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Mr. Lema
Miss Scalapino is Francisco’s first-grade teacher. Francisco doesn’t speak English when he attends school as a first grader, so he is completely perplexed in her class since he doesn’t understand a word of what Miss Scalapino says. When she catches him talking in Spanish to a classmate, she emphatically tells him, “NO!” This makes Francisco feel even more estranged from his classmates and he dreams of escaping from school. Though Miss Scalapino’s methods are questionable, she seems to mean well and gives Francisco a prize for his art. Francisco is very proud of this, and it helps him feel like he can succeed in school after all.
Miss Scalapino Quotes in The Circuit
The The Circuit quotes below are all either spoken by Miss Scalapino or refer to Miss Scalapino. 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:
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Inside Out Quotes
But when I spoke to Arthur in Spanish and Miss Scalapino heard me, she said “NO!” with body and soul. Her head turned left and right a hundred times a second and her index finger moved from side to side as fast as a windshield wiper on a rainy day. “English, English,” she repeated. Arthur avoided me whenever she was around.
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I did not understand what she said, but I heard her say my name as she held up a blue ribbon. She then picked up my drawing of the butterfly […] and held it up for everyone to see. She walked up to me and handed me the drawing and the silk blue ribbon that had a number one printed on it in gold. I knew then I had received first prize for my drawing. I was so proud I felt like bursting out of my skin. […]
That afternoon, during our free period, I went over to check on the caterpillar. I turned the jar around, trying to see the cocoon. It was beginning to crack open.
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The Circuit Quotes
The rest of the month I spent my lunch hours working on English with Mr. Lema, my best friend at school.
One Friday during lunch hour Mr. Lema asked me to take a walk with him to the music room. “Do you like music?” he asked me as we entered the building. “Yes, I like corridos,” I answered. He then picked up a trumpet, blew on it, and handed it to me. The sound gave me goose bumps. […] I had heard it in many corridos. “How would you like to learn how to play it?” he asked. He must have read my face because before I could answer, he added: “I’ll teach you how to play it during our lunch hours.”
That day I could hardly wait to tell Papa and Mama the great news […] but when I opened the door to our shack, I saw that everything we owned was neatly packed in cardboard boxes.
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"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Miss Scalapino Character Timeline in The Circuit
The timeline below shows where the character Miss Scalapino appears in The Circuit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Inside Out
...grade. Mr. Sims then walks Francisco to his classroom and introduces him to his teacher, Miss Scalapino . Mr. Sims and Miss Scalapino say a lot of things to Francisco, but he...
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...stares at the caterpillar to feel better. All day, Francisco doesn’t understand a word that Miss Scalapino says. He tries to pay close attention anyway, but he ends up with a headache....
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...One of the kids Francisco likes best is Arthur, who knows a little Spanish. However, Miss Scalapino overhears Francisco speaking Spanish once and reprimands him. After this, Arthur avoids Francisco whenever Miss...
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...him. He yells something at Francisco, but Francisco can’t understand what he is saying. Finally, Miss Scalapino breaks up the fight. Later, Arthur explains to Francisco that Curtis had said that the...
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Miss Scalapino tells Francisco and Curtis that as a punishment for fighting, they will have to sit...
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Toward the end of the school year, Miss Scalapino makes an announcement in class and says Francisco’s name. In one hand, she holds up...
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...his classmates over to look. The children are excited to watch the butterfly emerging. Later, Miss Scalapino takes the jar to the playground. Francisco’s classmates crowd around her and he can barely...
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Miracle in Tent City
...to prepare for him. Torito is a cheerful baby, and they all love him. Meanwhile, Miss Scalapino tells Francisco that he has to repeat first grade since he doesn’t know English, and...
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Moving Still
...clean the elementary school. The first room they clean is the same one that was Miss Scalapino ’s first grade classroom, and it brings back many memories for Francisco. As Francisco works,...
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