Are you a bystander? Are you unique?

These were questions Year 3 pondered in P4L. They read the book We’re All Wonders by R.J Palacio. and met Auggie, who was no ordinary kid; he was different. However, Auggie’s uniqueness is unappreciated by the rest of the children and their unkindness hurts his feelings. Many of the children at Auggie’s school chose to be bystanders – when someone sees something they know is wrong but choose not to say anything or do anything. Thoughtfully, Year 3 identified words and behaviours that made Auggie sad and they voiced their opinions with sincerity and concern.

Year 3 were wonders in their empathetic approach to Auggie, using their pupil voice to suggest ways in which differences could be embraced and bystanders could speak up. Referring to their kindness superhero powers from previous lessons, Year 3 wondered out loud and explained what they could do if they saw situations where someone was being unkind.

At SVPS, each cares for all and now, more than ever, community wellbeing is important. So, like Year 3 concluded, we can choose not to be silent bystanders and celebrate the fact that we’re all wonders, unique, different and wonderful!