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How do Holling's feelings about Mrs. Baker change from the beginning of the book to the end?

Holling's feelings change from not liking Mrs. Baker at all to Mrs. Baker being his favorite teacher.  


In the beginning of the book, Holling has to stay in Mrs. Baker's classroom on Wednesday afternoons.  He has to do this because he is the only Protestant in a school full of Catholic students and Jewish students.  On Wednesday afternoons, both of those groups go to their respective religious studies classes.  


Neither Mrs. Baker nor Holling is pleased about the Wednesday afternoon arrangement.  Mrs. Baker starts off the first month by requiring Holling to do menial tasks like clean desks and chalkboard erasers.  Holling actually thinks that Mrs. Baker hates him.  In October, Mrs. Baker decides that the two of them will study Shakespeare together.  That's when Holling really believes that she hates him; however, over the course of the school year, Holling realizes that he likes both Shakespeare and Mrs. Baker.  He comes to see her as a person that wants the best for him.  This is evidenced from things she does for Holling like drive him to the professional baseball game when his dad forgets to pick him up.  She also arranges for Holling and a friend to play baseball with a couple of the Yankees baseball players.  By the end of the novel, Holling's feelings about Mrs. Baker have completely turned around.  He no longer sees her as an enemy.  He sees her as a friend, confidant, counselor, and wonderful teacher.  

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