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Chad
Claude’s kindergarten teacher in Madison before he transitions to Poppy. Miss Appleton thinks Claude is “weird,” and he swears she doesn’t like him very much. She keeps Claude after class when he brings a purse to school and tells Rosie that little boys don’t need purses, and when Claude wears a dress to school, she tells him that little boys don’t wear dresses. Miss Appleton gets angry when Claude uses the boys’ bathroom, and when he asks if he should just use the girls’ bathroom, she says through gritted teeth: “you are not a girl.” On the surface, Miss Appleton seems like a friendly kindergarten teacher, but she bullies Claude, too, making his school experience even more miserable. Miss Appleton, too, represents the bullying of LGBTQ kids, especially transgender kids, in American schools.
Miss Appleton Quotes in This Is How It Always Is
The This Is How It Always Is quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Appleton or refer to Miss Appleton. 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:
).
Part I: Naming Rights
Quotes
“Why are you using the boys’ bathroom?”
“Because I'm a boy?”
She took another deep breath. “Then why are you wearing a dress?”
Claude was confused. They'd been through this. “I like to wear a dress.”
“Little boys do not wear dresses.” Miss Appleton tried to channel her usual patience. “Little girls wear dresses. If you are a little boy, you can't wear a dress. If you are a little girl, you have to use the nurse’s bathroom.”
“But little girls use the girls' bathroom,” said Claude.
“But you're not a little girl,” Miss Appleton said through her teeth.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Miss Appleton Quotes in This Is How It Always Is
The This Is How It Always Is quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Appleton or refer to Miss Appleton. 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:
).
Part I: Naming Rights
Quotes
“Why are you using the boys’ bathroom?”
“Because I'm a boy?”
She took another deep breath. “Then why are you wearing a dress?”
Claude was confused. They'd been through this. “I like to wear a dress.”
“Little boys do not wear dresses.” Miss Appleton tried to channel her usual patience. “Little girls wear dresses. If you are a little boy, you can't wear a dress. If you are a little girl, you have to use the nurse’s bathroom.”
“But little girls use the girls' bathroom,” said Claude.
“But you're not a little girl,” Miss Appleton said through her teeth.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
