I have to say, first: I am blessed to be a mom of two amazing boys: one who was born with a craniofacial difference (Apert Syndrome), and one who has a servant's heart of gold. Second, I'm lucky to be a teacher in the same school district as both of my boys. I have a strong conviction to spread awareness and acceptance of someone who was born "different" by doing a book study with my students this year on the book Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. I was very fortunate to have the chance to introduce this book to Logan's class last year in sixth grade, and the students seemed to enjoy it and grasp the theme of this story. And the wonderful thing about the message is that it can apply to everyone and I really hope that it carries over with his peers, especially now that he is going into middle school this year. But now, God has really laid this on my heart to help spread awareness; and through this book (and my blog) is where it begins.
So, my moment of truth for this school year, as a teacher is: This is my chance, and I hope and pray that through reading this book, I will not only teach some good reading and comprehension skills, but somehow instill a deeper understanding of what it truly means to "Choose Kind." I have made a bulletin board outside of my classroom, and I hope that it intrigues others to want to learn more, and read this book when they see what we post onto out bulletin, or when they see the book in the library, or hear others talking about it. If you are reading this blog but are not familiar with the book, and you have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews that are in the 3rd or 4th grade, I encourage you to read it to them, let them read it to you, or read it with them. If your children are fifth grade and up, have them read it and tell you about it. There is a wonderful message in this book that teaches us about acceptance, bullying, and making choices that can be life-changing....to many.
Stay tuned for part 2.
Until next blog,
God Bless
