How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The diagrams and drawings seemed to make reading come easier for him, and sometimes he did the lessons the girls brought home from school, while they made a game of being his room teacher. (30.1)
Tom never goes back to school in the novel, but his attitude toward the kind of education one gets at school shifts a little, especially after Mr. Hook brings him the carpentry book. Tom's sisters, who do go to school, help out with the tough stuff, and the fact that they like teaching him and he learns from their schoolwork shows that education is gaining new value for Tom. This passage also gives the sense that certain types of learning become easier if a person is interested in the subject, has support, and can apply the subject to real life.
Quote #8
Now he realized how much he had learned from his carpentry book. He told Birdy he thought they ought to put in a heavy post for the stone wall to butt on, a timber maybe fourteen inches square, to connect the ground sill with the second sill carrying the mow floor, and brace it two ways. Birdy agreed. (31.9)
Well, look at that. Book learnin' is worth something. Tom has been studying the book all winter, and now he finds he can apply the concepts he has learned, and even make suggestions to Birdy.
Quote #9
"I'm not the only person's been helping you."
Tom sucked his breath in. "Birdy Morris," he said. [….]
"Exactly," said the lawyer.
"You think I should give him some money?"
"Yes, I do. Without him you wouldn't have been able to move your barn at all, Tom."
"I know. How much do you think I ought to give him?"
"I think that's for you to decide."
"[…] Would five hundred dollars be right, Mr. Baxter?" (54.37-44)
Here, Mr. Baxter gives Tom some ethical guidance about how to be a good person. We don't get the feeling that Tom is intentionally trying to snub Birdy, but he does come off as a fella who's so excited about his newfound wealth he forgets he may owe someone else some credit for it. This scene shows that Tom still needs the guidance Mr. Baxter provides, and the Q&A format shows how Tom defers to Mr. Baxter's guidance, while also growing through it.