Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, tells the story of August Pullman’s first year in school. August was born with a collection of unexpected anomalies, which led to a series of surgeries throughout his childhood that caused him to be very weak. When he was finally strong enough, August started going to school at Beecher Prep, and though some may disagree, going to school had a positive impact on him. He was not only learning what the school wanted him to learn, but also what he needed to know to live a happy life. He also made many friends who supported him when he needed them to. There is no denying that even though it may have been the harder path, August’s experience in school was beneficial for him.
August went through many experiences at Beecher
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For instance, August compared himself to a piece of moldy cheese. He said, “I think it’s like the Cheese Touch in Diary of a Wimpy Kid… at Beecher Prep, I’m the moldy cheese,” (page 72). This was because of something the students called the “plague,” due to a rumor that if someone touched August and did not wash their hands immediately they would look like him. Hurtful occurrences and thoughts could easily damage August’s mind and confidence. On page 60, August asked, “Why do I have to be so ugly, Mommy?” He questioned this because he knew how other people sometimes saw him and he had begun to see himself that way too. However, not everyone sees him that way, and when he went to school he started to understand that. He became confident in knowing that it was not him that was “ugly,” but rather the few people around him who saw him that way. His experience at Beecher Prep helped him mature in that way and definitely helped him become more confident by the end of the year.
August’s first year of school was important in many ways. He learned many things in both life and academics. If he had not gone to school he would have remained naive and ignorant of multiple aspects of life. Despite it not being perfect, his positive experiences at Beecher Prep outweighed the negatives. The easy path is not necessarily the best one, and for August, there is no denying this held true. His first year
Too often, students are taught that their lives are defined by who they are and what they do, not by circumstances. But circumstances can be very crucial to determining how a person’s life is shaped. It’s no secret that not all schools and neighborhoods are created equal. Some schools offer advanced classes, and college prep, and opportunities, while some schools don’t even have textbooks. Even within the circumstances, there are circumstances. The students in the latter school that lacks textbooks may have parents who go the extra mile to ensure that they have more opportunities, or could have parents who don’t have the resources to do that. Environment and circumstance can make a huge difference, and Wes Moore’s The Other Wes Moore is a fantastic
Students encounter many complications during their school career. Some students are smart, but just don’t apply themselves, or have similar hardships that are going on in their lives. These can be fixed if one can find motivation and confidence. In the story “Zero,” Paul Logan coasts through high school and college. Logan doesn’t know the tools to succeed in school, which causes his grades to fall. In the story “The Jacket,” Gary Soto explains how the way one dresses can influences how they feel about themself. Which in this case he gets an ugly jacket; which causes him to be depressed and his grades to fall. Albeit Logan and Soto went through similar hardships, they both succeed with motivation and confidence.
Ten year old August Pullman --or as his friends and family call him, Auggie-- required several reconstructive surgeries as a young child because he was born with Treacher-Collins syndrome, a rare craniofacial deformity. Because of this, Auggie has never been able to go to a public school and has been home schooled up until fifth grade. A month before school, Auggie and his mother go on a tour of Beecher Prep, where he meets three students; Charlotte, Jack Will and Julian. On Auggie’s tour with student’s, Julian makes very rude comments regarding his face and the other kids chide him for that. On the first day of school, Auggie realiz...
Looking back on my three years at Twin Cities Academy, I find myself wondering how all these years came and went so fast. I still watch myself walking through the same halls and sitting in the same classrooms as I did back in 6th and 7th grade and I’ve seen myself grow so much, mentally, socially and physically. I still remember everything that has happened throughout my years, the best of times, and the worst.
In the novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio, August tells the first part of the story, and the reader feels unhappy as he begins to pull away from his peers and feel separated. Auggie has an unusual face and he hates his uniqueness, so he says if he could have one wish, August would wish for “a normal face that no one ever noticed at all” (Palacio 3). August dislikes always being the odd-one out, and he does not want to stand out or have popularity, but to just fit fit in with his peers. He feels misunderstood by his classmates because he does not have special needs, just a different face, so he wonders what life feels like to fit in. The children at school try to hide the fact that they notice Auggie, but he sees that the kids at Beecher Prep “ sneak
“School can be a tremendously disorienting place… You’ll also be thrown in with all kind of kids from all kind of backgrounds, and that can be unsettling… You’ll see a handful of students far excel you in courses that sound exotic and that are only in the curriculum of the elite: French, physics, trigonometry. And all this is happening while you’re trying to shape an identity; your body is changing, and your emotions are running wild.” (Rose 28)
In the novel Wonder by R. J. Palacio, parts three and four are written in the points of view of Summer and Jack Will to delve deeper into August’s day to day life as a student that looks unordinary in a school where standing out is not appreciated. In Jack’s personal analysis of August’s life at Beecher Prep, he describes his new friend’s handwriting and smarts, “August has the neatest handwriting I've ever seen for a boy”. Handwriting is generally associated with being smart, so Jack’s statement explains that August may not as stupid as the majority of the student body believes. August does not get caught up in the social part of school as much as the other kids, he’s more interested in learning. Jack believes that August contains
Going to University High School opened up a lot of opportunities for Sam to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. University High School gave Sam the opportunity to apply to Seton Hall through the Premedical /Pre Dental Plus Program, which offers free tuitions, counseling and housing. Even though it seemed a long time to him, he eventually applied to Seton Hall, and listened to his friend George, who was excited about this program. It was hard for Sam to ignore that opportunity because he had no other plan, and more importantly he didn’t have the money to go to a good university. Also going to a completely different atmosphere at Seton Hall AWay from the gangs and the bad neighborhood, which encouraged Sam to study more and keep up with his peers. Counseling played a huge role for Sam when he attended the Premedical/Pre-Dental Plus
Good morning teachers, faculty, administrators, family, friends, and of course students. It is a great privilege to be standing here today and representing our class on our eighth grade Class Day. Can you believe it? Four years ago, most of us walked into this school as nervous as we were the first day of school. We were the tiny fifth graders, the youngest students in this middle school, not knowing where anything was and how to navigate the school. Now, those same four years later, we’re leaving this school behind to a whole new school being just as nervous as we were when we first arrived. It has been a long four years as well as a short four years. Long because of all the tests, quizzes, finals, and projects, but short because of the lifelong friendships, the lasting memories, and the truly interesting and amazing things we learned in-between. The Abington Heights Middle School is definitely a welcoming, fun, memorable, and great school that I will never forget. These four years spent with these wonderful classmates has been an extraordinary journey with many cherishable memories.
I arrived at Sacred Heart Cathedral for my first day of high school. As my friend’s mom drove through the populous streets of San Francisco, I sat in the back seat of her car running through the pages of the planner I had received at orientation. As the thick, smooth pages ran through my fingers, I worried over finding my classes, being on time to my classes, and having time to out my books in my locker. I found the page dated August 24th, my first day of high school. I had all six classes that day, French, English, Honors Algebra, Physics, World History, and lastly Scripture.
August Pullman, from the book,“Wonder”, written by R.J. Palacio, is 10 years old and lives with his mother, father, sister Via, and dog Daisy. August was born with an abnormal face which led him to be made fun of. Because his mother wanted to protect him, she homeschooled him through 4th grade. Now at the age of 10, going into 5th grade, August, otherwise known as Auggie, would be attending public school for the first time. Auggie, has many important traits including his sense of humor, bravery, and kindness.
Let’s flash back in time to before our college days. Back to then we had lunch trays filled with rubbery chicken nuggets, stale pizza, and bags of chocolate milk. A backpack stacked with Lisa Frank note books, flexi rulers, and color changing pencils. The times where we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive, but we did. Through all the trials and tribulations school helped build who I am today and shaped my future. From basic functions all the way to life-long lessons that helped shape my character.
Through these fun and challenging times each one of us has built strong relationships. Whether it was with friends or a teacher, we have developed connections and memories that will be with us forever, even if we lose contact with those individuals. Some students have discovered they have a passion for writing through a creative writing class or want to have a career in business from taking Mr. Ide’s inspirational marketing classes. Others have participated in CLIP or summer school to catch up and make it possible for them to be here today. I went to Heights Elementary and have spent the last 12 years with the same group of people. Attending school with the people I’ve known since elementary and middle school, and making homecoming posters with them for four years in a row, has given me a chance to get to know the people around me better than I ever thought I would.
Many factors affect a student’s choice of staying in school, including but not limited to where they came from, their academic success, and their individual decisions. There are so many effects to this huge epidemic happening to this generation’s students. Although they cannot completely control how their life goes, making education a focus will benefit them greatly in the long run. The students can gain a sense of accomplishment that can boost their self-esteem and confidence later in life. Although school may not be the most fascinating place to go, in the end the effects are worth every minute of it.
Having spent twelve years of my school life in just one small red brick building, the years tend to fade into each other. But the year I remember most clearly and significantly is my senior year of high school, where I finally began to appreciate what this institution offered to any student who stopped to look. Before, school had been a chore, many times I simply did not feel motivated toward a subject enough to do the homework well, and seeing the same familiar faces around ever since I was 5 years old grew very tiring soon enough. But I began to see things from a different angle once I became a senior.