MENIFEE — Middle school English Language Arts teachers Mrs. Rosemary Wallace of Bell Mountain Middle School and Mrs. Teri Winchester of Menifee Valley Middle School recently completed an intensive, five-day professional development workshop at the Freedom Writers Institute in Long Beach, working directly with renowned educator Erin Gruwell.
The unique professional growth opportunity was made possible through scholarships in partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE).
Founded by Gruwell, whose revolutionary teaching methods with at-risk youth inspired the bestselling book The Freedom Writers Diary and a major motion picture, the Freedom Writers Institute equips educators with innovative strategies to build empathetic classroom environments and use personal narrative writing as a tool for student empowerment.
The training immersed teachers in experiential activities, placing them in the role of students to directly experience the impact of reflective writing and self-expression.
“The greatest thing I learned is that the benefits of authentic writing are astounding. This happens when students write from their heart about things that matter to them in an environment of freedom and acceptance,” said Mrs. Rosemary Wallace, ELA Teacher at Bell Mountain Middle School. “I plan to use these strategies to create a classroom where students know and trust each other, recognize their similarities, and feel comfortable sharing their own experiences.”
Wallace highlighted Gruwell’s electrifying energy and her focus on connecting student writing to real-world issues. “The key takeaway was that student experiences are real, and they need to be acknowledged. I will do my best to get my students writing about their life experiences in a trusting and empathetic way.”
Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. Winchester praised the district’s support for immersive development programs that prioritize connecting with students before delivering content.
“We ask our students to take risks, be vulnerable, and challenge themselves every day, and this experience reminded me how important it is for us as educators to be willing to do the same,” said Mrs.
Teri Winchester, ELA Teacher at Menifee Valley Middle School.”When teachers have opportunities like this, we bring those ideas and that excitement back to our classrooms and share them with our colleagues. It creates a ripple effect that ultimately impacts an entire school community. Connection has to come before content.”
Board of Education President J. Kyle Root expressed strong support for the partnership and the ongoing investment in educator growth across Menifee schools.
“On behalf of the Board, we are deeply grateful to Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez and the Riverside County Office of Education for providing this incredible opportunity to our teachers,” said J. Kyle Root, Board President.”Investing in professional development directly enriches the learning environment for our students. Seeing Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. Winchester bring these transformative strategies back to Bell Mountain and Menifee Valley Middle Schools will undoubtedly strengthen literacy, empathy, and student engagement across our district.”
The insights and curriculum strategies gained from the Freedom Writers Institute will be implemented in ELA classrooms at both middle schools for this school year.
Submitted by Menifee Union School District.
About Menifee Union School District: With schools dating back to the 1880s, Menifee Union School District serves over 12,600 students across 17 physical campuses and 1 virtual campus. MUSD innovatively serves students from preschool through 8th grade. MUSD is led by its 12th Superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Root, and is governed by a Board of Education composed of five publicly elected officials who serve their respective trustee areas.
