JEFFREY BEAR CLEANS UP HIS ACT
by John Steptoe
The idea behind that slangy title is pretty crude too—but in an almost prissy way. Second grader Jeffrey Bear reacts to a boring classroom lecture from sanitation-man Mr. Polar, and the stern vigilance of teacher Ms. Gloria ("Grizzly") Bearfacts, by imagining himself the teacher, and the two of them "taking lessons" flora him, But whether he screams, jokes, or lectures, the kids deride him; so, when Ms, Bearfacts wakes him up by asking sarcastically if he'd like to exchange places, he quietly and meekly declines. The sanitation-man is a bore, the teacher is a horror—and if the lesson's supposed to be that kids can't do better, it's not much of one.