A college-educated woman who moves to Sylvia's neighborhood, Miss Moore is different from other adults in the area in several ways. She makes the kids call her Miss Moore instead of her first name. She is very dark-skinned, doesn't use makeup, wears her hair in tight natural curls, and speaks in a more formal dialect than her neighbors. She wears dressy clothes like the ones the neighbors wear to church, but she does not attend services. She brings her neighbors gifts and plans educational activities for the neighborhood children. She teaches the neighborhood children vocabulary words and tries to engage them in conversations about social issues that affect their lives. Most of her lessons appear to go over the children's heads and the children often find them boring. She shies away from certain questions from Sylvia instead of providing her with definitive answers. As a result of her newcomer status and the manner in which she engages the children, she is perceived by Sylvia as patronizing, condescending, and unhelpful. She wants the kids to tell her what they have learned, but they do not fully understand her lessons and don't know what to say. Despite their confusion, Miss Moore does not directly explain what it is the children are supposed to be learning, signaling that Miss Moore’s entire purpose is to get them to think and ultimately draw their own conclusions.