This past week, as a result of the urging of my wife (who is also an educator) I began and finished the book "Wonder", by R.J. Palacio. Without giving away the story, the book is about a young boy (August) who is attending his first year in Middle School after years of being homeschooled as a result of a birth defect called "Treacher Collins Syndrome." The book encapsulates his story through his eyes as well as the eyes of other family members, classmates, and friends. It is both heart wrenching and touching as the story tackles stereotypes, social interactions, bullying (from multiple perspectives), middle school life, and the constant struggle of a young teen who must constantly live with a condition he can do nothing about.
As I read the book I was reminded of not only those students who have "physical" maladies that are easily noticed, but also those nameless and faceless students that deal with similar problems each day. As Educators and school leaders we must ensure that we know the "story" and individual circumstances of each one of our precious students. Students like August roam our halls each day and return home not wanting to return back the next day or worse not wanting to even continue living the life they have been dealt. Not only must we provide a "safe haven" for these students and provide them with an environment they will enjoy and succeed in, but we have the moral obligation to educate our students, faculty, staff, parents, and school community concerning critical issues like bullying. Its easy to take the approach that "it doesn't happen in our school", or "our kids treat everyone with respect", but what are we as school leaders doing to ensure that students like August have every opportunity to grow, succeed, build positive relationships, and experience sincere joy? Join me in this reflective process...remember when we say ALL, it means ALL. Go forward with Passion!!
Jonathan
"Wonder" by R.J Palacio
Rita Pierson TED Talk: "Every Kid Deserves a Champion"
