing I usually worry about mistakes and feels. However if I keep hesitating I am not be able to anything. So I usually hesitate to begin new things. However people always have some fear so I try not to care it as thoroughly as possible.
On the other hand, a fear is sometimes useful to make decision because we are able to think something critically by my fear. If we have no fear we may be able to make decision more quickly, but by a fear we think thing carefully. Therefore, we sometimes need fear in order to make good decision.
I think that we sometimes need fear, but too much fear will make us negative. So we should recognize that we usually have some fear and how to deal with it.

Self introduction

Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Tsukuru Miyakawa. I'm 18 years old. I live in Tokyo now also I live with my parents and a sister.
I am a student of International Christian University. I study the economics in the university and I want to decide it as my major subject.
I had never been abroad until this time so I feel everything I see in the U.S is fresh and impressive for me but there are many things I don't get used to yet. So I am a little tired.
I don't have my hobby, but I like playing basketball. I joined the basketball team when I was a high school student. So I often play basketball in my university.
I don't have confidence in my English, but I want to improve my English skill in this program. So I will try to do my best.

Thank you