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
1
Portrayal of Teachers
2
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
Portrayal of Teachers
3
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
Portrayal of Teachers
4
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 teacherstudent 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:
Portrayal of Teachers
5
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
Portrayal of Teachers
6
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 19811988” (p. 349). According to Radebaugh (1989), her findings indicate that “several
Portrayal of Teachers
7
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
Portrayal of Teachers
8
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.
Portrayal of Teachers
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.
9
Portrayal of Teachers 10
Triplett, C., & Ash, G. (2000). Reflecting on the Portrayal of Teacher-Student
Relationships in Children’s Literature. New Advocate, 13 (3), 241, 245-246.