Now that they are five, it is time for Betsy and Tacy to start school, a prospect that intrigues Betsy and terrifies Tacy. Their older sisters Julia and Katie accompany them and introduce them to their teacher, Miss Dalton. Betsy becomes increasingly worried that Tacy, with her face bright red and seriously on the verge of tears, will not say a word. At recess, as the boys and girls march in separate lines to their separate sides of the playground, Tacy takes off. Betsy follows her.

A typical first day of school in the modern era might come much earlier in a child’s life than age five, given the prevalence of pre-school and early schooling programs. Many daycare centers follow a school-like system as well. While children might not be segregated by gender in their play spaces (although they certainly could be), it is highly unlikely that a small child could simply run from a formalized school setting without triggering an alert instantly. It takes Miss Dalton some time to locate Tacy and Betsy at Mrs. Chubbock’s store, sitting on the steps having cried their hearts out (Betsy’s tears inspired by Tacy’s, and both of their tears halted as they sample the chocolate candy with which they have been provided). For as Mrs. Chubbock knows, one cannot simultaneously cry and eat chocolate!

Miss Dalton comes up with an equally creative solution to allay Tacy’s fears: Betsy and Tacy will share a seat in their “Fashion” style school desk (see link below) that could actually seat two, with its large desktop and attached bench-style seat. This arrangement proving satisfactory, Betsy and even Tacy come to love school, love their teachers (usually!) and love learning. School life, including its social component, will be central to the Betsy-Tacy series, and the responses of Mrs. Chubbock and Miss Dalton to the situation depict beautifully the importance of treating children’s feelings with respect, dignity…and a little dose of creativity!

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On schooling in the early 1900s, see: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1900s-education-overview

On the history of the school desk, see: https://www.motal.org/school-bench-and-desks.html