The Teacher begins with the shadow of the scandal between Addie Severson and Mr. Tuttle, igniting rumor and gossip at Caseham High School. The scandal is first introduced as Addie’s mother drops her off at school, having taken the day off just to make sure Addie gets to school. The seriousness of the scandal becomes evident, influencing Addie’s reluctance to attend class at the school she says she once liked but spent “the entire summer […] campaigning not to go back to […] in the fall” (12). Addie’s attitude toward school is shaped by her anticipation of the reaction she will face from her peers. Eve Bennett discusses the scandal with her friend Shelby, leading Eve to express dislike of Addie based solely on the outcome of the scandal that caused Mr. Tuttle, Eve’s mentor, to leave his position at the school.

As the plot develops, the rumors affect both Eve and Addie. Addie is ostracized by the other students, left to eat alone in the cafeteria, and left without friends in class, leaving her vulnerable to the kind attention of her English teacher, Nate Bennett. For Eve, the scandal and the rumors lead her to believe that Addie is the villain despite Addie not having done anything personally to Eve.