Among School Children By: Tracy Kidder

Group Members: Lily Callan, Katie Lupo, Carol Rizzotti,

Emily Meehan

Story Summary

•The story takes place in a 5th grade classroom of Kelly School, an inner city school in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

•There are 620 students in the school in total. 30 are Black, 265 White, and 314 are Hispanic. 60% of students families are receiving public assistance.

•Mrs. Zajac is the teacher.

•She demands the best from her students and never gives up on them, even though a few may give her trouble.

Story Summary (continued)

•Mrs. Zajac deals with many issues in the classroom. A few being:

1. Behavioral problems among students

2. Socio-economic status issues

3. Cultural Issues

4. Parent-community interaction

5. Effective learning and discipline strategies

•The novel is a real life account of Kidders experience observing this 5th grade class.

Characteristic of the Characters/Author

•Tracy Kidder is a Pulitzer Prize Winner, American Writer, and Literary Journalist. He was born November 12, 1945 and graduated Harvard University in 1967. This book is based off his observations of Mrs. Zajac’s classroom.

•Mrs. Zajac is a 34 year old elementary teacher. She is determined to motivate students, and help them do the best they can.

•Ms. Hunt is a student teacher in the classroom. She seems to be very timid.

Characters (cont.): Students

•Clarence is depicted as the troublemaker of the classroom. He usually has trouble paying attention and distracts other students.

•Robert also causes some trouble among the class. He physically hurts himself for attention.

•Judith and Alice are two bright, mature girls in the class. Judith is Hispanic and Alice is white.

The Context: Historical times, place, current beliefs and attitudes

•The story takes place in the late 1980’s.

•In Kelly School, an inner city school.

•The students in the school are diverse racially, economically, and academically. The majority of the students are Puerto Rican.

Issues

- Clarence and Robert bring about many issues to the classroom throughout the school year with constant fighting

- Disparities and misconceptions in the classroom and school- Socio-economic disparities among the students - Resources available in the classroom

Main Themes

- Multiculturalism - Students in Mrs. Zajac’s class consist of Puerto Ricans, Whites, African

Americans, and Filipinos

- Discipline and Patience- Clarence and Robert fight- Mrs. Zajac’s attitude towards Robert and Clarence

- Equality- Although students come from different backgrounds, they still should be treated as equals regardless of race.