Be Kind. Always.

By Caden Smith

The Mom & Caregiver was proud to partner up with Mr. Dawson’s sixth grade class at Byron Somerset Public School. Once we heard they were going to see the movie Wonder, we thought it was a great idea to find out what they learned from the film.

With 29 entries, we could only pick two (which was so tough to do!). All 29 had so many wonderful things to say, so we’ve taken a quote from each and you can see them on our Facebook and Instagram pages throughout the month of February. As adults, we can learn a lot from these wise youth. Grab a Kleenex!

Always Be Kind

Dear grade 3 self,

Hi McKenna. It’s you but three years later. A lot has changed. You started playing basketball and lots of other cool things. But today I am writing you this to talk about bullying. You are probably going through this right now.

I went and saw a movie called Wonder. It is about a boy who has a face deformity. He is bullied a lot. My experience of bullying isn’t as bad, but I still thought I would share this with you. I know there are two girls right now who are probably making you feel hurt, worthless and sad. I know those girls are being very rude.

A good saying I learned a few years ago is “kill them with kindness.” That means to not worry if they are being mean. Just ignore them, and continue to be kind. Also, trust me, it will get better. I am telling you this because in the movie I saw the boy got bullied and it didn’t make me feel good inside. It was almost like a flashback because I can remember how it felt to be bullied. The boy finally realized that he just needed to ignore the bullying. I hope you learn to do that. You have other friends so you should focus on them and ignore the girls. If they start being mean in front of your other friends, someone will stand up for you. Don’t tolerate any of it. Bullying is not ok. Just because they are being bullies doesn’t give you the right to be mean back. I know you are being bullied but just keep being you.

From,

By 11-year-old McKenna

Strong People Stand Up For Themselves But The Strongest Stand Up For Others

One simple word can really hurt someone. Bullying is definitely not okay. As Mr. Tushman said at the end of Wonder, “Everyone has a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”

Bullying can be very bad and kids may be seriously bullied. We are all different in our own kind of way. No kid should be treated badly. We all have our differences and no kid should be bullied because of it. That’s why that affects me. It affects me because I know how some kids don’t realize what other kids are dealing with. That’s why no matter whom you are talking to and what problem they have, always be kind.

We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree.

If you are bullying, stop now. Bullying could affect people’s lives tremendously and affect them later on in life. Bullying needs to stop so if you come across bullying be an upstander not a bystander. Stand up for the kid being bullied and tell an adult, teacher or a parent/guardian. If you are a victim of bullying tell a grown-up and get them to help. If that is not possible try to avoid the bully/bullies.

In the book Wonder, there is boy named August (Auggie) Pullman and since birth he has had a disease that causes his face to be deformed. Auggie was bullied and teased about his looks. Bullying should not be tolerated and kids should not be teased because of their differences. Even adults and maybe other citizens can tolerate bullying or say something really rude to others. This article should mean something to you. If you are a victim of bullying or you are the bully in the situation, think about what you are doing wrong or if you are the victim or you are witnessing this bullying, do something about it and be kind always. End bullying today.

By Caden Smith