Ms. Ivers
CHARACTER · THE DIVIDE
Ms. Ivers is John’s teacher.
The classroom
Her systems assignment asks children to describe what keeps their homes alive and to name the people responsible. It connects school, work and family in the opening chapters.
In the book
Chapters 1 and 3.
Explore further
Based on Paul Evans: The Divide. Introductory reference only; major discoveries and outcomes are omitted.
Learning to name the work
The assignment has five familiar elements: air, water, heat, food and power. Asking for the people behind them makes the drawing more than a diagram of pipes and wires. It asks a child to notice labour that can otherwise remain invisible.
The classroom gives The Divide a scale distinct from the plant. Rafi and Sella Voss show that children can approach the same question through different ideas of home.