When great teachers are mentioned, most people think of biology instructors, football coaches, Girl Scout leaders, and others in similar positions. However, some of the greatest teachers may be individuals not normally classified as teachers. Roger, a character in the short story “Thank
You, M’am” by Langston Hughes, encounters such an unusual teacher on a city sidewalk. Because
she is a fearless, trustful, and generous woman, Mrs. Jones teaches Roger a lesson he will remember.
Roger is a would-be thief. At about eleven o’clock one night, he runs up behind Mrs. Jones
and tries to snatch her purse. When he falls down on the sidewalk, Mrs. Jones “simply turned around
and kicked him right square in his blue jeaned sitter” (78). While some women would have avoided
confrontation with a stranger under similar circumstances, Mrs. Jones does not. She shook Roger
“until his teeth rattled” and then demanded, “Pick up my pocketbook boy, and give it here” (78).
Mrs. Jones shows no fear in her encounter with Roger.
Not only does Mrs. Jones display courage, but she also proves to be a trusting person. She
decides that Roger needs to wash and to eat and that she will take him to her home in order to do so.
“I got a great mind to wash your face for you,” (78) she tells Roger. “You ought to be my son. I
would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?”
(78). In just a few words, she assumes the role of a teacher and a mother substitute. She not only
takes Roger home but she also continues to display a trusting nature once they arrive. When she gets
up to prepare supper, Mrs. Jones “did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did
she watch her purse which she left behind her on the daybed” (79). Roger begins to respond to Mrs.
Jones in a positive way. Hughes tells the readers that Roger “did not want to be mistrusted now”
(79). Her trust in Roger is beginning to create a relationship between them.
Mrs. Jones’s generosity to Roger extends beyond her sharing a meal with him. Roger tells
her that he tried to steal her purse in order to get money for a pair of blue suede shoes. Mrs. Jones
then does a remarkable thing. She takes money from her purse and says, “Now here, take this ten
dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching
onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s—because shoes come by devilish like that will burn your
feet” (78). She bids him goodnight, and Roger wants to express his gratitude but cannot find words
more eloquent than a simple “thank you.” However, Hughes leaves the readers with the definite
impression that Roger has been profoundly touched by the generosity of Mrs. Jones.
Some teachers are brilliant instructors due to their superior education. Others make excellent
teachers because they are adept as communicators. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones emerges not
from a university but rather from a hotel beauty shop to become Roger’s teacher. Her courage, trust,
and generosity communicate more to Roger than mere words ever could.
