Muggie Maggie

Mrs. Leeper is Maggie’s third-grade teacher. The author portrays Mrs. Leeper as a kind, but firm, teacher who wants to motivate Maggie to learn cursive writing. Mrs. Leeper has a reputation for being firm with her students, and some kids spread rumors that she’s “mean.” When Maggie practices her cursive, intentionally copying her parents’ style mistakes, Mrs. Leeper always corrects her. She chastises Maggie for her “untidy” writing and asks her to practice properly at home, and a stubborn Maggie refuses to listen.

While Maggie does not like Mrs. Leeper’s insistence on learning cursive, she considers her “nice, sort of” and generally listens to her (2). Mrs. Leeper takes a positive approach with her students. An ongoing joke in the book is how often she uses the word “happy,” as she often says, “Let’s have a happy teacher today” (42). While Maggie is often at odds with Mrs. Leeper, she does want to please her and make her a “happy teacher.”

Mrs. Leeper is a crucial part of the story because she successfully tricks Maggie into learning cursive. By understanding how to make Maggie’s pride work for, rather than against, her education, Mrs. Leeper is able to coax Maggie into learning how to read and write in cursive by making her the “Message Monitor.” At the end of the story, she and Maggie are on good terms, and she expresses her happiness that Maggie has mastered her cursive writing.

Mrs. Shultz is Maggie’s mother, and she works as a fitness instructor and stay-at-home parent. Mrs. Schultz is an affectionate parent who tries to support Maggie and is sensitive to her needs but also encourages her to obey her teacher and complete her work. She calls Maggie a nickname, “Angelface,” and always takes time to listen to her daughter.

Mrs. Schultz tries to motivate Maggie with her positivity, but this only annoys her daughter. For instance, when Maggie expresses reluctance to learn cursive, Mrs. Schultz insists that she will like it.

Mr. Schultz is Maggie’s father, and he works in an office. An affectionate and attentive dad, Mr. Schultz calls his daughter “Goldilocks” and delivers little presents to her from his secretary. Mr. Schultz considers his daughter a “contrary kid” since she can be very stubborn. He tries to encourage Maggie to behave by being firm and authoritative. For instance, when she expresses disdain for cursive, he tells her to “[j]ust get busy, do what [her] teacher says, and learn it” (10). When Maggie refuses, Mr. Schultz bans her from using the computer, a favorite hobby of hers. However, when Maggie decides that she will never be a secretary since they have to print neatly, Mr. Schultz encourages her notions of being “an astronaut or a meter maid”: “‘Good for you Goldilocks,’ said her father, and he rumpled her hair” (41). Therefore, while Mr. Schultz is firm with Maggie, he is also depicted as encouraging and open-minded.