Chapter 4 starts by looking back to the first day of school from Mrs. Olinski’s perspective. Standing before her first sixth grade class in 10 years, Mrs. Olinski is nervous, but she has rehearsed her speech and starts by writing “MRS. OLINSKI” and “PARAPLEGIC” on the blackboard and explaining what paraplegic means. Ham Knapp interrupts Mrs. Olinski and asks her to write higher up on the board, claiming that he can’t see. This throws Mrs. Olinski off her stride. She forgets what she was going to say and starts to worry about how to write higher on a blackboard from a wheelchair. Mrs. Olinski notices that trends in students’ names have changed over the years that she has been absent. When she returns to her classroom after lunch and sees that the word “PARAPLEGIC” has been replaced with “CRIPPLE” (95), she thinks that “more than the names ha[ve] changed. Sixth graders ha[ve] changed” (95).

During one of The Souls’ Saturday teatimes, Julian shows the group a small ivory monkey that can balance on any of its four limbs. He explains that he would like to help Mrs. Olinski “stand on her own two feet” (97).