Pleasantville Middle Schoolers Stand Up for Kindness

Pleasantville Middle School brought fiction to life for fifth grade students this week.

In English Language Arts classes, fifth graders are reading “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio, a novel about a boy born with a facial difference. On Thursday, representatives of myface.org, an organization that supports those with craniofacial conditions, spoke to the students at an assembly.

“A lot of people assume that people with craniofacial differences are not as smart as everyone else,” Dina Zuckerberg, Director of Family Programs at MyFace.org said. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Zuckerberg, who spoke about what it was like to grow up with a cleft lip, a small left eye and other facial differences, said nothing physical stopped her from learning to ride a bike, play piano or ski. The thing that sometimes held her back was teasing or meanness from other kids.

That is a lot like what happens to the character August Pullman in the book “Wonder,” which is part of the fifth grade English Language Arts curriculum.

“It’s a wonderful book,” Diana Bonci, an English Language Arts teacher said. “The kids love it. We read the book together and discuss it, which is part of reading comprehension. The students analyze the characters and write about how they relate to certain characters in the story and why. Then they discuss the relationships between the characters and being kind.”

The novel is not only a part of the reading curriculum, it also teaches empathy.

“Knowing what you know today, would you still wish you looked like the other kids?” fifth grader Safiyyah Soumahoro asked the visitor.

“That’s a tough question,” Zuckerberg said. “I think my differences made me who I am, so part of me would say ‘no.’ On the other hand, I look back at how hard it was for me as a child, and I wish it could have been easier.”

Student Hadley Boyce was curious about what causes craniofacial differences. “Is it in the genes?” she asked.

Sometimes it is and sometimes it is not, she was told.

The students were encouraged to stand up for what is right and to choose kindness.

“It’s not always easy to stand up for someone else, but that’s what we are hoping you will take away from this,” Zuckerberg said.

The visit was sponsored by SEPTA, Pleasantville schools’ Special Education Parent-Teacher Association.

In reflection, School Superintendent Dr. Tina DeSa said, “Listening to the insightful questions by our students was moving. I am proud of our interdisciplinary approach to curriculum and the opportunity provided by our teachers and administrators for deep learning that will last a lifetime. Thank you, SEPTA, for being part of our team!”