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September, Chapters 1-3, (pg 1-24)

• "Among Schoolchildren" is a book about a fifth grade class in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

• The author spent a year observing the Kelly School classroom of Christine Zajac.

• The author explains the difficulties Mrs. Zajac faces in a poor neighborhood school.

• The experiences in Mrs. Zajac's classroom serve as a comment on American schools in general.

• The chapter begins with Mrs. Zajac, who has been teaching for fourteen years, meeting her new students.
• Mrs. Zajac, who is thirty-four, dresses in skirt or dress daily.

• She dresses formally in order to show her students she is serious about her work.

• The majority of children in Mrs. Zajac's class are Puerto Rican, and there are African American and white students.

• Mrs. Zajac's mantra with the children is "If you don't do your best, Mrs. Zajac will make you do it again."

• Mrs. Zajac allows the students to...

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