Among Schoolchildren

Rating:
Summary: Accurate but poorly written
Review: As a former schoolteacher and the wife of a teacher, I can tell you that Tracy Kidder's "Among Schoolchildren" accurately and soberly depicts what teaching is really like, day to day, year in and year out.

Mrs. Zajac, the grade school teacher on whom Kidder focuses his detailed narrative, is what every teacher should be: tough in a loving way, disciplined, self-aware, willing to admit to her own faults (and when she's boring herself and knows she needs to shake up the lesson next time to avoid boring the students), brimming over with ideas. She's a wonder, and the kind of teacher every child should have at least once in their grade school career.

Kidder leaves no stone unturned. We see here not only the joys and sorrows of teaching, but the accumulation of detail that leaves us feeling we understand, from the inside out, what teachers go through in order to get through to their students. We see how "problem students" and "good students" present different challenges, how teachers and administrators deal with each other (and deal with the parents, the superintendent, and the school board), and even such mundane concerns as how to keep the class in Kleenex (they go through about twenty boxes a year). Though the book is over a decade old, it's prescient about some things. The majority of students in Mrs. Zajac's class are Hispanic--a growing truth throughout the United States--so along with the everyday frustrations of every teacher, we see that Mrs. Zajac has an additional workload imposed merely by the presence of a language barrier:

"Horace, are you all done?"

"No."

"Then why are you talking to Jorge?"

She turned back around and said to Felipe and Jimmy, "What's the matter with you two? The minute I turn my head, you have to talk? What number do you carry, Jimmy?"

"The four."

"Very good. Got it now? OK, Jimmy, you can go back to your desk."

"Ocho," said a voice behind [Mrs. Zajac], unmistakably Manny's hoarse whiskey voice. Manny was trying to whisper to one of his buddies, but he just couldn't do it quietly. [She] turned. "Why don't you try Chinese, Manny? You can say it in Swahili, Manny. I still know you're giving him the answer." [She] liked them to help each other, but today she wanted to find out just how each one was faring in multiplication, so she kept saying, "Your own work."

"Diablo!"

"You keep it up, Manny, and I'll show you what a diablo I can be."

Anyone who's curious about the life of a teacher--or who is thinking of becoming a teacher--would do themselves a huge favor to sit down and read "Among Schoolchildren."

Rating:
Summary: An Eye Opener
Review: As an education major at Macon State College, I read Among Schoolchildren for an assignment for my education in a diverse society class. This book really opened my eyes to what teaching is like in the "real world." Tracy Kidder supplied very detailed information about each student in Mrs. Zajac's class and about Mrs. Zajac herself. I took note of many excellent teaching strategies used by Mrs. Zajac, and I hope to be able to apply them when I myself am teaching. Kidder's awesome description and remarkable ability to recreate various events in the book made me feel as though I were right there in the classroom. At times this was scary, seeing as how the students misbehaved quite often, but at least I now know what to expect from my own students. Hopefully I can become a wonderful teacher as Mrs. Zajac is. If you are at all uncertain about what it is like to be a teacher read Among Schoolchildren! You will never look at teaching the same way again!

Rating:
Summary: What Among Schoolchildren Taught Me As I Read It
Review: I am a college student who is majoring in education. This was the book I chose to read out of six for my education class. Among Schoolchildren was a great book for anyone who is considering the teaching profession. I recommend all future teachers to read it, as well as anyone who is already teaching. I really liked Tracy Kidder's research on each of the characters. He did not stop at what the children told him, but tried to gather information from their family members as well. He was not bias at all in writing this book. He told the truth just like it happened no matter how bad it was. I am glad he picked Chris Zajak to do his story on. She is truly a special teacher that all should try to follow. I feel as if Tracy Kidder became close to the whole class during his study of them. After being in the class for so long and watching Mrs. Zajac in action, he probably felt he could teach the class by what he learned from her. Tracy Kidder became a part of that classroom and gave his view of everything that went on. Read this book and learn what having a heart for teaching is all about.

Rating:
Summary: A review of Among Schoolchildren
Review: I am an Early Childhood education major at Georgia College & State Univeristy, and for one of my classes we had to choose a book to read and I chose Among Schoolchildren. I thought that this was a great book; it was very easy to read and it kept my interest from beginning to end. The author, Tracy Kidder, spent nine months observing Mrs. Zajac's fifth grade class in Holyoke, Massachusetts. As a reader you are able to get a good idea of what it is like in a fifth grade class, and by the end of the book, you feel as if you really know Mrs. Zajac and her students. Tracy Kidder does a great job of sharing the failures and successes of the class throughout the year. From classwork to homework to the science fair in the spring, you are able to be there for it all...to see and feel just what went on in Mrs. Zajac's classroom. I really enjoyed this book and I strongly recommend it to elementary and middle school teachers, to parents of elementary and middle school students, and to anyone who simply wants a fun and informative book to read.

Rating:
Summary: Quick reading ethnography
Review: I enjoyed reading this book and found it to be beautifully narrated by Kidder. Although written in 1989 I would imagine a lot of the issues addressed in the book are current concerns for teachers today. Things like ESL students and discipline issues are certainly relevant in today's classroom. I would recommend this book for those wanting a detailed look at the daily goings-on in a 5th grade classroom. It was also a good look at one particular teaching style even though some readers may feel that Mrs. Zajac's teaching style was lacking. Perhaps those readers could use it as a "what not to do" guide. Regardless of your opinion of Mrs. Zajac and her students, the book was a quick and easy read.

Rating:
Summary: A real insight into education
Review: I felt like I was in the classroom with Mrs. Zajac. Tracy Kidder describes a real teacher and her students and takes the reader with them through the school year. The descriptions of the students brought them to reality for me. I did not want to put the book down. Kidder related the problems as well as the successes in the classroom. Zajac is the kind of teacher that a parent would want their child to have. Kidder brings to light the personalities and problems that a teacher has to deal with on a day to day basis. The reader appreciates that a teacher does not only teach basic skills and knowledge, but also must nuture and deal with children who come to the classroom with a lot of baggage.

Anyone interested in education would appreciate this book.

Rating:
Summary: A real insight into education
Review: I felt like I was in the classroom with Mrs. Zajac. Tracy Kidder describes a real teacher and her students and takes the reader with them through the school year. The descriptions of the students brought them to reality for me. I did not want to put the book down. Kidder related the problems as well as the successes in the classroom. Zajac is the kind of teacher that a parent would want their child to have. Kidder brings to light the personalities and problems that a teacher has to deal with on a day to day basis. The reader appreciates that a teacher does not only teach basic skills and knowledge, but also must nuture and deal with children who come to the classroom with a lot of baggage.

Anyone interested in education would appreciate this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Realities of Teaching
Review: I had to read this book for my Education Class and it was probably one of the best books I have read in a long time! Among Schoolchildren takes a birds eye look into Mrs. Zajac's fifth grade classroom. The reader will share in her joys and disapointments in having the challenging job as teacher. Trust Me...You will laugh and cry and love every minute of this book! If you are a teacher or are planning to become one...Read This Book!!!!!!!!! It's superbly written with grace to excentuate the joy and challenge of being a teacher in today's classrooms! =)

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, Funny and Helpful!
Review: I just recently finished reading Among SchoolChildren for an education class that I am taking in college & I found the book VERY easy to read, humerous, inspiring & very useful! I loved the way that Mrs. Zajac treated her students individually and never riticuled them. She was a teacher that I would consider very dedicated and devoted to teaching. I think that it is a great book to read for anyone who is considering becoming a teacher because the book shows what it is really like being a teacher. There are so many people who think that teaching is easy so I also recommend this book to anyone who is not an education major because it makes you appreciate what teachers actually do!

Rating:
Summary: The best book I've read on education.
Review: In all the talk about education issues these days, it's easy to forget that what's really important is the relationship, the energy, between students and teacher. When the teacher closes his door and is face-to-face with thirty kids--THAT'S where it's at. It's not test scores or textbooks or innovative curriculum--it's what happens between PEOPLE in a classroom. This book shows that dynamic relationship between eager, active kids and a caring, active teacher. It's not all pleasant, and successes are sometimes small, but a pervasive caring underlies it all. As a teacher, this book reminded me that sometimes the best thing I can do for my kids is to leave all that paperwork, go for a walk, go to bed early so I can be there for them the next day.