The Portrayal of Teachers In

10

Portrayal of Teachers

The Portrayal of Teachers in

Children’s Literature

Kimberley H. Ramsey

Advanced Children’s Literature, RE 5140

Dr. Ulmer

June 24, 2003

Teachers can be very powerful forces in children’s lives. The way teachers are depicted in children’s literature can be just as powerful. Children enjoy reading about school experiences in books and if the character is the teacher it can be even more appealing. In this paper, I will examine children’s literature in the form of picture books and fiction books and respond to the question: How teachers are portrayed in children’s literature?

Teachers in Picture Books

In the book My Great-Aunt Arizona (Houston, 1992), Arizona grows up attending a one room “blab school” and eventually leaves her home to study and become a teacher. She returns home to the Appalachian Mountains to teach for fifty-seven years. Arizona is so dedicated to teaching that she rocks her daughter in a cradle while she is teaching. Roberta Herrin (1996) thought “the story emphasizes the power of strong personalities in a community and reminds us that teachers have ever held power over students’ lives, especially in places like Henson Creek” (p. 40).

The character of Miss Nelson in the book Miss Nelson is Missing (Allard, 1977) is a sweet teacher, but the children are rude and disruptive and she cannot get control of them. One morning Miss Nelson does not come to school so the substitute teacher, Miss Viola Swamp, is introduced. Miss Swamp is very firm and stern with the children. The children want Miss Nelson back and when she returns they show her more respect by listening in class and completing assignments. In the book Miss Nelson is Back (Allard, 1982) Miss Nelson has to be out of school to have her tonsils out. The principal substitutes for a while and the kids dress-up and pretend to be Miss Nelson. With the fake Miss Nelson, the kids go into town and the real Miss Nelson sees them. The next day Miss Swamp makes her appearance to straighten the children out before Miss Nelson comes back. The character of Viola Swamp in the two books is an example of a “non-relational teacher, one who seeks no personal relationship with students” (Triplett & Ash, 2000, pp. 245-246).

In the book Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner (Schwartz, 1988) Annabelle’s sister, Lucy, prepares her for the first day of kindergarten. Lucy tells Annabelle things that won’t appear correct for kindergarten. When Annabelle doesn’t answer some questions correctly, she feels disappointed. She ends the day counting the milk money all by herself. Mr. Blum is so impressed that she can count like that on the first day of school that he rewards her with going to the cafeteria to turn in the milk money. Mr. Blum falls into the non-traditional male role of teacher. Teachers are often women in children’s picture books. Having a man as an elementary teacher gives a different perspective to the reader.

Another children’s picture book that portrays a man in the role of the teacher is Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse (Henkes, 1996). The book “discusses the importance of relationships between teachers and students and how these relationships can influence the classroom and academic performance” (Triplett & Ash, 2000, p. 241). Mr. Slinger is Lilly’s teacher and he makes school so enjoyable for her. He places the desks in a semi-circle, not rows, and makes delicious snacks. Lilly gets to go to the Lightbulb Lab and do creative writing. She pretends to be Mr. Slinger at home when she plays school. Mr. Slinger has to reprimand Lilly for sharing her purple purse at an inappropriate time. Mr. Slinger takes the purse from Lilly. Lilly is mad and writes a note to show that she is angry with him. Mr. Slinger returns the purse at the end of the day with an apology note and snacks. Lilly tells Mr. Slinger that she is sorry for the note angry note and she still likes him.

The Teeny Tiny Teacher (Calmenson, 1998) is a whimsical look at teacher-student relationships. The teacher takes the students for a walk in the park. The teacher finds a bone and puts it in her pocket to share later. The teacher forgets the bone and the class is disrupted by a mysterious voice asking for the bone back. The teacher, after many disruptions, tells the class that they must not be rude and raise their hands to speak. The teacher and students are later frightened by the voice. The teacher realizes it is not her students playing a joke and shouts out for the voice to take the bone. This is a good view of how students and teachers can work together to try and solve a problem.

Teachers in Fiction Books

Teachers in fiction books can take on a different perspective. In the book Killing Mr. Griffin (Duncan, 1978) Mr. Griffin is portrayed as a very rigid high school English teacher. His assignments can take most of the evening to complete. When the work begins to be too much a teenager, out of the blue, suggests playing a cruel joke on Mr. Griffin, never intending it to end with a murder. Paula Danziger’s book The Cat Ate My Gymsuit (1974) presents Ms. Finney as the teacher. Diane Barone, Marie Meyerson, and Maria Mallette (1995) summarize the book as:

Ms. Finney gets fired for her non-traditional teaching strategies. Ms. Finney believes in using whatever means are necessary (plays, light shows, interesting books, videotapes, and group dynamic sessions) to get students interested in the topics they are studying. The principal believes Ms. Finney’s teaching philosophies and techniques are inappropriate. He perceives that it is wrong for students to talk about their feelings and be in touch with themselves. The students protest to get Ms. Finney reinstated. Unlike many stories, the students are successful in getting their teacher reinstated, yet Ms. Finney chooses to resign. Ms. Finney, like many other real-life teachers, is tired of fighting a very traditional school system (pp. 264-265).

In the situation with Ms. Finney, she had made learning interesting and dynamic for the students and is reprimanded because of her teaching style.

In a different direction to the view of teachers in fiction books Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying (Parks, 1994), Junie B.’s teacher, Mrs., deals with her day to day antics in kindergarten. Junie B. likes to spy on people and when she gets curious about her teacher’s private life, she winds up getting into some trouble in kindergarten. Mrs. has to deal with Junie B. firmly and patiently. The book Ramona the Pest (Cleary, 1968) also deals with another character entering kindergarten and developing a fondness for her teacher Miss Binney. Ramona always has to do something to make her presence known in class and sometimes this can exasperate Miss Binney. Teachers in fiction books can be more of an evolving character to give more depth to the books.

Timeline of Cited Books

The timeline of books cited in this research paper covers the late 1960’s to 1970’s and 1980’s to 1990’s. The earliest book cited was Ramona the Pest (Cleary, 1968) and the latest book cited was The Teeny Tiny Teacher (Calmenson, 1998). The gender of the teacher in the books cited was predominately female. The books cited that had men in the role of the teacher were Annabelle Swift, Kindergartener (Schwartz, 1988), Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse (Henkes, 1996), and Killing Mr. Griffin (Duncan, 1978).

Studies and Findings

Several studies were researched for the writing of this paper. Authors Triplett and Ash (2000) examined the reflection of teachers’ relationships with students in children’s literature. Over fifty books from children’s and young adult fiction that focused on school setting and adult educator as a major character were read. Their findings showed five portrayals of teachers—relational, non-relational, ethical rebel, unethical rebel, and transitional—and the books offered a wide variety of issues, dilemmas, and caveats with which to challenge preservice teachers.

Another study researched was on the portrait of a teacher. Muriel Rogie Radebaugh (1989) analyzed “books selected as the best in children’s literature during the past eight years, the Newbery Award winners and Honor Books for 1981-1988” (p. 349). According to Radebaugh (1989), her findings indicate that “several teacher characters emerged as individuals well worth knowing as competent, caring human beings; however, a majority (nine of the fifteen educators) were portrayed negatively being rude and lacking respect for students’ emotions” (p. 354).

Diane Barone, Marie Meyerson, and Maria Mallette (1995) conducted a research study on the portrayal of teachers in children’s literature. In this study, Barone et al. (1995) “looked into the classrooms shared in children’s books and media to discover how teachers were portrayed and to see whether traditional teaching was predominantly described” (p. 258). In the findings of their research, Barone et al. (1995) “concurred with Greenway’s statement that school is an all powerful institution and no matter how good some teachers are they will not win against the mighty institution” (p. 267). Barone et al. (1995) conclude that “the changes in teacher preparation programs and the changes in what one would expect to see in today’s classrooms are frequently not being represented in children’s books” (p. 267).

Conclusion

Overall, the information I gathered in this research paper show teachers being portrayed in a positive manner. Most of the teacher portrayals are friendly, kind, and give the best to their students. Some contradictions can always apply. In reference to the book Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse (Henkes, 1996), Evans and Bates (2000) report a student to comment about Mr. Slinger “he makes learning fun…tries to relate to kids on their level, but he may be having too much fun” (p. 6). The picture books seemed to portray teachers in a friendly and affirmative style. The character of Miss Viola Swamp allows one to see that even nice teachers shouldn’t be taken advantage of in the classroom. The fiction books Killing Mr. Griffin (Duncan, 1978) and The Cat Ate My Gymsuit (Danziger, 1974) deal with teacher portrayal that cover specific issues of non-relational teachers and non-traditional teachers. Children will read books about characters that appeal to them. If students have a good rapport with teachers, a lighthearted book may fit. Students that want to rebel and select a book that gives negative teacher portrayal can have that view made available for them.

References

Allard, H. (1982). Miss Nelson Is Back. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Allard, H. (1977). Miss Nelson Is Missing. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Barone, D., Meyerson, M., & Mallette, M. (1995). Images of Teachers in Children’s

Literature. New Advocate, 8 (4), 258, 264-265, 267.

Calmenson, S. (1998). The Teeny Tiny Teacher. New York: Scholastic Press.

Cleary, B. (1968). Ramona the Pest. New York: William Morrow & Company.

Danziger, P. (1974). The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. New York: The Putnam & Grosset

Group.

Duncan, L. (1978). Killing Mr. Griffin. Toronto: Little, Brown and Company.

Evans, S., & Bates, L. (2000). From Mark Twain To Toni Morrison: Subverting

Teacher Authority In Children’s Literature. Paper presented to the National

Council of Teachers of English, Milwaukee, p. 6.

Henkes, K. (1996). Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Herrin, R. (1996). Gloria Houston and the Burden of the “Old Culture”.

Appalachian Journal, 24 (1), 40.

Houston, G. (1992). My Great-Aunt Arizona. US: HarperCollinsPublisher.

Parks, B. (1994). Junie B. Jones and some Sneaky Peeky Spying. New York:

Random House.

Radebaugh, M. (1989). Dreary Miss Grimsley: Portrait of a Teacher?. Journal of

Youth Services in Libraries, 2 (4), 349, 354.

Schwartz, A. (1988). Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner. New York: Orchard Books.

Triplett, C., & Ash, G. (2000). Reflecting on the Portrayal of Teacher-Student

Relationships in Children’s Literature. New Advocate, 13 (3), 241, 245-246.