Today we
had extra read aloud time. My class was excited – that meant we’d get even
further into Wonder and maybe they’d finally find out what Jack was
thinking back at Halloween. (If you’ve read the book, you know what I’m talking
about.) Some of our classes had been cancelled so the 26 fifth graders grabbed
their copies (thanks to my student Sophie’s aunt) and I read from 10-11:30. As
I stopped for lunch they all groaned. We’d just reached a new point of view –
Justin’s – and they wanted to continue. We lined up anyway and one student
turned to me and said, “Mrs. S, I understand why you think everyone in the
country should read this book.” Yep, I’m on a mission.
I rushed home for lunch to get a few things done at our house. When I grabbed the mail off my front porch I found a package I hadn’t been expecting. Flipping it over I gasped. The return address had the name Raquel Palacio, the author of Wonder. I tore the package open and found a kind note, some bookmarks, and a t-shirt. Holy smokes. Honestly, I teared up at this kind gesture. I immediately pulled the t-shirt on for my return to school.
I really
wish I had had the foresight to turn on my phone’s video camera when I picked
up my class. The fifth grade goes to recess first, then the cafeteria for
lunch. There are around 130 fifth graders. 78 are in my reading classes. Many
of the other 52 have been to my room to borrow books. Most have heard me speak
of Wonder. So, as I walked into the cafeteria kids started shouting out –
“Mrs. S!
Where’d you get that shirt?”
“Mrs. S –
Wonder rocks!”
“Woo Hoo!
GO Auggie!”
It was awesome.
So thank you, R.J. Palacio, for making my day. Thank you to Sophie’s amazing
aunt for giving my class the chance for this shared reading experience. We’re
racing to the end with only four days left of school. I can’t wait to read the
final pages together.
