Maureen Hodges

Maureen Hodges is a middle school teacher in Odyssey and the mother of Lawrence Hodges, a boy whose imagination rarely rests. Lawrence's father is often away on the road, so much of raising him falls to her. She is sensible and level-headed, quick to dismiss nonsense, and she holds firmly to her principles. When she finds serious errors in a new history curriculum, she refuses to stay quiet. Warned by her principal not to rock the boat, she brings pages of proof to the school board anyway. She is prepared to resign rather than teach what she believes is wrong. At home she deals patiently with Lawrence's schemes, from wild daydreams to painting his own braces, and expects him to follow the rules even when he protests.