Overcoming Adversity

Miep Gies, the woman who hid Anne Frank, is a hero to Ms. Gruwell’s
students. What does Miep Gies mean when she tells Ms. Gruwell’s students,
“You are heroes everyday.”?

Earning Respect and Trust

Why is trust such an important component of a teacher-student relationship?

Tolerance

At the beginning of the school year, Erin is deeply disturbed by a racial
caricature of one of her students that she finds being passed around the room.
Why does Erin compare this drawing of an African-American student to the
drawings of Jewish men during the Holocaust?

What did you do over the summer to prepare yourself to be an incoming freshman at High Tech High Chula Vista?

I read several novels that may be interesting to incoming 9th graders.