Chapter 2 — Teaching Companion

What it asks It asks the student to look closely at a small, warm bending of the rules. Father went into the office at the Nurturing Center and looked at this year's Naming list to find the name of newchild Thirty-six, “the little guy I've been concerned about,” because a name “might enhance his nurturing.” He whispers “Gabriel” to the baby only “If no one can hear me.” Then he grins: “I call him Gabe, actually.” The committee chose the name; the short form is Father's own. The student decides what “Gabe” gives Father that the list could not. It opens one part of the last written question: what is left for a person to choose when others make the big choices.

One reading

Closeness. A short name is how Father talks to the little ones he loves; at bedtime he calls Lily “Lily-billy.” Calling the baby Gabe makes him someone Father is caring for, not a number on a list.

• because it occurred to me that it might enhance his nurturing if I could call him by a name.
• "I call him Gabe, actually," he said, and grinned.
• "Here you are, Lily-billy," he said.

Another reading

A choice of his own. The committee made the list, and Father only read it. “Gabe” is the one part of the name he picked himself, and he keeps it private.

• The committee always makes the list in advance, and it's right there in the office at the Nurturing Center.
• If no one can hear me.

Listen for

• Uses Father's reason for looking: a name “might enhance his nurturing.”
• Notices that “Gabe” is Father's own shortening of the committee's name.
• Notices the whisper, and that Mother, who keeps the rules, is smiling.
• Treats the broken rule as small and tender, as the chapter does; does not turn it into a sign of something darker.

If stuck

• Why did Father go and look at the list?
• Who chose the name Gabriel?
• What does Father call Lily when he brings her the elephant?

A strong answer A strong response might say “Gabe” gives Father closeness: he wanted a name to “enhance his nurturing,” and a short name is how he talks to the little ones he loves, as with “Lily-billy.” Another might say it gives him a small choice of his own, since the committee makes the list and he only read it. A careful answer may notice that even when Father breaks a rule, he keeps the committee's name; he learns it early instead of picking another.

What it asks It asks the student to listen to Jonas listening. Father is explaining how he knew his aptitude: he loved the newchildren “more than anything.” He starts to list what his friends did instead: bicycle races, toy vehicles, bridges with construction sets. Jonas cuts in, and Mother nods. Father goes on: he joined in, “of course,” but “again and again” he was drawn to the newchildren, and the Elders knew it. The student decides what Jonas hears in his father's story at that moment. It takes up one part of the last written question: what the Elders can see in a boy whose games look like everyone else's.

One reading

He is glad to see himself in the story. These are his games too, Mother agrees, and Father says that when they are young, everyone “must experience all of those things.” Jonas is joining in, not worrying.

• "All the things I do with my friends," Jonas pointed out, and his mother nodded in agreement.
• I always participated, of course, because as children we must experience all of those things.

Another reading

He hears a difference. Father joined in, but his free time pulled him toward the newchildren and away from his friends' games. Jonas does what his friends do. Soon after, the chapter says he has no idea what his own Assignment will be.

• But again and again, during free time, I found myself drawn to the newchildren.
• Unlike his father, he had no idea what his Assignment would be.

Listen for

• Uses Father's list of games and Jonas's words.
• Notices that Father was drawn away from his friends' games, while Jonas sounds like the friends.
• Uses Mother's nod, or Father's “of course.”
• Does not guess what Jonas's Assignment will be.

If stuck

• What did Father love more than anything when he was a boy?
• What were his friends doing instead?
• Is Jonas more like Father, or more like Father's friends?

A strong answer A strong response might say Jonas is simply glad to recognize his own games, and Mother nods along; Father even says everyone young “must experience all of those things.” Another might say Jonas hears a difference: Father was drawn to the newchildren “again and again,” while Jonas does what his friends do, so he may wonder what in him stands out. A careful answer may notice that Andrei spent his time with a construction set and became an Engineer, so ordinary play can show something too.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh one firm sentence. Jonas has just said he worries about Asher's Assignment, because Asher “makes a game out of everything.” Mother says the Elders will find the right one, and then warns him: after Twelve each friend moves into an Assignment group, and “your friends will no longer be as close.” Jonas shakes his head and answers firmly. Father agrees with Jonas that there will still be school, and agrees with Mother that “There will be changes.” The student decides whether Jonas is saying something he can keep by choosing it, or something he wishes for but cannot control. It takes up one part of the last written question: what Jonas can still decide for himself. The chapter only voices Mother's worry; it does not say whether she is right.

One reading

A promise. Friendship is something Jonas can choose, and he says it firmly. He even gives a reason, school, and Father agrees with that part.

• "Asher and I will always be friends," he said firmly. "And there will still be school."
• "That's true," his father agreed.

Another reading

A hope. The new groups are not Jonas's to pick, and Mother and Father both say things will change. Saying it firmly may be how he pushes the worry away.

• After the Ceremony of Twelve, you'll be with your Assignment group, with those in training.
• But what your mother said is true as well. There will be changes.

Listen for

• Uses “firmly,” and that Jonas shakes his head.
• Uses Father's answer, which agrees with both of them.
• Notices who decides the groups after Twelve.
• Does not say what will happen to Jonas and Asher, or what Asher's Assignment will be.

If stuck

• What did Mother say would change after Twelve?
• Who decides which group you join after Twelve?
• What is the difference between a promise and a hope?

A strong answer A strong response might call it a promise: friendship is something Jonas can choose, he says it “firmly,” and Father agrees there will still be school. Another might call it a hope: the Assignment groups are not his to pick, and Father agrees with Mother that “There will be changes.” A careful answer may notice that Jonas was worrying about Asher's Assignment a moment before, so he may be holding on to the one part of the future he believes he can decide.

What it asks It asks the student to test a cheerful claim against the proof Father gives for it. Mother has just warned Jonas that after Twelve there will be “No more volunteer hours. No more recreation hours.” Asked whether she still played, she says, “Occasionally,” and that it “didn't seem as important.” Father laughs: “I still do.” His proof is the games he plays every day with the newchildren at the Nurturing Center, the work he had always loved most. Then he says fun doesn't end at Twelve. The student decides how far his proof reaches: to everyone, or mainly to someone whose Assignment fits the way his does. It takes up one part of the last written question: what an Assignment does to the rest of a person's life.

One reading

For everyone. The Elders choose with care, so each person's work should suit them the way Father's suits him. Mother's fun changed shape: she found new friends who liked what she liked, and she calls the changes good.

• Of course the Elders are so careful in their observations and selections.
• I found myself with people who shared my interests. I made friends on a new level, friends of all ages.

Another reading

Mostly for Father. His fun is part of his job because his job is the thing he loved most. Mother answers differently: she played only now and then, and her work follows her home.

• Every day, at the Nurturing Center, I play bounce-on-the-knee, and peek-a-boo, and hug-the-teddy.
• "Occasionally," his mother replied. "But it didn't seem as important to me."
• her work never seemed to end, even when she was at home in the evening.

Listen for

• Uses Father's proof: the games he plays at the Nurturing Center.
• Sets Father's answer beside Mother's “Occasionally.”
• Notices that Father's fun comes from a job that fits what he loved.
• Does not make Mother unhappy, since she calls them “Good changes”; does not say what Jonas's Assignment will be.

If stuck

• Where does Father play every day?
• What did Mother say when Jonas asked if she still played?
• Would Father have as much fun if his Assignment were different?

A strong answer A strong response might say it is true for everyone: the Elders are “so careful in their observations and selections,” and even Mother, who played only now and then, found “friends of all ages.” Another might say it is true mostly for Father: his fun happens “Every day, at the Nurturing Center,” inside the work he loved most, while Mother's “work never seemed to end.” A careful answer may notice that Father's proof rests on an Assignment that fits him, so whether fun goes on after Twelve may depend on how well the Elders choose.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh two kinds of kindness about a loss that is coming. Lily comes to the doorway for her comfort object. Mother, speaking “fondly,” reminds her that at Eight it “will be taken away” and passed on to younger ones, so she should start going to sleep without it. Father has already gone to the shelf: “Here you are, Lily-billy,” and he offers to help with her hair ribbons. Jonas and Mother roll their eyes, “yet they watched affectionately.” The student decides which way of meeting the change is kinder. It takes up one part of the last written question: how this family helps Lily face a change that others have planned.

One reading

Father. The elephant will be gone at Eight no matter what. Tonight Lily still has it, so he gives it to her gladly and makes bedtime gentle.

• But her father had already gone to the shelf and taken down the stuffed elephant which was kept there.
• "Here you are, Lily-billy," he said.

Another reading

Mother. She speaks fondly and tells Lily early, so losing the elephant will not come as a shock. She has just done the same for Jonas about his friends.

• you're very close to being an Eight, and when you're an Eight, your comfort object will be taken away.
• You should be starting to go off to sleep without it.

Listen for

• Uses “fondly,” so Mother is not being harsh.
• Notices “already”: Father has the elephant down by the time Mother finishes.
• Notices that Mother warns both Jonas and Lily about something coming.
• Uses the eye-rolling and “affectionately.”

If stuck

• What will happen to Lily's elephant when she is an Eight?
• What did Father do while Mother was talking?
• Is it kinder to warn someone about a loss, or to let them enjoy what they have now?

A strong answer A strong response might choose Father: the elephant will go at Eight anyway, so he lets Lily have tonight, “Here you are, Lily-billy.” Another might choose Mother: she speaks “fondly” and warns early, the way she warned Jonas about his friends, so the change will not be a shock. A careful answer may notice that neither Mother nor Father questions the rule itself; they differ only in how to help Lily meet it.

What it asks It asks the student to weigh Father's real happiness before thinking about Jonas. Father loved the newchildren “more than anything” and spent almost all of his volunteer hours at the Nurturing Center, and “the Elders knew that, from their observation.” He was “pleased, but not at all surprised” to be named Nurturer, and everyone was happy that his Assignment “was what I wanted most.” Yet the word he picks is “fortunate,” which means lucky. The student decides whom Father has to thank, and writes a claim with a reason from the chapter. It takes up one part of the last written question: what the Elders' choosing has given a man who is glad of it.

One reading

The Elders. They watched him closely and chose well. Father himself says how careful they are, and the right Assignment came to him without his asking.

• Of course the Elders knew that, from their observation.
• Of course the Elders are so careful in their observations and selections.

Another reading

Father himself. His love was so plain that he saw it before the Ceremony, and so did his own mother and father; the Elders only had to notice. He was lucky that what he loved was easy to see.

• it was clear to me—and my parents later confessed that it had been obvious to them, too—what my aptitude was.
• I spent almost all of my volunteer hours helping in the Nurturing Center.

Listen for

• Uses what Father did, his volunteer hours, and what the Elders did, their observation.
• Notices that “fortunate” means lucky, and asks where the luck was.
• May use Yoshiko's surprise or Andrei's construction set as a second case.
• Writes in complete sentences with a reason and a line from the chapter; does not treat the Elders' watching as a threat, since Father does not.

If stuck

• How did Father spend his volunteer hours?
• Who could tell what Father loved?
• What does it mean to feel fortunate?

A strong answer A strong response takes a position and backs it with a line. A student might credit the Elders, who are “so careful in their observations and selections” and saw what Father loved. Another might credit Father, whose love was so plain that it “was clear to me” before the Ceremony, so the Elders only had to read it. A careful answer may ask where the luck comes in: perhaps Father was fortunate that what he loved was easy to see, which is not true of every Eleven.

What it asks It asks the student to explain a laugh that seems to break a rule of the chapter. The Elders take the selection so seriously “that there were never even any jokes made about Assignments.” Later Father tells Jonas there are “very rarely disappointments,” and adds, “And if there are, you know there's an appeal process.” Then they all laugh, because an appeal goes to a committee for study. Earlier the chapter showed what that means: people joke that the bicycle committee will “become Elders” before the rule changes. The student decides what kind of laugh this is. It takes up one part of the last written question: whether there is any way to change the Elders' choice, and whether anyone minds.

One reading

An easy laugh. The joke is about slow committees, not about Assignments; it is the same old joke as the bicycles. They can laugh because disappointments are so rare that no one expects to need an appeal.

• "There are very rarely disappointments, Jonas. I don't think you need to worry about that," his father reassured him.
• When something went to a committee for study, the people always joked about it.

Another reading

An uneasy laugh. Everyone knows a committee can take years, so an appeal would hardly help. The one way to change an Assignment is the slowest thing in town, and laughing is easier than saying so.

• But they all laughed at that—an appeal went to a committee for study.
• They said that the committee members would become Elders by the time the rule change was made.

Listen for

• Uses the line about “never even any jokes” and the laugh at the appeal.
• Connects the appeal to the bicycle committee.
• Notices Father's “very rarely” and “I don't think you need to worry.”
• Writes in complete sentences with a reason and a line from the chapter; keeps to what the chapter shows, a family laughing together, and says nothing about what Jonas's Assignment will be.

If stuck

• What happens when a rule goes to a committee for study?
• What do people say about the bicycle committee?
• Can a laugh be easy and uneasy at the same time?

A strong answer A strong response takes a position and backs it with a line. A student might argue the laugh is easy: the joke is about committees, not Assignments, and Father has just said “There are very rarely disappointments.” Another might argue it is uneasy: everyone knows a committee can take years, so an appeal is not much of a way out, and the laugh says so without anyone having to. A careful answer may notice that the bicycle rule is “almost always broken,” while no one in the chapter gets around an Assignment, so the same joke weighs more here.

What it asks This is the last question the student meets, and it gathers the earlier ones. Father knew his aptitude, was “pleased, but not at all surprised,” and “felt very fortunate”; his friends Yoshiko and Andrei were thrilled and delighted. Jonas has noticed the Elders “watching him and the other Elevens,” “taking notes,” and meeting for long hours with his instructors. He knows some Assignments would disappoint him, and by the last line he “hadn't the slightest idea” what he will be given, though the talk has reassured him. The student weighs the Elders' choosing as Jonas faces it. The chapter shows the watching as care, and the family is comforted by it, so neither answer needs the Elders to be cruel.

One reading

A comfort. The Elders watch closely and choose well; Father got what he wanted most, and there are very rarely disappointments. Jonas does not have to work out his future alone, and the talk leaves him reassured.

• So I expected it, and I was pleased, but not at all surprised, when my Assignment was announced as Nurturer
• Though he had been reassured by the talk with his parents

Another reading

A loss. Father knew himself before the Ceremony, and Jonas does not. He knows what would disappoint him, but he will have no say, and the only appeal makes everyone laugh.

• Unlike his father, he had no idea what his Assignment would be. But he knew that some would disappoint him.
• he hadn't the slightest idea what Assignment the Elders would be selecting for his future, or how he might feel about it when the day came.

Listen for

• Weighs Father's real happiness, not only Jonas's worry.
• Uses the watching and note-taking as the chapter shows them: careful, not menacing.
• Uses “reassured” and “hadn't the slightest idea” together.
• Writes in complete sentences, takes a position with a line from the chapter, and answers the other side; does not say what Jonas's Assignment will be.

If stuck

• How did Father know what his Assignment would be?
• What does Jonas know about what he wants, and what does he not know?
• Can something be a comfort and a loss at the same time?

A strong answer A strong response takes a position and tests it. A student might argue it is a comfort: the Elders are careful, Father was “pleased, but not at all surprised,” and Jonas ends the talk reassured. Another might argue it is a loss: unlike Father, Jonas has no idea, he knows “some would disappoint him,” and he will not be the one to decide. A careful answer may decide it depends on the person: for someone like Father, whose love was plain, the choosing is a gift; for Jonas, who “hadn't the slightest idea,” it is harder to say.