Wonder - by R. J. Palacio

Introduction School can be challenging, especially if you are different than the other kids. Wonder – by R. J. Palacio illustrated the first year August Pullman ever attended a school. Previously, he had been home tutored by his mother, whose fraction was frown upon, not because his parents was reluctant with LGBTQ+ shenanigans being included in school curriculum or mass shooting incidents, etc. but a one-in-a-million gene defect which had pulverized his face since birth. Even though there were trials and setbacks, but that year was still a miracle for brave little August. In this article, I would like to praise the contribution of all the teachers in August’s school that make his first school year a memorable one. First of all, Beecher Prep, the school in the book, was terrific. Following August on his school tour, I was impressed with the facilities and the variety of interest electives that cater to each student’s interest. And most importantly, the one who ran the system, to ensure everything working toward giving every child get the education he or she deserves, we had the teachers. All of them show great compassion for their subjects and sympathy with August’s situation. Among them, there were two men who shone the brightest, according to my opinion: the English teacher, Mr. Brown and the principal, Mr. Tushman.

The English teacher, Mr. Brown The first class August attended was English, and here, the mission for the whole year was set up, or we could say the whole student life and more: to find out ‘Who we are!’ His method was picking out a PERCEPT = Rules about really important things for each month and had every student pondering about it in that whole month, then wrote and describe to him what the percept mean to them individually.

These thought exercises helped students to be mindful about how they treated other people and also themselves. More often than not, parents tend to prioritize academic learning in school and neglect moral lessons that teach their kids how to be respectful toward elderly, offer helps for those needed or stand united against injustice. The result could be a society where profit was the only language everyone speaking. Furthermore, by encouraging students to think of these important mottos, and come up with a conclusion for themselves, Mr. Brown had imbued in them the critical thinking process. In the age of the Internet, fake news and propaganda can be overflown and the most effective shield against them is our mind. Once we learn to think for ourselves, to double check any piece of information fed to us, then, we can lead the life we want for ourselves and our community.

The principal, Mr. Tushman Or should I say, the muggle professor Dumbledore! You know, he appeared at the start to welcome new students, only interfered when serious incidents occurred and re-appeared at the end year ceremony to give out awards, all the while, observing the whole school from the side. My first impression of Mr. Tushman was a typical administrator, amiable yet indifferent toward his students. However, the more interaction with him, the more his humanity showed. The first incident concerning Mr. Tushy was a fight between Jack and Julian. In this scenario, he handled the situation by the book, condemning the violence act and announcing punishment for the offender, Jack. That would be a job well done, however, he chose to walk the extra miles and placed his faith in his student’s characters and became the median to amend the situation between two hot heads and their parents, giving Jack a lesser sentence. Furthermore, he stood his ground against Julian’s parents (they were in the school board) and protected August from being involved in the mess. His action proved his sympathy and courage worthy of a protector of Beecher Prep. At the end of the year, the stage belonged to August but the one who set it up was none other than our Mr. Tushman. End year ceremony was the time to celebrate student’s achievements. Some of them could be easy to notice, such as the best academic minds or the best athletics but there were no measure for best friends or the most courageous. Nonetheless, he recognized August’s struggles and gave him the most prestige award that year. The 12 minutes long stand ovation given to August by all students and teachers indicated Mr. Tushman’s decision were right.

In the spirit of the Teacher’s day, I wish all teachers health and prosper to follow your path.