A Review of Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder

In his book, Among Schoolchildren, Tracy Kidder brings Mrs. Zajac's classroom to life for anyone who reads it. Mrs. Zajac, a fifth-grade teacher in Holyoke, Massachusetts, shares the joys, catastrophes and triumphs of each of her students. Looking at five main areas of Mrs. Zajac's classroom can provide an insight into what makes her a good teacher. These areas are as follows: teacher's interaction with the students, students' interaction with the teacher, students' interaction with other students, content, and environment.

The first of these main areas is the teacher's interaction with the students. Mrs. Zajac expects nothing but the best from her students. In fact, she says to them, "One thing Mrs. Zajac expects from each of you is that you do your best." Beginning the school year with this statements lets the children know that she means business right from the start. She continues this attitude throughout the entire school year. Later in the year, one of her students, Henrietta, wants to quit working on her math. Mrs. Zajac sticks by her original expectations of the students saying, " No, Henrietta. You can't quit. You have to keep trying. You can't just quit in life, Henrietta." By stating and then enforcing her expectation that the students will do their best, they are challenged and forced to exceed the expectations of others.

Another guideline Mrs. Zajac used in dealing with her students was, "Treating students equally often means treating them very differently." This attitude allowed her to expect the best from each student while at the same time realizing that each student's best was different. For example, one of her more difficult students, Jimmy, writes, I did do my book Report What dose she want from my blood. If she doesn't like it go to Hell then. all teacher are Dickhead like stinky on floor cleaner Mrs Azaic the sheat lady.

Mrs. Zajac realized the essay was actually progress for Jimmy because he normally wrote no more than, "Today is a boreing day hteres nothing to do today." By accepting Jimmy's essay, Mrs. Zajac lives out her "treating students equally often means treating them very differently" philosophy. If a student like Alice had turned in the above essay, Mrs. Zajac would have been furious and would have demanded she redo the assignment. However, she can realize that it is not only possible but also probable that the essay is Jimmy's best.

Another main area of the classroom is the students' interaction with Mrs. Zajac. In general, the students respond well to her demand for their best. In once instance, another boy talks to Julio and questions, "You got Mrs. Ajax bro? She's mean, bro. If you do your work, she tears it up. She used to scream at me for nothin'!" Julio then responded, "Now I believe for my own self she ain't as mean as they say. She's fair, because if you do your homework and forget it, she says that's all right but bring it in the next day. But if you keep on skipping, she'll get mad and try to get even." The students recognize that Mrs. Zajac expects only their best and if they do not give their best, they know that she will get upset with them. Not only do they recognize Mrs. Zajac's philosophy, they also realize that it is a just philosophy; so much so that they will defend it for her.

Judith agrees with Julio's sentiment about Mrs. Zajac saying, "I think she's one of the best teachers I ever had. She's really nice, and she's up front. I like blunt people. They take after me. You don't have to wait for her to be blunt with you. She just tells you . . . She's kind but she's strict. And she's fair . . . That's one thing I admire in a teacher, being able to control a class like ours and still be fair." While most of the students would agree with Judith and Julio by the end of the book, at the beginning the feelings are a little different. Before Mrs. Zajac has really had a chance to establish herself as a teacher for the children, some of them behave very badly and do not appreciate her fairness.

At the beginning of the year, Mrs. Zajac has a particularly harried day trying to allow work time in math. When one of her students, Felipe, did not get the attention he wanted because Mrs. Zajac was helping someone else he would say, "See, she hates me. I told you." Another example of a student who did not always appreciate Mrs. Zajac's attempts to challenge them to do their best was Clarence. He makes this clear during their discussion about Clarence's homework and anger. He very clearly states, "I hate Mrs. Zajac."While it is obvious that all the students do not appreciate her attempts to challenge them while being fair all of the time, it is also clear that to expect that reaction from students is unrealistic. The important fact is that the majority of the students realize what a good teacher Mrs. Zajac is by the end of the year.

Another aspect of the classroom through which Mrs. Zajac reaches her students is the environment. She places the desks in the room in a manner such that she could keep an eye on every student and so that none of the children could hide in any part of the room. The bulletin board displays, supply shelves and desk arrangements made before the school year even starts not only shows Mrs. Zajac's dedication to her students but also her keen sense of what will motivate the children to begin the school year on the right foot.

She maintains this motivation and dedication throughout the year by always trying to improve her classroom environment. She keeps the windows open to allow fresh air to flow through the classroom. She also keeps her room in an "organized disorder." The apparent disorder keeps the children comfortable in the classroom so that they do not feel as though they always have to be concerned with the specific details of running a classroom. This allows the children more time to focus on what Mrs. Zajac feels is the most important, their education. However, the organization of this disorder enforces Mrs. Zajac's entire teaching philosophy. While the students should focus mainly on their academics, Mrs. Zajac wants them to realize that it is important for them to always see the big picture as well.

The final area that can attest to Mrs. Zajac's teaching abilities is content. She uses a variety of exciting and fun ways to keep the children interested while they are learning. She starts the school year with a math game called "Around the World" that allows the students to be actively involved in the learning process. Later in the year she also adds spice to the content of her teaching by taking the students on a class trip and involving them in a science fair.

One of Mrs. Zajac's most rewarding methods of teaching is to allow the students to help each other. She places the good spellers with the bad and allows one student to help another, a tactic that enhances the learning of both students. It is often said that the best way to learn something is to teach it and this is the benefit the good students get from helping the poor students. They can further their own understanding by helping another. The poor students also benefit from the arrangement because often, explanations from someone other than the teacher are more understandable. Sometimes the only thing a student needs to understand a certain topic is for it to be explained in a certain way. By allowing other students to help in the understanding of the material, Mrs. Zajac increases the chances that the poor student will receive the explanation that is best suited to him or her.

Mrs. Zajac's fifth-grade classroom is brought to life by Kidder. He uses five main areas to provide readers with insight into her strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. By looking at Mrs. Zajac's interaction with her students, the students interactions with Mrs. Zajac, the students interaction with other students, the environment in her classroom and the content she teaches, Kidder shed light on the life of an average fifth-grade classroom and a teacher who refused to see them as average.