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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 Character Timeline in This Is How It Always Is
The timeline below shows where the character Miss Appleton appears in This Is How It Always Is. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part I: Air Currents and Other Winds
...tell Rosie. She looks to the school and can see Claude standing with his teacher, Miss Appleton , who has a rather firm hand on him. “Mrs. Adams?” Miss Appleton says to...
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...butter sandwiches over the years, and she can’t understand why it is a problem now. Miss Appleton explains that with the increase in peanut allergies, no peanut butter “is implied” at the...
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Rosie asks if anyone in Claude’s class is allergic to peanuts, and Miss Appleton says it is more of a precaution. She then explains to Rosie that they also...
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...isn’t—he know the other kids will make fun of him. Rosie offers to talk to Miss Appleton , but Claude asks her not to. Miss Appleton thinks he is “weird,” Claude says,...
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Part I: Invention
...the school for their meeting. They are prepared to meet only with Dwight Harmon, but Miss Appleton is there along with Victoria Revels, a representative from the school district. Victoria Revels immediately...
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...the boys’ bathroom might make him uncomfortable, so the nurse’s office is his only choice. Miss Appleton says Rosie and Penn should prepare Claude for lots of questions. Children are naturally curious...
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...and sit in the back, so that’s exactly what Penn does. As the kids arrive, Miss Appleton sits them in a circle and says that many exciting things happened during break. Susan...
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Part I: Naming Rights
One day, Miss Appleton stops Claude and asks him if he has been using the boys’ bathroom. Claude says...
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...dress, then he is “being disruptive and must wear normal clothes.” It is confusing for Miss Appleton and the other children, Ms. Revels says. They aren’t sure if Claude is a girl...
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Part I: Push
...she is perfectly happy. In fact, Rosie admits, all her kids seem happy, and even Miss Appleton has come around with a switch to sunflower-butter sandwiches. Poppy’s change, however, is more difficult...
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