Scout is a smart girl for her age because she has been reading the newspaper with Atticus every night since she was very young. In addition, Atticus treats both Scout and Jem as if they are young adults; he doesn’t treat them as children and understands that they are bright children who don’t always need to be protected from the world around them. When Scout goes to school, she finds it boring because it is moving too slow for her. Miss Caroline, her teacher, insists that Scout learn her way (the Dewey Decimal system that is all about order and rules) and dismisses Scout’s reading ability. Scout sees the education system as strict and not flexible. After the first day of school, Scout begs Atticus to not make her go back.
Scout’s opinions about school show that she is not ready to conform to society’s values and beliefs. She is an individual who will learn a lot about life through her experiences rather than through a strict educational system that stymies one’s abilities. By writing scenes that show Scout going to school, Harper Lee is forming the character of Scout as an independent, free-thinking young girl who will learn and grow from the events that happen in the novel and not through sitting in a classroom.
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