Third Grade Angels

“Our new teacher, Mrs. Simms, was standing there saying it to each of us as we entered the classroom: ‘Welcome, angel Brett…’ ‘Welcome, angel Heather…’ ‘Welcome, angel Emma’ Amazing! How did she know our names already?”

Mrs. Simms’s welcoming gesture of addressing her students as “angels” upon their arrival symbolizes her role in guiding them toward goodness and moral growth. This event connects to the theme of The Impact of Adult Guidance and hints at Mrs. Simms’s halo dynamic. Additionally, by making it a point to know the name of each student before class even begins, she implicitly creates a safe, welcoming environment in which each student is celebrated and valued as an individual.

“‘Okay, angels are perfect. Real angels, that is. But we’re not real angels, are we? We’re third grade angels, people-type angels, right?’

‘Right!’ came the calls.

‘So,’ she went on, ‘the best we can do is’—she waited to build up suspense—’the best we can do.’”

From the very beginning, Mrs. Simms challenges the students’ perception of being “angels” by emphasizing that they are all imperfect humans striving to be their best selves. This event foreshadows the fact that the third grade will provide the students with many different Lessons in Morality. Faced with the school-wide knowledge of the rhyme characterizing third-graders as “angels,” Mrs. Simms develops an approach that challenges her students to gain a clearer understanding of what this term means in the context of human morality and ethical behavior. Most importantly, Mrs. Simms encourages the students to understand the concept of goodness in a human context, where imperfection is inherent. By reframing the idea of being an “angel” to allow for mistakes and missteps, Mrs. Simms sets the stage for the moral lessons that the students will learn throughout the novel, giving them implicit permission to be less than perfect and still be “angels.”

“‘Becoming an angel? Foof—that was easy. All you had to do was make it to third grade. But this’—she jabbed the halo at us—‘this…you have to work for. This…you have to earn.’”

With this whimsical reference to the ubiquitous school rhyme, Mrs. Simms emphasizes the significance of earning the halo prize, contrasting it with the non-event of simply reaching third-grade status, which she implies is an automatic transition. Instead, her broader discussion underscores the importance of mastering a range of Lessons in Morality, and as time goes on, she works to highlight the importance of engaging in genuine efforts rather than simply earning recognition. Her presentation also invokes the motif of the halo, which represents a tangible reward for embodying goodness.

“‘So, what’s fourth grade?’

‘Rats,’ I said.

His whole face changed, like he had just ripped open the best birthday present he ever got.

‘Whoa. Cool. I’m gonna like next year.’

I’m not, I thought.”

In this exchange between Joey and Suds, Joey’s enthusiastic reaction to the prospect of being labeled a “rat” foreshadows the themes of peer pressure and conformity that pervade Fourth Grade Rates (1992), Spinelli’s original story featuring these characters. For those readers tackling the novels in sequential order, however, the scene also serves as an element of foreshadowing, for Joey’s behavior in Fourth Grade Rats proves to be a more intensified version of the resistance he shows during Mrs. Simms’s classes in Third Grade Angels.

“As soon as I got home, I headed straight upstairs. I turned on the bathwater and poured in Bubble Tubble. Two minutes later I was in the tub and soap bubbles were rising like snow around me. This is what I do when I need to calm down. It was Mom’s idea from when I was little. It’s how I got the name Suds.”

The motif of the bubble bath symbolizes Suds’s sanctuary, a place of comfort and solace where he can escape the pressures of school and find emotional relief. His mother’s nurturing approach to parenting provides him with a ready-made mechanism for managing his anxieties from a very young age, and her measured solution for his recurring worries further emphasizes The Impact of Adult Guidance on the emotional development of children as they grapple with unexpected challenges.

“‘Why are you always complaining to me about Judy Billings?’

I tried to think. ‘I don’t know.’

She pressed my nose again. ‘She ignores you. She doesn’t smile at you. She doesn’t say hello —’

‘She does if I say hello first,’ I said.

‘Okay, but basically she ignores you, right?’

It was true. I just didn’t like hearing it from my mother.”

This quote exemplifies the theme of Lessons in Morality as Suds’s mother uses Judy Billings’s behavior to highlight Suds’s mistreatment of his sister. Suds’s acknowledgment of Judy’s neglectful actions towards him reflects his own treatment of his sister, prompting him to confront and correct his behavior. Suds’s discomfort with hearing the truth from his mother underscores the struggle to confront personal faults and the importance of adult guidance in recognizing and addressing moral shortcomings.

“From the moment Mrs. Simms said ‘Good morning, angels!’ and we all answered ‘Good morning, Mrs. Simms!’ you could feel the angel buzz in the air. […] All day long pleases and thank yous and pardon mes were flying around like bees at a picnic.”

After Mrs. Simms initiates the halo reward system, Suds observes a change in his classmates’ behavior. However, this surge in politeness reflects a superficial transformation prompted by the incentive of earning halos, rather than genuine kindness or consideration for others. The event underscores the theme of Lessons in Morality, illustrating how external rewards do not necessarily foster genuine moral growth.

“[E]verything was going pretty normal until a yellow baseball cap came flying onto the playground. […] For a second, nobody moved. And then it hit all of us at once: Good deed! About ten of us pounced at the hat. There were so many hands the best I could do was grab somebody’s wrist. […] Suddenly we all snapped apart like a broken wishbone.”

This quote reflects a practical example of the Lessons in Morality that Mrs. Simms is endeavoring to teach her students, for the scene highlights a moment in which Suds and his classmates are faced with a distinct moral dilemma and fail to make the correct decision. The arrival of the yellow baseball cap sparks a rush among the students to retrieve it, symbolizing their eagerness to demonstrate good behavior and earn the halo. However, the chaotic scene that ensues underscores the complexity of navigating moral decisions, for the students are so desperate to fulfill the good deed of returning the hat that they collectively damage the item and defeat the entire purpose of the exercise. In this case, their competitive instincts tarnish the act of doing a good deed, for their only true concern is to appear virtuous rather than actively embracing virtue.

“‘You’re all guilty,’ said Mrs. Simms. ‘You’re guilty of doing it. You’re guilty of watching and doing nothing to stop it. How many of you went over to the lady and told her you were sorry for the bad behavior of your classmates?’ No hands. ‘Didn’t think so. You’re guilty of that too.’”

Mrs. Simms’s stern rebuke highlights the theme of Lessons in Morality, emphasizing accountability and empathy, as well as the importance of taking responsibility for one’s actions and intervening to correct wrongdoing. The incident of the torn hat therefore serves as a catalyst that allows Mrs. Simms to impart a valuable lesson about standing up against injustice and demonstrating empathy towards others. Thus, although the students’ behavior in this incident is less than stellar, their teacher nonetheless uses the moment to help the class gain a greater understanding of morality and compassion.

“He always has to be first. […] She was right. […] And it was about everything, not just mashed-potatoes spoons.”

In this passage, Suds grapples with his inherent desire to always be first, and he possesses enough honesty to be able to acknowledge the pervasiveness of this fixation in various aspects of his life, even beyond simple competitions. While his reflections indicate his considerable self-awareness, the scene also highlights the theme of The Pitfalls of Perfectionism, as Suds begins to recognize the detrimental effects of his fixation on always being the first and the best.

“It’s like everything is a race that I have to win. And now that’s how I feel about getting a halo. I want to be first. I have to be first.”

This quote reflects Suds’s deep-rooted perfectionism and his frustration at failing to achieve impossible standards. As the novel progresses, his intensifying desire to win the halo highlights his relentless pursuit of external validation and reveals his fear of failure. These moments make it clear that he believes that his worth is tied to his achievements.

“Stop putting your energy into bribes. Put your energy into being good. Into doing good. Impress me. Don’t buy me.”

With this short, terse series of instructions, Mrs. Simms bluntly rejects her students’ attempts to use bribery to win back her high regard of their behavior in the wake of the incident involving the torn hat. Her words therefore underscore the theme of Lessons in Morality, for she explicitly emphasizes the superiority of genuine acts of kindness over material offerings. Her words also challenge the students to focus on demonstrating authentic goodness rather than seeking validation through gifts.

“In the playground I did a nice thing. […] I never saw a kid so happy and excited. It made me feel good. Mrs. Simms was at the fence talking to another teacher. I wondered if she saw what I did.”

This quote reflects Suds’s internal struggle with seeking external validation. Suds performs a genuinely kind act, but rather than remaining satisfied with the goodwill that his actions have created, his immediate concern is to wonder whether Mrs. Simms witnessed the interaction. This misguided focus indicates his desire for recognition above all else. The scene also highlights Suds’s growing awareness of the importance of ethical behavior as he seeks approval from authority figures like Mrs. Simms.

“I think it’s not just Mrs. Simms keeping an eye on you. I think it’s her network of friends too. They’re probably all over the place.”

Suds’s mother’s fabrication about Mrs. Simms’s network of spies reflects The Impact of Adult Guidance. By inventing this notion, Suds’s mother aims to instill a sense of accountability and encourage Suds to maintain good behavior, revealing her commitment to guiding Suds toward moral development. Suds’s subsequent behavior, refraining from retaliating against his sister and performing acts of kindness, demonstrates the impact of this fabrication on shaping Suds’s actions and fostering a sense of responsibility. On the other hand, the well-meaning fib of Suds’s mother also has the unintended effect of increasing his anxiety and exacerbating The Pitfalls of Perfection, for he comes to believe that his behavior is being monitored at all times.

“It’s harder to be an angel at home than at school. I mean, it’s not like I’m really bad at home. […] Now that I think about it, the only really hard thing about being an angel at home is being nice to my sister.”

This passage highlights Suds’s struggle with kindness and goodness in his personal life, emphasizing the theme of Lessons in Morality. Suds recognizes the challenge of exhibiting angelic behavior at home, particularly in his interactions with his sister, Amy. This reflection underscores Suds’s internal growth as he grapples with the complexities of moral behavior beyond the structured environment of school.

“‘You don’t do anything. And that’s’—she poked me—’the point, joint. You ignore her. Like Judy Billings ignores you. It’s as if she doesn’t exist. That’s not being nice to her. Being nice means doing something, not doing nothing.’”

Through her guidance, Suds’s mother challenges Suds to consider the true essence of kindness and empathy, emphasizing that being truly nice involves deliberate actions rather than passive indifference. By relating his own indifference towards Amy to Judy’s indifference towards him, Suds’s mother finds a concrete example that helps to illustrate the fact that an absence of kindness can be just as hurtful as the presence of actively negative behavior.

“But even with all this good stuff going on, I couldn’t relax. Because I didn’t know how I was doing compared to everybody else. […] It was like I was in a race, but I couldn’t see any of the other runners.”

This quote encapsulates Suds’s struggle with The Pitfalls of Perfectionism. Despite his numerous acts of kindness and efforts to excel, Suds still feels inadequate and finds himself consumed by anxiety and insecurity, believing that he is in constant competition with his peers. The metaphor of being in a race where he can’t see his opponents highlights the pressure he feels to measure up to others, reinforcing the detrimental effects of perfectionism on his self-esteem and well-being.

“Everywhere I looked, kids were being bad. And messy. And rude. […] I told my mom all of this after school. […] ‘What it means, Sudser, is they’re just being normal third-graders. Maybe it means that you’—she tugged both ears—’are the only one trying to be a perfect angel.’ […] I think she was telling me I didn’t have to worry anymore about winning the race—because everybody else dropped out. I was the only one left. Yes! I thought. The halo is mine!”

Suds’s observation of his classmates’ behavior highlights his growing sense of isolation due to his constant pursuit of perfection. Within this context, the author introduces an element of ironic humor when the gentle reminder of Suds’s mother suggests that his classmates’ actions are typical for their age and contrast with Suds’s heightened standards. Suds’s misinterpretation of his mother’s words reflects his preoccupation with winning and his misconception that only those whose good deeds are public are in fact working on their behavior.

“Mom found me in the suds.

‘Oh no—’ she went. ‘Chipmunky again?’

She was right. I’ve been in the tub almost every day lately.”

Suds’s frequent retreats to the bathtub symbolize his growing anxiety and stress as the halo announcement approaches. Suds’s recurrent use of his coping mechanism reflects his internal struggle with the pressure to be perceived as “good” and his fear of falling short of external expectations.

“Hey man, you just did the best good deed ever! Slam dunk! The halo is yours! Then my brain sent me to Joey’s words: There ain’t no spies. What if he was right? What if there were no spies reporting back to Mrs. Simms? What if I wasn’t going to get credit? What if The Best Good Deed Ever was going to go to waste?”

The full spiral of Suds’s internal conflicts is illuminated in this passage, as he mires himself in anxieties and worries about whether Mrs. Simms will give him credit for his latest exhibition of virtuous behavior. Ironically, just as his mother’s story about Mrs. Simms’s spies has worsened his anxieties over the past weeks, his current worries that the spies may not exist at all further exacerbates his anxieties, causing him to fear that his act of kindness may go unnoticed and unrewarded.

“If you lose, be a good loser. It’s easy to be a good winner.”

The advice of Suds’s mother highlights one of Spinelli’s many Lessons in Morality by emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship and resilience even in the face of defeat. The quote also underscores Suds’s internal struggles to come to grips with the deeper significance of the halo competition, highlighting his need to navigate ethical dilemmas and learn valuable life lessons beyond mere academic achievement.

“‘You gave it back to her. Sounds like you’re a good loser.’

‘But that’s outside, Mom. Inside I feel like a really bad loser. Maybe the baddest loser there ever was.’

‘Because?’

‘Because I wanted to keep it. I wanted to put it on my head and everybody would come up to me and say ‘Congratulations, Suds.’ Mom—I was only good on the outside!”

Suds’s admission that he internally feels like a “bad loser” despite appearing externally gracious highlights the complexity of moral growth and the ongoing struggle to reconcile personal desires with ethical principles. Thus, this scene outlines his realization and showcases an important breakthrough in his understanding of Mrs. Simms’s Lessons in Morality. Suds’s realization that his performative displays of goodness feel superficial underscores the novel’s exploration of integrity and genuine kindness, emphasizing the importance of internalizing moral values rather than merely performing ostensibly virtuous acts.

“‘I was happy to see you joined the others in congratulating Constantina. I know how badly you wanted that halo, Suds. I know how hard you tried.’ […] Now she was looking at me like I was the only person in the world. ‘Suds, you are an angel. You’ll get your halo soon enough.’ I got the feeling she could see inside me.”

In this moment, Mrs. Simms transcends the conventional limitations of her role as a teacher and offers Suds genuine comfort and reassurance, highlighting The Impact of Adult Guidance. Her acknowledgment of Suds’s efforts to win the halo also demonstrates her perceptive understanding of his struggles, emphasizing her role as a mentor figure.