Definition:

Respect is acting with kindness, politeness, and consideration of the other, having good manners and treating all things carefully. 

In short:

Value others, honor differences.

Summary:

In the book “You are Special”, the author tells the story about a town of wooden puppets called Wemmicks. They have an unusual way of relating with one another. Those Wemmicks who are really good-looking, wear fashionable clothing, or have a special talent that everyone thinks is great, get special star stickers to wear on their clothing so they can be recognized. Those who are not believed to be special in any way, or who are different somehow, are given dot stickers as a punishment. Punchinello only gets dot stickers, and as a result, he feels unimportant and sad. He decides to visit the town woodcarver, Eli, to get some advice. At first he is afraid to tell Eli about his problem. But it turns out that Eli is wise and full of good advice. Eli, who created Punchinello, tells him that he is a special, unique, and precious work of art. He says, “The stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you trust my love, the less you care about their stickers.” This fills Punchinello with hope and confidence. This new feeling of self-respect causes the stickers to fall off of him! He realizes that Eli designed him to be special and loved. 

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Students learn that what really matters the most is not your outward appearance, but the kind of person you are on the inside. 
2. They will  look at others differently, with less jealousy,less criticism, and more interest in what the other person is really like. They’ll look for friends who are kind and respectful. 

Guiding Questions: 

1. Why are some Wemmicks really happy and others very sad? 
2. Do you think the stars and dots stickers matter to the Wemmicks? Why or why not?  
3. Do you think this system of reward and punishment is fair or not? Why? 
4. Why did Punchinello finally go to seek advice from Eli and why was he nervous about it? 
5. When Eli created Punchinello, he created a puppet he regarded as special, unique and precious. Why didn’t Punchinello realize this before he talked with Eli? 
6. Do you think Eli was sad to hear how Punchinello felt about himself? Why?
7. Why do you think the stickers fell off of Punchinello when he felt special and loved? 
8. Do classmates who have good looks, nice clothing, and special talents get more attention than others at your school? If so, how do you feel about that? 
9. Do you feel like you are special? If you don’t, is there anything you can do to feel how special you really are? Is there anyone you can talk to who can help you with that, just as Punchinello did in the story? 
10.  Why do you think Max Lucado wrote this story? What did he want his readers to learn?