Erin Gruwell, the teacher, eventually helped found the Freedom Writers Foundation to try to replicate the teaching style nationwide. After seeing the movie, Gibson traveled to Charleston, S.C., to meet Gruwell at a book signing last year. The two hit it off, and Gruwell selected Gibson as one of nearly 200 teachers so far for her five-day training workshop.
Gibson is one of only three teachers in Maryland who have been trained. One teacher works in a juvenile detention facility in Western Maryland, and another works at Salisbury University.
Gibson, who took the workshop in August, thought that the methodology of getting students interested in writing would help more if it began earlier - in fifth grade, before students started middle school. She wanted to try it at Van Bokkelen, Jessup and Odenton elementary schools where she taught English to speakers of other languages. She opened it up to other fifth-graders because she didn't have enough fifth-grade ESOL students at each school to form groups.
FOR THE RECORD - In an article on Freedom Writers in Sunday's Anne Arundel section, Lee'Aisa Simms' name was misspelled. Also, in a caption with a related photograph, Rayven Richardson's name was misspelled.
The Baltimore Sun regrets the errors.
The program started Friday at Jessup Elementary School, where fifth-graders could choose whether they wanted to participate. Odenton Elementary started the program in October with ESOL students and hand-picked students who were receiving special education for behavioral problems.
Maurine Larkin, principal of Odenton Elementary, was so excited about the program after seeing the movie that she had Gibson speak to a group of teachers at her school in September. Larkin and three teachers screened the movie with Gibson recently and are talking about setting up workshops at Odenton for any county teacher.
Larkin said teachers are hungry for new ways to reach students.
"People are really looking for things to help kids and make school a place they want to come," she said.
Freedom Writers started in September at Van Bokkelen, where the majority of students who attend the school qualify for the federal free and reduced-cost meals program. Teachers there selected fifth-grade girls from the Ladies Club, a group of about two dozen third-, fourth- and fifth-graders who receive lessons in etiquette, good behavior and setting goals.
The girls, some of whom said they don't like school, said they look forward to Freedom Writers.
"We like to come here because we get to tell out things we kept inside for a long time," Brianna Aquirre said.
"It's like one big family," Shakala Diggs said.
