First Day of School/Reading Wonder

"When given the choice between being right or being kind. Choose kind” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

***Before I start, this journal might be a little more of a book review/praise for Wonder by R. J. Palacio, because the book is awesome and Mrs. Stacks told me I could read it to the kids to start the school year. 

Today was the first day of school, and it was wonderful.  It was great to see how eager the kids looked – maybe it was mainly because they were surrounded by their friends for eight hours a day again, but some of it was also their enthusiasm to learn.  I hope Mrs. Stacks and I can keep that enthusiasm up as the first part of the year continues.  We started the day by greeting the students at the door.  We shook their hand and said “good morning” to which they gave the same reply.  This will be how we greet our students every morning.  I like this method of Mrs. Stacks’ because it’s a good way to help teach the students how to greet people when they enter a place, how to properly shake hands, and to use eye contact when addressing someone.  The only downfall of this is the increased possibility of Mrs. Stacks or me getting sick, but I like to think I have a strong immune system, and we use hand sanitizer before and after.  As one new student from out of state arrived this morning he was visibly upset.  He had a couple tears in his eyes as he put his stuff on his hook and went into the classroom, saying goodbye to his mom.  I could tell that it was not that he was too sad to be apart, but he was scared of having no friends.  He was one of the first students to get to school today so when he went into the room I went in to talk to him.  I told him that I was new to the school as well and that we would both make friends in no time.  This helped him calm down a bit, but not entirely.  About five minutes after the bell rang he was already making a new friend with the student he sits next to in class.  When we went to our morning assembly him and his new friend were quietly chatting and laughing as we walked to the gymnasium.  Usually talking in the halls is against the rules, but in this instance I chose not to put a stop to it because the joy on the young boys face from making a new friend is well worth more than making him follow a simple rule on the first day of class, especially when the boy was terrified of being alone all school year. 

We are doing what is called a “soft start” where we focus more on team building and relationship building than academics for the first week.  This is great because when the class gets to know each other and their teacher it helps create a safe and comfortable learning environment that fosters discussion and questions since people are not afraid to speak up when surrounded by people they trust.  Today we did a lot of “getting to know you” activities, and through the week we will continue doing more team/relationship building activities.  Along with the team and relationship building, Mrs. Stacks let me begin reading Wonder aloud to the class.  Wonder is definitely one of my favorite books.  I got it as a Christmas present from my older brother, Colby Sharp, who is also an elementary teacher.  Wonder is a fantastic book to read to fourth grade children, and it also wonderfully coincides with Concord’s “soft start” to the school year.    Auggie is a little different, as he was born with a facial deformity and has already had nearly 30 surgeries before going to fifth grade.  “I won’t describe what I look like.  Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse” (3).  R.J. Palacio’s novel gives you the perspective of many people affected by a young boy named August going to mainstream school for the first time.  With the book being told in parts, through the eyes of many different characters, it helps the students understand point of view in literature.  It is a funny, heartwarming, story of a boy looking to be seen as normal and not a freak.  Wonder helps readers understand the rule that it truly does not matter how different a person is, everyone deserves the chance to be accepted and loved by their peers.  I would not hesitate to recommend Wonder to my fellow peers, or to my students.  I honestly believe everyone should read the book because it really helps readers understand that you should not judge someone simply because they are not what everyone would consider “normal.”  I am so excited to continue to read Wonder to my students, and as we get further in the book I will start developing mini-lessons for us to do as we enjoy its wonderful message.  Following the handful of pages we were able to read today, we have already began discussing its amazing message, how we think Auggie will be treated by his classmates and teachers, how we think mainstream schoolwork will be for Auggie, and how R.J. Palacio’s use of different view points helps us better understand the full story of this wonderful kid.