Among SchoolchildrenThe Pulitzer Prize–winning author’s classic, “brilliantly illuminated” account of education in America (TheNew York Times Book Review). Mrs. Zajac is feisty, funny, and tough. She likes to call herself an “old-lady teacher.” (She is thirty-four.) Around Kelly School, she is infamous for her discipline: “She is mean, bro,” says one of her students. But children love her, and so will the reader of this extraordinarily moving book by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of House and The Soul of a New Machine. Tracy Kidder spent nine months in Mrs. Zajac’s fifth-grade classroom in a depressed area of Holyoke, Massachusetts. Living among the twenty schoolchildren and their indomitable teacher, he shared their joys, catastrophes, and small but essential triumphs. His resulting New York Times bestseller is a revelatory and remarkably poignant account of an inner-city school that “erupts with passionate life,” and a close-up examination of what is wrong—and right—with education in America (USA Today). “More than a book about needy children and a valiant teacher; it is full of the author’s genuine love, delight and celebration of the human condition. He has never used his talent so well.” —The New York Times |
Contents
Homework | |
Discipline | |
Sent Away | |
Recovery | |
Isla del Encanto | |
The Science Fair | |
Among Schoolchildren | |
Back Matter | |
Back Flap | |
Back Cover | |
Spine | |
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Common terms and phrases
Alice Alpha Ampad Arabella Ashley Billy Blanca bongo drum called chair child Chris felt Chris heard Chris hoped Chris looked Chris read Chris sat Chris thought Chris told Chris's Clar Clarence Clarence's classmates classroom Claude Claude's Comerio Courtney Crazy Eddie desk door doorway Eduardo ence eyes face father feel Felipe Felipe's Flats front table gazed girl going grinned hand head Hispanic Holyoke homework Jimmy John Dewey Juanita Judith Kelly School kids knew laughed lessons Little Richard lived Manny Mariposa Miss Harty Miss Hunt morning mother never Okay Padden paper parents Pedro playground Puerto Rican remember Rico Robert seemed she'd smiled social studies sometimes stood stopped story talk teach teacher tell things turned voice walked watched week window wore wrote Zajac