How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Put that chalk down. I can't afford to break it." (5.12)
Just as wood is precious in the school, chalk, too is hard to come by. Grant has to yell at kids who use too much, writing too thickly, and the students have to take turns writing on their slates because they don't have enough chalk to go around. When Grant is going to punish a kid he cares more about the chalk than their skin.
Quote #5
He came from a large family—thirteen, fourteen, fifteen: I don't know how many—and he had to fight for every crumb of food he got. (7.50)
Desperate times call for desperate measures, like bopping your older brother on the head with a frying pan to get an extra helping. Grant's observation about his problem-child student shows how situations of poverty affect people in every aspect of their lives.
Quote #6
"I don't have all the books I need. In some classes I have two children studying out of one book. And even with that, some of the pages in the book are missing. I need more paper to write on, I need more chalk for the blackboards, I need more pencils, I even need a better heater." (7.70)
When Dr. Joseph, the superintendent comes to town, Grant tries his best to explain how tough it is to teach with no resources. The repetition of "I need" shows just how desperate he is, and also the magnitude of the problem he's dealing with.