28 pages 56 minutes read

Tracy Kidder

Among School Children

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1989

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

This book is set in a classroom in the 1980s, and the author discusses some of the history of education globally and in America. What are some of the differences and similarities of the 1980s classroom and classrooms of today?

2.

Tracy Kidder writes this book like a novel, giving a non-fiction account of one year in a 5th grade elementary school the feel of a fiction novel. Discuss some of the aspects of his rhetoric that make the book feel like a fiction novel. Does this style change the way you view the information presented compared to a more traditional non-fiction, fact list style?

3.

Mrs. Zajac, the main character in the book, claims at the very end that she “belongs among schoolchildren.” Discuss the ways in which this statement is and is not accurate.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 28 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,450+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools