Up The Down Staircase

714 Words2 Pages

Up the Down Staircase

By Bel Kaufman

The main character of this book is Sylvia Barret she is a recent college graduate, and works as a high school English teacher. Sylvia would like to work in a nice private school, like so many of her friends. Instead Sylvia takes a job with the board of education, in a nieve attempt to reach out to the under privileged inner-city children in public schools. Sylvia battles with so many choices in this book. In the end she makes the right ones.

Another character that is important to this book is James J. Mchabe. He signs his name with Adm. Asst. (administrative assistant). Sylvia calls him “Admiral Ass” because he is always looking over her shoulder. It seems like Mr.Mchabe’s only propose in life is to bother Sylvia and the other teachers. The admiral always seems to find something wrong with the manor the teachers run their classes in.

Bea Schachter is another teacher at Calvin Colidge High School. Bea has been a teacher at Calvin Coolidge for a very long time and she automatically makes Sylvia her friend. Bea shows Sylvia the ropes; what to do, what not to do, where to go, where not to go. That kind of stuff. Bea is a good teacher, and a good friend to Sylvia.

One of Sylvia's students is Joe Ferone. Joe is a rebel and a hoodlum. Joe barely ever comes to class. Sylvia really wants to help Joe. Sylvia tries to schedule after school sessions with Joe, but he never shows up. Towards the end of the story I get the feeling Sylvia was starting to fall in love with him.

This story takes place in a New York City school in Manhattan, in the nineteen- sixties. The book covers the span of one school semester form September to February.

Sylvia Barret, a new teacher is starting her first day in room 304. She finds out that teaching isn’t all that she thought it would be. Her first friend is Bea a veteran teacher who helps Sylvia out by explaining how Calvin Coolidge high works. The writer takes all the craziness of a normal high school and embellishes them; for instance the school guidance counselor is always using big words and thinks all the students need help. And Mr. Mchabe the administrative assistant who is nosy about everything. The Janitor who is never available.

Show More
Related

  • Character Analysis: The Chocolate War

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story seems takes place at an all boys catholic high school named Trinity. They are in the season of Fall and it takes place in the early 1970’s. Trinity is where our storyline takes place. At first it seems like a regular school but as we dig deeper into the minds and narratives of the students we discover Trinity’s dark secrets such the clubs,Brother Leon's unusual teaching technique, and the student hazing done by the school's secret group the Vigils.The time period which they are in is described by the lack of modern technology.

    Read More

  • ' The Lesson, By Toni Cade Bambara

    1753 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this story, Bambara indicates the distance between Miss Moore and Sylvia, by showing the contrast of educational background between them. As Sylvia said, Miss Moore has “her goddamn college degree (330-331)”, but most of people around Sylvia did not go to the college because they were too poor to go. At the beginning of the story, everyone in the class looked like they did not like Miss Moore, as Sylvia said “we kinda hated her (330)”. She also said that “I’m really hating this nappy-head bitch and her goddamn college degree (330-331)”. As these words represent, she was insulting Miss Moore and the readers hear that the sarcasm in Sylvia’s tone most of the times in the story. She also called Miss Moore “lady”. This depicts Sylvia treated Miss Moore as an outsider. According to Naderi, “Miss Moore’s state of being called ‘lady’, her educational background, her ‘proper speech’ (195) make

    Read More

  • Characters in Sarny, A Life Remembered

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    The characters in this story are some very interesting people. They each lead their own way of life, and have their own interests at heart. Some of the main characters in this novel are: Sarny, Lucy, Miss Laura, Bartlett, Stanley, and Sarny's two children Little Delie, and Tyler. Sarny is the central character in this book. She is clever and knows exactly what to even in the worst of times. She is very emotional though, and can break down and cry when the slightest of things happens. This is perhaps from what she has experienced as a slave earlier on in her life. Sarny is fond of teaching people, as a friend named Nightjohn once taught her. Lucy is Sarny's close friend. She is also quite wise, but is a bit too optimistic at times. She never stops smiling and is very friendly. However, she does help Sarny find her lost children. Miss Laura is a middle-aged woman who lives a very luxurious life. She gives Sarny and Lucy a place to live and offers them employment. She also finds Sarny's children for her. Bartlett works for Miss Laura as well. He is a quiet and patient man who is helpful and quite kind. He was however castrated as a young slave boy, and cannot have children. Stanley is Sarny's second husband, for her first died from being worked to death on the plantation. Stanley is a gentle, big, fun-loving man, but is not intimidated by anything. This leads him to his death when he gets mad at a white man, and is confronted by the Ku Klux Klan. Little Delie and Tyler are Sarny's lost children. After she recovers them, and they grow up, Little Delie starts to like business, while Tyler wants to become a doctor.

    Read More

  • The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ideas- The main idea in this book changes all throughout it. There is one idea that goes throughout the whole story which has a protagonist and an antagonist. Charlie is the protagonist. The antagonist… high school. This develops miraculously throughout the book. Starting off with his first day, to the homecoming game where he meets Sam and Patrick, to his last days of being a freshman. “And I’m Patrick. And this is Sam” pg-19. At first Charlie is worried about high school and his english teacher Bill fixes that quickly. He meets his two new best friends Sam and Patrick at a football game. He then went from there going through tough times. All though ...

    Read More

  • Whirligig by Paul Fleischman

    469 Words  | 1 Pages

    Even though the story might seem ordinary at times, it allows you to look at the big picture, which is the most important aspect. The main character-Brent- displays characteristics that a lot of high school students can relate to; whether male or female. In his cross-country adventure through the U.S., exciting and unexpected moments never cease to amuse you. All kinds of people contribute to Brent’s change of attitude; one comment or story or facial expression at a time. And possibly the best part of it all is that you get all of this educational, amusing literature in only 133 pages.

    Read More

  • Jerome Cartwright's 'The Explicator'

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bambara writes, “So right away I'm tired of this and say so. And would much rather snatch Sugar and go to the Sunset and terrorize the West Indian kids and take their hair ribbons and their money too. And Miss Moore files that remark away for next week's lesson on brotherhood, I can tell” (2). From this, we can see that Sylvia knew what she said was wrong and even why it was so. This also happens to be the passage that Cartwright uses to illustrate that the children require more than one lesson on a hot Harlem day; they deserve a thorough education. Cartwright explains “Rather than simply teaching a single lesson, the story is about the value of lessons themselves, the value of learning and thinking”

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Lesson By Toni Cade Bambara

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    This negative attitude towards Miss Moore is what starts Sylvia’s character, which shows us how young and naïve she really is. At first glance we could perceive Miss Moore’s character as the protagonist and Sylvia’s character as the antagonist of this story. But really Miss Moore isn’t the center character Sylvia’s character is the center of this story, Miss Moore is just a character that starts conflict with Sylva’s character. Sylvia being the narrator

    Read More

  • Our Lady Of Mercy Analysis

    468 Words  | 1 Pages

    In modern society, the rules for school are simple and straightforward. To do well in school means to do well later in all aspects of life and guaranteed success will come. Sadly however, this is not the case for Ken Harvey or Mike Rose. Author Mike Rose goes to Our Lady of Mercy, a small school located deep in Southern Los Angeles where he meets other troubled students. Being accidentally placed in the vocational track for the school, Rose scuttles the deep pond with other troubled youths. Dealt with incompetent, lazy and often uninvolved teachers, the mix of different students ‘s attention and imagination run wild. Rose then describes his classmates, most of them trying to gasp for air in the dead school environment. On a normal day in religion

    Read More

  • “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood”

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    The high schools are made up of cliques and the artificial intensity of a world defined by insiders and outsiders. (Botstein pg.20) The insiders hold control. over the outsiders because of good looks, popularity, and sports power; the teacher. and staff do nothing to stop them, the elite.

    Read More

  • Miss Moore´s Teachings in Toni Cade Bambara's “The Lesson”

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of Miss Moore's defining qualities is her intelligence. Her academic skills and self-presentation is noticeable through her college degree and use of “proper speech” (Bambara, 385). Miss Moore also makes her intelligence evident from the methods she uses to teach Sylvia and the other children. Unlike planting them in classrooms, she takes them out on trips to show them the real world. Despite all the insults she receives from th...

    Read More

  • Graduation Speech: I'm Ready for High School

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    8th grade, 8th grade from the opening day to the signing of the yearbooks. This is the year of memories, goodbyes, and regrets. 8th grade and I’m still realizing that there are people in the world that would die to go to a school like this. A school where every body knows everyone’s name, respects everyone, and where violence and fighting are about as common as the Yankees missing the playoffs. When I’m done with my homework and go to bed, as the days of 8th grade wind down, summer will come and go, and I will find myself in one of those giant, scary places called high school.

    Read More

  • Reviewing School and Cultural Influences

    1846 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kauffman, J. M., & Landrum, T. J. (2013). School and Culture. In S. D. Dragin & M. B. Finch

    Read More

  • Point Of View: The Lesson

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bambara wrote it from this point of view that people can see what it is like to grow up without a formal education and hardships these kids have to overcome. She wanted to also show the distinct personalities, characteristics, and habits that are a result from their environment. She uses it to contrast different social classes. Bambara also included Sylvia’s resentment towards Miss Moore to show how people of a lower social class are disrespectful towards educated people. But at the end, she felt confident that she can achieve her goals no matter where she came from, even if she did not expect Miss Moore to teach her a lesson.

    Read More

  • The Vanishing Experience: My First Experience Of College

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    Seven thirty in the morning, confused, and gazing at my first experience of college I had no idea what this semester would have in store for me. Within the second story of Vawter Hall about fifty to a hundred students are crowding the hall awaiting the arrival of their professors. I was no different; unlike these other chatty energetic individuals I was alone, and desperate to get this first day over with. At eight o’clock bells chime through the building and the students have now dwindled down to those who I will later come to know as classmates and those few who had overslept on the first day. Eight fifteen, the little crowd starts to stir; the professor has still yet to arrive. Around eight twenty a woman with short cut hair arrives in a hurried manner, clearly upset to have arrived after her students. However, to her surprise, and those of her students, the door was

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative Essay: A First Day In A New School

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bonnie the secretary introduced me to my new teacher. As Mrs. Bonnie was leaving the room, my new teacher Mrs. Evaheart introduced me to the class. As I stared at the class I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. I wanted to go back to my old school where I had friends, knew almost everyone, a place where I didn’t feel lonesome, a place anywhere but here. As I saw each and every one of my new classmates faces the utter dread that I felt slowly began to fade as I saw a familiar face. Seeing one of my former friends give me a renewed hope that maybe being in this school won’t be so bad after

    Read More

More about Up The Down Staircase

Open Document