"Wonder" Cont.

Unfortunately, I was not able to read as much as I had intended to this week. But, I found this picture that I feel grasps the main idea and lesson that I would want to teach students and that is, essentially, don't judge a book by it's cover. This stuck out to me because the entire book follows the life of a boy too used to being judged for his appearance. How often do we, even as adults, pass judgement on people for various reasons? As teachers, we are to be the example. We are to be the role model. We are held to a higher standard because it is our obligation as education professionals to not only teach children foundational academic skills, but now more than ever it is vital to incorporate skills on how to be a decent human being.

"Wonder" has me re-evaluating my outlook on people and has me looking at my own teaching practices through critical eyes. It is opening my eyes to, once again, teaching basic human skills. We spend so much time perfecting the methods of teaching kids how to read, write, learn math facts, etc., that I fear we may lose touch with the raw, real issues that our students face everyday because our students are people. They will be leading us one day. "Wonder" is full of emotions and it is the perfect opportunity to sit back and talk about these issues with your students. Bullying, self-esteem, perception, perspective, consideration, peer pressure, communication, the list goes on! My hope is that this book inspires students and teachers alike to take a step back and look at the critical issues that this book brings to light. August has captivated me.