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closeClif Adkins is a teacher who believes that one inspirational person can make a difference in the lives of students. By using teaching methods devised by another young teacher in 1994, Adkins hopes to be one of those special people.
Adkins teaches at Chester Middle School. His inspiration is Erin Gruwell, who, as a 23-year-old teacher in Long Beach, Calif., used innovative techniques to convince her students to trust each other, help each other and strive for better lives.
Gruwell's experience was depicted in the 2007 movie "Freedom Writers." The name is taken from the Freedom Riders, early civil rights heroes, who were studied in Gruwell's class. One of her techniques was to ask students to write about their own experiences and feelings, and to share them with the rest of the class as a way to encourage trust.
Adkins, who attended a special seminar in Los Angeles this summer to learn this and other learning tools utilized by Gruwell, also plans to ask his kids to write personal journals. He will be one of only two teachers in South Carolina using Gruwell's curriculum.
Adkins already has proven himself to be a popular and inspirational teacher. Last year, he started the King's CREW -- an acronym for commitment, respect, education and wealth -- as a way to keep kids out of gangs. The club grew to about 220 members by the end of the year.
We admire the teachers who have the courage to try new methods to get kids hooked on learning and to challenge the routine. We hope that Adkins succeeds with the methods he learned in California, and that others might be willing to follow his example.
We suspect that parents of students at Chester Middle rejoice when they learn their children are in Mr. Adkins' class.
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