Among Schoolchildren

Rating:
Summary: Experience is key
Review: When I did my student-teaching, I spent the entire year in the same 3rd grade class. The final 3 months was when I student-taught. In reading Tracy Kidder's Among Schoolchildren, I was consistently reminded of the ups and downs that progesses throughout a school year. Kidder was able to capture Chris Zajac's experiences and weaved it into a compelling story that kept me hooked. Her students reminded me of my own experiences teaching and the difficulties & triumphs you can have. At the end, Zajac was tired but happy. Thus she gave creedance to the phrase, "happy-tired". Teaching is not a type of job that once you go home, you don't think about it. This is a profession where your life is affected by those you interact with 9 months out of a year. Then you wonder, just as Chris Zajac did, "Did I make a difference?", "Is he or she going to make it?", "What else could I have done?". One thing I have to say is this is not a book of solutions in dealing with troublesome students. It's more about life as a teacher in a poverty-stricken community that could very well be your own.