Recently, I saw the movie Freedom Writers. It is the true story of a remarkable teacher, Erin Gruwell, and a group of high school students in Long Beach CA. The story is set in 1994, just after the racial turmoil caused by the Rodney King trial and the OJ verdict. Ms. Gruwell was a new teacher, assigned to teach a class of at risk kids. The racial tension in the LA area was apparent among the Black, Latino and Asian kids and one lonely and fearful white kid in her classroom.
This movie really touched me. I was impressed with Erin Gruwell’s commitment to her job. She succeeded against terrible odds. Therefore, I am going to do a series of five posts on Erin Gruwell this week. I am doing this to provide you with a real life example of how one person embodied all five of the points on the Career Super Star model – and became a star in her career, and with the kids she taught.
I hope that after you read these posts, you will see the movie, and log on to Erin Gruwell’s site www.freedomwritersfoundation.org to learn more about her and the kids she taught.
Today is Wednesday, so this post is on outstanding performance.
Most of the students in Erin Gruwell’s class were not expected to graduate from high school. Most of their parents, aunts, uncles and friends had never graduated from high school. College was out of the question.
Erin Gruwell set what seemed to be a modest goal: for all of her students to graduate from high school – and they did. Most of them went on to college. However, it took Herculean effort to accomplish this goal.
Early on in the film there is a scene where Ms. Gruwell wanted to distribute copies of “The Diary of Anne Frank” to her class. The school had several copies sitting in the storage room. She was forbidden to do so by the head of the English Department. This woman had a lot of excuses – “they won’t read it anyway”, “they write in the books and ruin them”, “the book is too advanced, they won’t understand it”. In a word, she said "no".
Erin Gruwell was stymied by this woman and her school, but she wasn’t ready to admit defeat. She took another tack. She got a second job in a lingerie store. She used the money she made at this job to buy a copy of the book for each of her students. Later on, when she needed even more money for supplies, she took a third job as a weekend Concierge at a local Marriott hotel.
I think this is sad – that a teacher, in order to supply her students with the books and materials they need to learn, must take a second and third job. Unfortunately, people familiar with public education in the U.S., tell me that it is very common for teachers to pay for learning materials out of their own pockets. But that’s a story for another day.
In this case, Erin Gruwell found a way to get around roadblocks to achieving her goal. She had to take drastic measures like getting two part time jobs, to do so, but she did it. Think of her, and her desire, persistence and determination, the next time your boss doesn’t approve one of your suggestions, or you encounter a roadblock.
Ms. Gruwell’s success can be traced to her goal – and her determination to do what it takes to make that goal a reality. Goals are the singles biggest determinant of success when it comes to performance. Set yours, and then do what it takes to achieve them.
You’ll have to see the movie to see more example of how Erin Gruwell did whatever it took to become an outstanding performer. By the way, if you think I want you to see this movie, you’re right!
Tomorrow, I’ll post about Erin Gruwell’s communication skills and how they made a difference in the lives of her students.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense. Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.
I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Bud
PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open. Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.
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