Ms. Post Character Analysis in Look Both Ways

Ms. Post is the crossing guard at Latimer Middle School; she has a son, Canton, who attends school as well. She is insistent on doing her job well and on protecting the kids crossing Portal Avenue—so much so that a year before the stories in Look Both Ways take place, she ran in front of a bus to rescue a student and was injured when the bus clipped her. Ms. Post greets and checks in daily with many students, even those who don’t cross the street at her crosswalk. Because of this, all the students who mention Ms. Post speak of her favorably.

Ms. Post Quotes in Look Both Ways

The Look Both Ways quotes below are all either spoken by Ms. Post or refer to Ms. Post. 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:

27. SCHOOL CROSSING is the first sign. A picture of an adult and a child. I think. Weird, because kids cross by themselves.

Related Characters: Fatima Moss (speaker), Ms. CeeCee, Ms. Post

Related Symbols: Portal Avenue

Page Number and Citation: 64

Explanation and Analysis:

Fatima is walking home from school, recording everything that’s the same and everything that has changed since her walk home yesterday. This includes counting the various signs she encounters on Portal Avenue, the first of which denotes a school crossing zone. Fatima’s observation about the figures on the sign suggests that there’s some disconnect between how adults might like to think of a kid’s walk home from school, and what the reality of walking is. The sign suggests that kids are supervised on their walks home, and they walk home hand in hand with a trusted adult. In reality, though, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit

A kingdom full of princes, like Kenzi and Simeon, princes no one ever bet on anyway.

Related Characters: Kenzi Thompson, Simeon Cross, Ms. Wockley, Ms. Post

Page Number and Citation: 106

Explanation and Analysis:

The narrator is explaining that Kenzi and Simeon live in a lower-class neighborhood where most people are scared to walk—but to the boys, it’s a “kingdom.” Using this kind of language to describe the neighborhood makes it clear that Kenzi and Simeon aren’t afraid of where they live. It’s home to them, after all, and it’s where they can rule as “princes.” Referring to the boys as “princes” suggests that they do feel powerful in their neighborhood, as it’s where they can be themselves and dictate what they do with their lives. In this sense, the neighborhood is a kind Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi a

“It’s…a…broom.”

“But I cleaned it. Promise. And yeah, it’s a broom, until you do this.” He petted the wiry twine as if it were fur. As if he were scratching behind the ear of a Yorkie in desperate need of grooming. The straw popped back up when he was done, just like a dog’s would.

Related Characters: Canton Post (speaker), Mr. Munch (speaker), Ms. Post

Page Number and Citation: 182

Explanation and Analysis:

The day after Ms. Post returns to work after being hit by a bus, Mr. Munch presents Canton—who had a panic attack yesterday out of fear that his mom would be killed—with a pretend emotional support dog. The dog is made from a broom head, which is why Canton is so confused. He looks at the object and sees a broom, not a dog that’s going to help him get over his fears. Mr. Munch, though, encourages Canton to use his imagination and see the dog as a potential friend. The broom, he demonstrates, mimics perfectly the texture of some Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt

Canton shrugged, tossed it up in the air. Caught it. Tossed it again. Caught it. Again, and loose straw separated from the bunch. Again. And more loose straw, falling down on them. And more. Ms. Post laughed. “Look at that. A school bus falling from the sky.”

Canton smiled, knowing a school bus is many things.

So is a walk home.

Related Characters: Ms. Post (speaker), Canton Post, Fatima Moss, Gregory “Greg” Pitts

Related Symbols: The School Bus

Page Number and Citation: 188

Explanation and Analysis:

Once Ms. Post’s shift as a crossing guard is over, she and Canton walk home. Canton is tossing his pretend emotional support dog in the sky; he and Ms. Post are beginning to think he no longer needs it to feel secure. Ms. Post has also suggested that the broom dog now looks a bit like a school bus. As Canton tosses the broom head into the sky, a school bus falls from the sky, just as the narrator in “Water Booger Bears” said it did. But it’s not actually a school bus that falls from the sky—as this passage Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repe

Ms. Post Character Timeline in Look Both Ways

The timeline below shows where the character Ms. Post appears in Look Both Ways. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Fear, Friendship, and Support Theme Icon

...gray hair. Fortunately he did so in the crosswalk by school, and the crossing guard, Ms. Post , was there to help Trey. (full context)

Joy, Resilience, and Childhood Theme Icon

...in the parking lot, and after about 84 steps to the corner, the crossing guard, Ms. Post , greets Fatima. Her son, Canton, is sitting at the stop sign with a broom... (full context)

Independence, Freedom, and Identity Theme Icon

...soon as the final bell rings, Ty races out of class, out of school, past Ms. Post , and down Portal Avenue until he has to walk. He briefly rests in front... (full context)

...about cowboys. He also notes that he’s a friend, not a horse. The boys approach Ms. Post , the crossing guard, and she hugs Simeon like she does every day. Ms. Post... (full context)

Ms. Post then asks Kenzi if he’s staying out of the street. Kenzi says he’s trying and... (full context)

Simeon picks up their conversation before they spoke to Ms. Post . He reiterates that Kenzi is his family. Kenzi agrees. To the boys, Chestnut Street... (full context)

...arms to waft the smell toward her. Instead of going the usual route (up to Ms. Post and walking around the long way), Cynthia cuts across the grass behind the school to... (full context)

...pulls out a massive bottle of lotion, and Gregory’s eyes go wide with fear. As Ms. Post ushers the group across Portal Avenue, Candace explains that she stole the lotion from her... (full context)

...school buses are also weapons. One almost destroyed him and took his mom. His mom, Ms. Post , has been the crossing guard at Latimer Middle School since before Canton was born.... (full context)

...ball bounced into the street and a small boy named Kenzi Thompson ran after it. Ms. Post had turned her back for a moment and Kenzi was already halfway across the street... (full context)

...bathroom). But on that day, Jasmine Jordan and TJ ran back into school shouting that Ms. Post was hit by a bus. Canton felt like his brown skin was turning yellow, the... (full context)

Ms. Post returns to work a week later, normal except for the sling on her shoulder. But... (full context)

...just take Canton’s mind off his worries that a school bus is going to run Ms. Post over. Mr. Munch opens a locker and says he made Canton an emotional support dog.... (full context)

...it. So the next day, Canton takes his broom dog to the corner to watch Ms. Post work, to “guard the crossing guard.” Sitting against the stop sign, he runs his fingers... (full context)

At the corner, Ms. Post is just pulling on her vest and putting her whistle lanyard over her neck. She... (full context)

Canton makes notes of all the things he sees, including Portal Avenue, Ms. Post , cars, people going, hugging, laughing, and moving. He studies the people crossing the street... (full context)

Finally, when all the kids have gone home, Ms. Post takes off her vest and asks Canton if he’s ready to go. Canton stands and... (full context)

Ms. Post asks Canton if he still wants the broom dog. Shrugging, Canton tosses the broom dog... (full context)

Ms. Post Character Analysis

Ms. Post Quotes in Look Both Ways

4. How to Look (Both) Both Ways Quotes

6. Fives Things Easier to Do... Quotes

10. The Broom Dog Quotes

Ms. Post Character Timeline in Look Both Ways