Because of Mr. Terupt

“This year, for the first time in my life, I started thinking school could be fun.” 

Peter’s narrative quickly demonstrates the impact Mr. Terupt has on his students. On the very first day of school, Mr. Terupt manages to respond to Peter’s class’ clowning in a manner that resonates with Peter and gets him excited about school. Where other teachers may have reprimanded Peter for his classroom behavior, Mr. Terupt makes a joke to put Peter in his place. Peter respects Mr. Terupt for this approach, but it sets the stage for Peter’s antics to get increasingly out of hand as the novel progresses. 

“I couldn’t believe it. My teacher was new, too. And he liked what I was reading. I don’t know why, but somehow he made my butterflies disappear and my tongue shrink. Things were going to be okay.”

Mr. Terupt has a quick impact on Jessica before she even sits down on the first day. He recognizes that she is clutching a book and asks her about it, opening the way for them to bond. Jessica’s is only the second student voice in the first chapter, and already, Mr. Terupt is demonstrating his ability to put students at ease in his classroom.

“Then I saw Anna wandering over by herself. I wondered if she wanted to be a loner. Or did she want friends? Why did she try so hard to be invisible? Was she embarrassed by her family situation? And how many people actually knew all that stuff about her mother?”

Jessica captures the complicated nature of interpersonal relationships, even at the age of 11. This passage demonstrates not only Jessica’s maturity, but also her ability to articulate the complicated relationships she observes around her. Jessica credits books for guiding her in knowing what to do, and her ability to think about connections with characters transfers to her ability to analyze social situations, although not always perfectly.

“Dear God, It’s Danielle. I know now that Jessica is my real friend. I pray that you can help Alexia not be so mean.”

Danielle speaks directly to God frequently in her narrative. She looks to God for guidance in social drama because she doesn’t feel her mother or grandmother understand her. Danielle’s regular prayers demonstrate faith’s strong role in her life. Danielle demonstrates genuine care for Alexia, despite Alexia being such a bully to her, by including Alexia in her prayers and asking God to help her be a better friend.

“I looked down. I knew I should have done something. I wasn’t strong like the friends in my books.”

Jessica looks to books for comfort and guidance. She looks to fictional characters as role models for how to navigate situations, and she compares herself to the characters she admires and relies upon for confidence. Recognizing that a hero from one of her books would have had the strength to stand up to Alexia makes Jessica feel remorseful over her lack of action in the situation. She has an opportunity to stand up for Danielle or for herself, but instead, she passively lets Alexia continue bullying others.

“You need to keep working. Learn from this and don’t make the same mistake again.”

Mr. Terupt finally steps in to stop Alexia’s bullying, but he’s disappointed in the other students for not standing up for one another. He tries to create opportunities for students to learn from their own actions and experiences, but they rely on him to intervene. Jessica, Anna, Danielle, and Jeffrey miss an opportunity to stand up to Alexia when she bullies people in their group project. They’ll miss another opportunity to support a classmate in Part 2 when Peter is ostracized for his role in Mr. Terupt’s accident. They won’t reach a resolution, though, until everyone comes together and supports one another.

“Mr. Terupt did something. I loved him for that. He wasn’t really happy about it, though. He wanted us to do the sticking up for each other.” 

Anna is elated to have a teacher finally stand up for her. Past teachers have tolerated bullying, and Anna’s quiet demeanor is, in part, the result of intentionally trying not to draw attention to herself. She understands that Mr. Terupt wants the kids to stand up for themselves, be responsible for their own reactions, and work together, but Anna isn’t quite ready to stand up for herself without an adult’s support and is grateful for Mr. Terupt’s interference.

“I really like these meetings. The first time we had one, Mr. Terupt told us that it was a way for everyone to have a voice. I didn’t get it at first, but now I do.” 

Danielle feels more confident with Alexia sidelined. At this class meeting, Danielle speaks up and suggests that the class spend time outside for part of their free day, offering a compromise that encompasses the ideas of multiple classmates. When her classmates cheer in agreement, Danielle is surprised. She’s not used to her suggestions making a difference, but in Mr. Terupt’s class meeting format, everyone–even the class pushover–has a voice.

“It’s not your fault.”

Jessica’s words resonate with Jeffrey. The only other person to ever tell him that he’s not to blame was his late brother, Michael. Jeffrey’s own parents are too wrapped up in their own grief to recognize how guilt-ridden Jeffrey is over Michael’s death. Jeffrey later echoes Jessica’s words back to her after visiting the hospital on the day of Mr. Terupt’s surgery–He tells her she’s not to blame for Mr. Terupt’s accident, opening the way for her to finally admit to herself that she has been feeling guilty but has avoided acknowledging that emotion.

“He should have yelled at Peter for the Frisbee. He should have yelled at him for the puddle of water. He should have yelled so that we knew he was serious–then this never would have happened.” 

Luke looks to authority and rules for order. Even though he craves recognition when he accomplishes something academic, Luke doesn’t accept the accompanying responsibility that comes with owning his actions. Luke wants only praise and no guidance or correction, so it’s difficult for him to acknowledge his own part in Mr. Terupt’s accident. Rather than accept responsibility for the role he plays in getting Peter to throw the snowball, Luke instead blames Mr. Terupt for not stopping Peter’s pattern of increasingly dangerous pranks. Luke originally likes that Mr. Terupt is different from other teachers, but when he’s feeling fearful, he craves the familiarity of strict authority to guide him.

“And I don’t like you being around Anna, or her mother, but I also think it’s probably better that you go with your friends than alone.”

Danielle’s mother makes it clear that she does not approve of Anna or Anna’s mother. Her heavy prejudice gives way to admitting that Anna’s company makes Danielle stronger when facing a tough situation, though. This is also a turning point for Danielle because she knows how her mother feels about Anna, yet she finds the courage to finally ask her mom for permission to see Anna outside of school because this visit is important to her.

“We thought our own thoughts and stared at our teacher, who lay motionless with his eyes closed. Yet somehow I felt better. The power of Mr. Terupt, even in his coma, made something huge transpire.” 

The students articulate Mr. Terupt’s impact upon them throughout the novel. He’s not like other teachers who assign busywork, yell to show they’re serious, or turn a blind eye to bullying. He guides his students towards wanting to be more responsible by instilling in them a sense of their ability and worth, such as inspiring Jeffrey to try after seeing Mr. Terupt defend his work, even though it was admittedly lousy work. Mr. Terupt rarely steps in with a direct order; instead, he inspires his students to act for themselves. Because of his impact on the children, even in a coma, his presence is powerful for his students.

“I wanted to hate you for saying those things to me, but you were right, Teach.” 

Alexia realizes Mr. Terupt is right about the way she treats others. She has been mean to the other kids in class and purposefully started a “girl war” among her classmates. Until now, she’s allowed her home situation to be her excuse for the way she treats others. This is the first time in the story where readers hear Alexia take responsibility for her behavior towards others. 

“You didn’t throw that snowball, nor did you force Peter to throw it. I’m not sure whose fault it is that this happened, or if it even matters, but I do know it’s not yours.”

Anna’s mother makes her feel better by confirming for her that she’s not to blame for Mr. Terupt’s coma. She emphasizes that blaming one person for the situation isn’t what matters. Anna’s mother is a constant source of support, strength, and encouragement for Anna with her practical advice and refusal to divert blame to others. Even in Anna’s family situation, her mother takes responsibility for having been a teen parent and tells Anna that her dad was a good person, despite him not being there for either of them after her birth. She paves the way for Anna to understand that in complicated situations, there’s not just one person to blame.

“I sat on the front porch with Grandma after church. She drank her coffee (black, because she’s tough) and I sipped some iced tea (unsweetened, because I hope to be tough like her).” 

Danielle admires her grandmother and wants to be like her. She frequently has difficulty reconciling her grandmother’s judgement with her desire to be friends with Anna, though. That influence isn’t one-sided–Danielle’s grandmother comes around to admitting that Mr. Terupt is a special teacher when she sees the impact he has on her granddaughter.

“Everybody I ended up likin’ I ended up losing. Why did I even bother tryin’?” 

Jeffrey withdraws from his classmates again after Mr. Terupt’s accident. His first withdrawal occurs before the novel begins, when Jeffrey loses his brother, Michael. Mr. Terupt’s accident takes place just as Jeffrey is learning to open up to others again. This leaves Jeffrey afraid to care again, since each time he cares about someone, he ends up feeling guilty over their loss.

“Terrible/Worrisome News (Mr. Terupt) + Happy Party (James) ≠ Happy Luke.” 

Luke thinks analytically and seeks instruction and order in everything. This equation is Luke’s way of expressing that the upcoming party for James is not great enough to outweigh the worry he feels over Mr. Terupt. In times of stress, Luke relies on rules and order, such as equations with clear answers, to comfort him.

“I bet Peter was lonely, too. But like, none of us did anything about it until James said something.” 

Everyone in class avoids Peter after the snowball accident, knowing that he feels terrible already. Mr. Terupt has tried to teach his students that they’re stronger together in tough situations. James breaks Peter’s isolation, though, not Mr. Terupt’s students. Alexia realizes here that Peter doesn’t deserve ostracism, and she credits James for doing what Mr. Terupt would have wanted his own students to do in forgiving and supporting Peter.

“He just liked to have fun, and the good fun went real bad on him that day in the snow. That’s all. It wasn’t all his fault.”

Jeffrey rationalizes not placing blame solely on Peter for Mr. Terupt’s accident. He’s still doesn’t recognize that he’s not to blame for Michael’s death or his parents’ grief yet, though. Forgiving Peter and breaking the situation down to a simple accident is an important step in Jeffrey becoming ready to forgive himself for Michael’s death.

“Danielle’s words crushed me. I didn’t get mad at her, though. In a way, I felt sorry for her. I know she wants to be my friend, but her family doesn’t want that to happen. That’s got to be hard.” 

Anna demonstrates her ability to sympathize with Danielle, despite Danielle’s harsh words. Anna is an observer, and she’s seen Danielle make significant efforts to be friends, but she also understands that Danielle doesn’t want to upset her own family. Still, being sympathetic doesn’t mean that Anna is unfeeling, and Danielle’s lashing out leaves her feeling crushed.

“All of a sudden there was so much I didn’t know about my beloved teacher.”

Jessica realizes that Mr. Terupt has no family or friends visiting him at the hospital, and this makes her realize that she’s never seen any indication of family or friends. Jessica’s realization echoes what Anna’s mother says in Chapter 7: “Everybody’s got a story, Anna” (175). Each student has a story and a voice in this novel, but as readers reach the end of the book, Mr. Terupt’s lack of story and lack of voice become more apparent.

“Hard to breathe. So many bad memories. Bad news everywhere.” 

Jeffrey’s reaction to seeing a doctor walk toward their group in the hospital waiting room demonstrates the extent of his trauma. The author presents his panic in the short, gasping sentences in his narrative. As much as Jeffrey contributes to helping others overcome their grief and guilt, he still experiences these emotions intensely. 

“‘Hi, Mrs. Roberts,’ Mom said, offering her hand to shake. ‘I’m Terri Adams, and this is my daughter, Anna. We didn’t meet properly at the hospital. We’d love to have you and Danielle come over this afternoon. Maybe for a cup of coffee or tea, and some hangout time for the girls.’”

Anna’s mom, Terri, is a strong, positive example for Anna. She knows Danielle’s family does not approve of her, but she sets a good example for Anna by being polite and welcoming anyway. This interaction also demonstrates the way Terri supports her daughter: She recognizes that Anna is suffering socially for her family situation and has tried to make friends, and taking this step herself shows that Terri understands when to step in and assist her daughter. She takes the pressure off Anna and Danielle and places it on the adults.