We meet and get to know many of her students. We meet Clarence, her most troublesome student; the child who never does any of his work, who has an attitude and is extremely difficult to manage among a class of twenty, to Miss Zajac's exceptional student, Judith, who does all of what she is told with her best and never gives Miss Zajac a hard time. Over the course of the year, the reader sees the relationship between the teacher and her students; the fights, the caring for one another and the support they have for each other. .
It is delightful to see that there are teachers out there who really do care. This teacher was going to get the same salary regardless of whether or not she cared. Miss Zajac spendt countless hours at home worrying or truly caring about her students. She is also able to recognize the good in all of her students, from Judith to Clarence, which is not easy.
This book is wonderful for young, new teachers or for those entering the teaching profession. It exposes one to situations that are out there that one will not learn in education courses. It depicts a "real" classroom setting. Yes, it is wonderful to learn about the history of education in our courses today, but there are the experiences that are not taught in education classes that Among Schoolchildren allows one to see.
It is inspiring to read about Chris Zajac. It is important for teachers who have been teaching for more than ten years to read this book. Among Schoolchildren does not let readers forget what teaching is all about. One sees Miss Zajac going home at night adjusting her lesson plans because her class is not understanding the way she has always done a particular lesson. She takes the blame for her students not understanding her lesson, she does not say, "It's their fault" as to why they don't understand her lesson. She takes the responsibility and tries to adapt her lesson to her student's needs.
