Mrs. Hopwood’s 7th grade literature class recently finished reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio and were inspired by the novel’s empowering message to “choose kind.” They decorated a bulletin board in a second floor hallway to remind their fellow students to “choose kind,” filling it with original precepts (a challenge, goal, or rule to live by). The students also wrote positive words of encouragement to their peers on the bulletin board.
The story of Wonder, recently turned into a motion picture, follows Auggie Pullman, a 10-year-old boy born with craniofacial deformities that required many surgeries, causing him to be homeschooled. Upon entering the 5th grade, his parents decide it was time for Auggie to go to school at Beecher Prep, where a whole new set of challenges awaited him. The story helps readers realize that everyone faces their own hardships and that treating others with kindness can make all the difference in the world.