TKAM Post #1

Journal #1
Chapters 1-3
Perspective of Miss Caroline


Today was the first day of school for my first-grade class. A little girl I had never seen before named Scout Finch is in my class. But that isn’t saying much, seeing as I’m not a NATIVE to Maycomb. At first, she seemed very excited to be in school, but after a while the anticipation seemed to fade, as did my good mood.
In the beginning of the day, I read the class a story about cute little cats and how they lived comfortably under a kitchen stove. I love that book! The children didn’t seem to appreciate it as much as I would have liked them to, but that’s okay.
After the story, I printed the alphabet on the board and asked my students if they knew what it was. Since a majority of my class failed last year, everybody did. I asked Scout to read it aloud, which she did flawlessly. Then I asked her to read some of My First Reader and the stock-market quotations from The Mobile Register out loud. By doing this. I realized- Scout is literate. I lost my liking for her for a few moments. I probably had a MALVOLENT look on my face. What can I say; I was pretty IRKED that her father had taught her to read before coming to school. This would be a completely different obstacle than expected.
Of course, Scout acted like she didn’t know what I was talking about. “Teach me? He hasn’t taught me anything, Miss Caroline. Atticus ain’t got time to teach me anything.” I just smiled and shook my head disbelievingly. Obviously someone had taught her to read. “Why, he’s so tired at night he just sits in the living room and reads,” she added on for good measure.
“If he didn’t teach you, who did?” I asked, interested. “Somebody did. You weren’t born reading The Mobile Register.”
After some outlandish story about how her brother tells her she belongs to a different family, I had to put a stop to her foolishness. “Let’s not let our imaginations run away with us, dear. Now you tell your father not to teach you any more. It’s best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I’ll take over from here and try to undo the damage.”
She tried to protest but I just told her to sit down. She mumbled an apology and sat down.

A while later, after recess, I asked all of the children who go home to eat lunch to raise their hands. Several kids raised their hands; I assumed they lived in the town. I then called upon the children who bring their lunch to school to put it on top of their desks. I walked up and down the rows, approving their lunches. When I reached Walter Cunningham’s desk and saw nothing, I asked him if he forgot his food. He gave me no response. He didn’t even look at me. “Did you forget it this morning?” I asked again.
I waited for a response. “Yeb’m” he finally got out.
I felt bad for the boy- after all, he wasn’t even wearing shoes- so I walked over to my purse and took out a quarter. I offered it to him. “Go and eat downtown today. You can pay me back tomorrow.”
I was surprised to see him shake his head. “Nome thank you, ma’am.”
I began to grow impatient. “Here, Walter, come get it.”
He shook his head again.
I looked up and noticed that Scout was standing. “Ah- Miss Caroline? Walter’s one of the Cunninghams, Miss Caroline. You’re shamin’ him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn’t got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can’t use any stovewood.”
My back became rigid. I grabbed Scout by the collar and dragged her to my desk. “Jean Louise, I’ve had about enough of you this morning. You’re starting off on the wrong foot in every way, my dear. Hold out your hand.” Scout looked at the class with a confused face. I picked up a ruler and with what I hoped to be an INTIMIDATING expression, I patted her palm with it. Afterwards, I told her to stand in a corner. As the class watched this happen, they burst into laughter.
Not knowing what else to do to get them to settle down, I threatened to do the same thing to them. This lead to even more chaos.
Miss Blount, a 6th grade teacher, appeared in the doorway. This was what made the class grow quiet. “If I hear another sound from this room I’ll burn up everybody in it. Miss Caroline, the sixth grade cannot concentrate on the pyramids for all this racket!”
Right as she finished saying this, though, the lunch bell rang and the class left. Scout was the last student to leave.
I was so overwhelmed by this point, all I could do not to cry was slouch in my chair and bury my head in my arms.
I hope the rest of the year turns out better than this. I’ll have to PERSERVERE either way, though.