Wonder

Hello everyone, I want to recommend you a movie I saw a couple of years ago: Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, that you could watch during this holiday week. Also, if you are interested, it's based on a book. It tells the story of Auggie, a boy with a facial difference who starts school for the first time and has to face a lot of difficulties because of how he looks. The film shows really well how bullying goes beyond just physical violence, because Auggie suffers from exclusion, people laughing at him, mean comments, and being treated differently. These are all things we’ve talked about in class, like verbal and psychological bullying, and how it can really affect someone’s self-esteem and feeling of belonging. 

In the movie, we can clearly identify the different roles that students take in bullying situations, as described by the Participant Roles Approach. Some students act as bully followers, supporting or encouraging the main aggressor. Others remain silent and do nothing, taking the role of passive bystanders, which indirectly reinforces the bullying. Fortunately, there are also defenders, who stand up for Auggie and try to support him despite peer pressure. The film also reflects both proactive and reactive forms of aggression: some kids bully Auggie to look cool or gain popularity (proactive aggression), while others react impulsively, perhaps out of fear, insecurity, or a lack of social understanding (reactive aggression).

Another point that really stood out to me was the role of teachers. In some scenes, they remain passive and fail to intervene, while in others, they genuinely try to support Auggie. This reminded me of my old school, where teachers often reacted in a similar way. As a result, many students didn’t report bullying because they believed teachers wouldn’t help or might even make the situation worse. The movie also encourages reflection on the importance of affective empathy, which, as we’ve learned, plays a key role in promoting defending behaviors. It also made me think about how powerful classroom norms can be, when kindness, inclusion, and respect are clearly encouraged, bullying tends to decrease. 

In the end, Wonder is not just a touching story, but also a great example to understand many of the concepts from our course like the imbalance of power, the bystander effect, moral disengagement, and the importance of creating a safe environment in schools. I really recommend it to everyone, especially if you want to reflect on these topics.

This is the trailer for anyone interested: https://youtu.be/ngiK1gQKgK8?si=YnxFPMww1cdI-5n5

Palacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. Alfred A. Knopf. https://www.capgeox.org/uploads/1/3/1/9/131934518/wonder.pdf

Salma Garrijou Bouzyane