“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara takes place in New York City. It follows a group of black kids and their young leader Sylvia. Sylvia is prideful, rebellious, and opinionated. She loves being in charge and making her own choices. When a woman who goes by Miss Moore moves into their neighborhood and appoints herself their teacher, Sylvia is not happy. Miss Moore is constantly challenging these kids but mostly Sylvia. Sylvia finds her to be annoying and sometimes even patronizing and she hates being patronized. 

One day Miss Moore takes the neighborhood kids on a field trip to a toy store. While waiting to catch a taxi, Miss Moore asks the kids if they know what money is. Of course, Sylvia is annoyed by that question. She feels that Miss Moore is talking down on her, as if she’s superior to Sylvia, which again she hates. Miss Moore knows that Sylvia isn’t stupid. Miss Moore gets two taxis and leaves Sylvia in charge of paying the fare and leaving a 10% tip to the driver from the $5 she gave her to pay with. Sylvia isn’t able to do the calculations in her head but she refuses to let Miss Moore know she couldn’t do it, so she paid the fare and kept the rest of the money for herself.

Outside of the toy store everyone is looking at the prices of the toys that have caught their attention. They saw a $300 telescope; that they didn’t even know the things they could look at with it, a $480 paperweight; that they didn’t know what it even was or what it was used for especially since they don’t even have desks at home, they even saw a $1000 toy sailboat. They realized that this store was for the rich people. When she went to enter the toy store, slyvia was very hesitant; she felt intimidated and ashamed and anxious to enter. She isn’t a girl that often feels small, scared or inferior, when she did, she hated that feeling. It didn’t take long for her to get angry again and want to leave. 

On the way home Sylvia ponders her experience in the fancy toy store. She thinks about how her family can utilize the money that those rich folks spend on toys of those prices. She questions how those people can afford those things and why those secrets aren’t shared with her neighborhood so they can afford things too. She begins to understand Miss Moore’s lesson on economic inequality. There are people that make more money than her community, and can afford big fancy toys, and eat meals without worrying if they’ll get another one or when they’ll get another one. She feels left out, she feels inferior. She is left feeling angry again because she sees that Miss Moore is making an impact on her and she refuses to let her win or let her know that she has gotten to her. She reminds herself that she is still superior because she kept the change from earlier without Miss Moore realizing. 

In the end Sylvia promises herald that she won’t let anyone beat her. She is motivated to do whatever it takes to ensure that her future self never has to feel embarrassed, ashamed or less than ever again. 

“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara takes place in New York City. It follows a group of black kids and their young leader Sylvia. Sylvia is prideful, rebellious, and opinionated. She loves being in charge and making her own choices. When a woman who goes by Miss Moore moves into their neighborhood and appoints herself their teacher, Sylvia is not happy. Miss Moore is constantly challenging these kids but mostly Sylvia. Sylvia finds her to be annoying and sometimes even patronizing and she hates being patronized. 

One day Miss Moore takes the neighborhood kids on a field trip to a toy store. While waiting to catch a taxi, Miss Moore asks the kids if they know what money is. Of course, Sylvia is annoyed by that question. She feels that Miss Moore is talking down on her, as if she’s superior to Sylvia, which again she hates. Miss Moore knows that Sylvia isn’t stupid. Miss Moore gets two taxis and leaves Sylvia in charge of paying the fare and leaving a 10% tip to the driver from the $5 she gave her to pay with. Sylvia isn’t able to do the calculations in her head but she refuses to let Miss Moore know she couldn’t do it, so she paid the fare and kept the rest of the money for herself.

Outside of the toy store everyone is looking at the prices of the toys that have caught their attention. They saw a $300 telescope; that they didn’t even know the things they could look at with it, a $480 paperweight; that they didn’t know what it even was or what it was used for especially since they don’t even have desks at home, they even saw a $1000 toy sailboat. They realized that this store was for the rich people. When she went to enter the toy store, slyvia was very hesitant; she felt intimidated and ashamed and anxious to enter. She isn’t a girl that often feels small, scared or inferior, when she did, she hated that feeling. It didn’t take long for her to get angry again and want to leave. 

On the way home Sylvia ponders her experience in the fancy toy store. She thinks about how her family can utilize the money that those rich folks spend on toys of those prices. She questions how those people can afford those things and why those secrets aren’t shared with her neighborhood so they can afford things too. She begins to understand Miss Moore’s lesson on economic inequality. There are people that make more money than her community, and can afford big fancy toys, and eat meals without worrying if they’ll get another one or when they’ll get another one. She feels left out, she feels inferior. She is left feeling angry again because she sees that Miss Moore is making an impact on her and she refuses to let her win or let her know that she has gotten to her. She reminds herself that she is still superior because she kept the change from earlier without Miss Moore realizing. 

In the end Sylvia promises herald that she won’t let anyone beat her. She is motivated to do whatever it takes to ensure that her future self never has to feel embarrassed, ashamed or less than ever again.