Scout's anticipation of her first day at school is nearly
overwhelming, and
I never looked forward more to anything in my
life.
But her first day is a
monumental letdown. Her teacher, Miss Caroline, is fresh from college and a newcomer to
Maycomb, and she quickly discovers that things are different in South Alabama than in
her previous home in the northern part of the state. When Scout tries to explain why
Walter Cunningham has no lunch money, Miss Caroline spanks Scout with a ruler, bringing
a "storm of laughter" from her classmates. Miss Caroline later breaks down in tears
after witnessing her first lice, crawling in the dirty hair of Burris Ewell, and being
called a "slut of a schoolteacher" by Bob's son. Scout and her classmates rush to
console their teacher, who recovered long enough to
mystify
... the first grade with a long narrative about a
toadfrog who lived in a
hall.
Although Scout can read
and write cursive and is probably the brightest student in the class, Miss Caroline
believes she needs to be "untaught" of these habits, which the teacher thinks should not
be known by a first grader yet. Miss Caroline's insulting remark that "your father does
not know how to teach," stings Scout; but more importantly, it shows the ignorance and
lack of teaching skills that Miss Caroline possesses. Her modern approach to education,
learned from her recent college experience, is not a fit with Maycomb or Scout, who
wants to quit school after the first day. However, Atticus talks her out of it,
stressing that Miss Caroline has learned a few things on her first day, and that she
will learn more. He then gives Scout a lesson on tolerance, telling her
that
"You
never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until
you climb into his skin and walk around in
it."
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