Saturday, September 15, 2018

Wonder by R.J, Palacio: Blog #1

When I first thought of the idea for my single story that I am choosing to explore for our class, I knew that Wonder was the first book that I wanted to read. I had seen the movie when it came out, and after seeing it the first time I watched it six more times within the next two days. I am currently halfway through the book, and I didn't think I could fall more in love with this story, but I was wrong. The book has a few added parts and a lot more added detail. So far, this book has already opened my eyes to how messed up this world can be, and how there needs to be more advocates for children with disabilities. I have always been aware that children can be mean, but why? Why is the excuse that "their just kids" said so normally when referring to kids being mean to other kids? There should be no excuses, kids should be taught that everyone is different, and that we should celebrate each others differences rather than look at them in a negative light. I would love to have the opportunity to teach this to my future students, in order to try and teach them that compassion can be powerful. A few nice words or sitting with someone at lunch thats sitting alone, can make a huge difference. Also to teach them that words hurt. No matter if spoken or sent over text, words have a lot of power, so we should use our words for good rather than use them to hurt someone. I am excited to finish this book and see what conclusions I come to at the end!

3 comments:

  1. I love how reading the book versus the movie or series can truly add detail to a story. I haven't read Wonder or watched the movie but after glowing review, I'm adding it to my list! How might you encourage your students to discuss differences in the classroom in relation to this book?

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    1. I'm glad that you are adding it to your list!! I think I would maybe do a project of some sort to have my students showcase something that they think makes them different from their classmates!

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  2. I absolutely love Wonder, too, Morgan! Auggie's story is truly inspirational (and I also cried about 15,000 times while reading/watching). I'm wondering -- no pun intended -- if you knew that Auggie's story in Wonder is inspired by Palacio's short encounter with a young girl with a craniofacial disorder like Auggie. There is also a young man who has become pretty well-known for speaking out about how he wants people to see him for the typical child that he is; his name is Nathaniel Newman, and he was born with Treacher Collins syndrome. Anyway, I'm so happy that you chose to read this book for your single story! In one of my sisters' grades last year, every teacher taught this book in fourth grade, and they did a school-wide project based off of what they learned from reading the story. Again, love your choice!

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