First Day At Maycomb example essay topic

Miss Caroline's First Day It was the first day of school for many in Maycomb, including myself. I had just moved from a college in Winston Country. Almost 30 years have past since that day in Maycomb when I first saw the school I was to be teaching at. The classroom smelt stale after being closed up for the whole summer, as I met my students who I would teach for the next year. The one child I remember most had a trail of dirty footprints leading to his desk. The little horror looked like he was straight from the pig pen.

After a hectic morning, the children were coming inside from the playground. The filthy child I noticed in the morning, walked past. He smelled of farmyard animals. I can still recall his stench now some 30 years on. I was fascinated by the filthiness of his hands which were the colour of the earth, which had so distracted me that I didn't even notice a massive insect which ambushed me from his head of grimy hair". It's alive!" I exclaimed with horror.

The children rushed to my attention, one child shut the door so we could swiftly execute the creature. The children fired a million questions at me about the creature's whereabouts, but all I could do it unsteadily point at the unclean boy with grimy hair". You mean him ma " am? Yes, he's alive", only something a child could say. I told him about the insect and how it crawled out of the boy's hair. The boy seamed to find it amusing that I was scared of the creature they called a cootie.

He assured me that there was nothing to be afraid of. The sweet young thing led me back to my desk, and brought me a glass of water. The filthy child rummaged around in his grubby hair to find the insect, it was a repulsive site. As I got my nerve back I asked the boy who he was. He introduced himself as Burris Ewell.

He wasn't too bright. I asked him how to spell his name. But the imbecile couldn't. I looked up my medical book to find how to get rid of cooties, before suggesting that he was to go home and wash his hair.

Burris didn't like my suggestion that the other students might catch them. He stood up and glared at me. Only then I saw how dirty he really was. He was in dire need for a bath. There was no way he was coming into my classroom again like that". Burris, please bath yourself before you come back tomorrow", I said.

The foul little thing laughed at me. He spoke in an uncouth manner", You ain't send in' me home. I was about to of leave - I done my time for the year". I had no idea what he was talking about. He spoke as if he had done time in prison for a committed crime. "He is one of the Ewell's, ma " am", a child told me.

This explanation was the second of its kind I had received that day. I hadn't been in Maycomb for long and I didn't know the ethics of a small town. I listened on to see what the child had to say. Education doesn't appear to be one of the Ewell family's principles. It seemed that the children attend the school for the first day of each school year just to satisfy the law".

My third year in first grade this year, I reckon I'll be smart enough for second next year". The Ewell child stated. Fool of a child probably turned up for first grade years after I left Maycomb. Burris got up to leave the class. I told him in a stern voice to sit down, but the brat of a boy didn't like to be told. The wicked boy was determined not to leave.

I came to the conclusion that he was only going to be a burden on the class if he stayed. I told him to go home and threatened him that I would report the incident. Burris didn't like the suggestion at all. He turned around and yelled "Report and be damned to ye!

Ain't no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born can make me do nothing'! you ain't mak in' me go nowhere, missus. You just remember that, you ain't mak in' me go nowhere!" The monster's wicked voice still echo's through my head. The taboo words he used to insult me in front of the class were so horrid that I could do nothing but cry. He stormed off. I was looking forward to not seeing him for a whole year.

The darlings in my class gathered around me assuring me that Maycomb wasn't like the horror made it out to be. The boy will never know what it is to be an educated young man. But luckily for him ignorance is bliss. Over the 30 years that have passed I have looked back at that day far too many times. It has shaped the way I have handled my classes ever since.

In some ways I can be thankful for that first dismal day as no other day in my teaching career was ever quite as bad as that first day at Maycomb.