Previous
Nancy
Teacher works at the residential school where Annie, Janey, Tim and the other children live. She is vicious and cruel and likes to publicly shame and punish the children. She also dives wedges between them by bribing them with candy to tattle on each other about various types of rule breaking. Of all the people Annie encounters, Teacher’s racism and prejudice are most obvious. She punishes the children for speaking in their native languages, which she describes as unintelligible jabber. She’s always afraid that the children are laughing at her behind her back. And when Janey steals Teacher’s glasses, Teacher acts as though the glass are contaminated by Janey’s touch, and she refuses to wear them again.
Teacher Quotes in Sister Heart
The Sister Heart quotes below are all either spoken by Teacher or refer to Teacher. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Teacher gives a sharp smile
Very good, Annie!
There is one more thing
we only speak English here
English is the language of kings
She bends closer
We never speak native gibberish
Her glasses slide down her nose
Not ever!
She pushes her glasses back
Janey will tell you what happens
if you speak the native tongue
Won’t you, Janey?
Janey speaks so loud
everyone hears
You get whacked, Annie!
Laugher spills out from the other kids
Silence!
Teacher snaps
Her angry look sweeps the room
No laughter now
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Hmph
says Teacher
Annie looks too wild to be in school
Help her comb her hair
flatten it down
This is not the bush!
I don’t want flat hair like Teacher!
And Janey
make sure Annie
does her after-school jobs properly
If she doesn’t get them right
she must do them again
The sooner she gets used to the routine here
the better
Yes, Teacher
Outside
Janey says
You like school?
Teacher hates my language
Teacher hates my hair
I can’t read
I can’t write
I shake my head
Janey sighs
Me neither
I like writin’ stories and singin’ songs
Sums make me brain hurt
Everythin’ else makes me tire
Come on, we got jobs!
Janey laughs
then winces in pain
I got them glasses
real sweaty and foggy
When Teacher yelled
at me to give ’em back
I dropped the stinky things
right into her hands
Shoulda seen her face
thought she might spew
You reckon she wear
them mucky things now?
Nancy laughs
You a smart little sou’wester!
Janey is smart
Tough too
But Janey is hurting
I pick up my blanket
I lay it softly over her
Janey groans
What Teacher gunna do without glasses?
Told ya I’d make her pay, Annie!
Chapter 3
Quotes
Stand straight
with your arms down
Now, repeat after me
Mary had a little lamb
its fleece was white as snow
everywhere that Mary went
the lamb was sure to go
So many english words
to say
all at once
I stutter and stumble
through the words
and when I get
to the last line
I get it wrong and say
the ham was sure to glow
The other kids bust out laughing
Teacher whacks me
but the edge misses
Tomorrow
we will do this again
We will do it every day
until you can say it perfectly
Get the entire Sister Heart LitChart as a printable PDF.
Teacher Quotes in Sister Heart
The Sister Heart quotes below are all either spoken by Teacher or refer to Teacher. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2
Quotes
Teacher gives a sharp smile
Very good, Annie!
There is one more thing
we only speak English here
English is the language of kings
She bends closer
We never speak native gibberish
Her glasses slide down her nose
Not ever!
She pushes her glasses back
Janey will tell you what happens
if you speak the native tongue
Won’t you, Janey?
Janey speaks so loud
everyone hears
You get whacked, Annie!
Laugher spills out from the other kids
Silence!
Teacher snaps
Her angry look sweeps the room
No laughter now
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Hmph
says Teacher
Annie looks too wild to be in school
Help her comb her hair
flatten it down
This is not the bush!
I don’t want flat hair like Teacher!
And Janey
make sure Annie
does her after-school jobs properly
If she doesn’t get them right
she must do them again
The sooner she gets used to the routine here
the better
Yes, Teacher
Outside
Janey says
You like school?
Teacher hates my language
Teacher hates my hair
I can’t read
I can’t write
I shake my head
Janey sighs
Me neither
I like writin’ stories and singin’ songs
Sums make me brain hurt
Everythin’ else makes me tire
Come on, we got jobs!
Janey laughs
then winces in pain
I got them glasses
real sweaty and foggy
When Teacher yelled
at me to give ’em back
I dropped the stinky things
right into her hands
Shoulda seen her face
thought she might spew
You reckon she wear
them mucky things now?
Nancy laughs
You a smart little sou’wester!
Janey is smart
Tough too
But Janey is hurting
I pick up my blanket
I lay it softly over her
Janey groans
What Teacher gunna do without glasses?
Told ya I’d make her pay, Annie!
Chapter 3
Quotes
Stand straight
with your arms down
Now, repeat after me
Mary had a little lamb
its fleece was white as snow
everywhere that Mary went
the lamb was sure to go
So many english words
to say
all at once
I stutter and stumble
through the words
and when I get
to the last line
I get it wrong and say
the ham was sure to glow
The other kids bust out laughing
Teacher whacks me
but the edge misses
Tomorrow
we will do this again
We will do it every day
until you can say it perfectly
