EDM 510 Spring 2015
In our 7th grade class, we've been reading R.J. Palacio's Wonder (2012) - a quote from this book, about the ups and downs of a disfigured preteen, will follow. Please briefly describe an instance of a kindness done to or for you, or give your own definition of the word kindness - what does it mean to you?
Here Mr. Tushman looked up at the audience. "Kinder than is necessary, " he repeated. "What a marvelous line, isn't it? Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed. Why I love that line, that concept, is that it reminds methat we carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness. And what does that mean? How is that measured? You can't use a yardstick. It's like I was saying just before: it's not like measuring how much you've grown in a year. It's not exactly quantifiable, is it? How do we know we've been kind? What is being kind, anyway?" (p. 300)
