When Precious Symonette became a creative writing teacher at Miami Norland Senior High, she brought in the principles of the Freedom Writers — a movement started in California in the 1990s to teach students to write through their troubles.
She started the Viking Freedom Writers, named for the high school’s mascot. She’s now taught more than 3,000 students these principles. Some have gone on to become professional writers.
The creative writing teacher has been named a Miami-Dade County teacher of the year. And the County Commission named April 18, 2023, Viking Freedom Writers Day.
On this Best Of episode of Sundial, Symonette joined us to talk about why the vocations of writer and educator go hand-in-hand.