Summary

Chapter 12 is titled “Another Old Gal in the Ditch.” Russell is annoyed that Tansy is teaching everything, including geography, history, math, and language. Tansy is using her high school math book for guidance in teaching the children. The weather is hot and harvests have not yet begun, meaning all the students are in class daily. Russell expects Glenn to drop out, but he does not. Tansy divides the students into groups to name “all forty-five state capitals and the territorial capitals and spell them” (129). During class, Tansy calls on students to name the capital of a state and spell it. Tansy rings the cowbell when they make a mistake. She calls on Russell to name the capital of Florida. He says it is Tampa, earning the cowbell ring. He knows it is Tallahassee, but he argues that he can only spell Tampa.

Lessons...