Synopsis
Among the Fourth Graders is a year-in-the-life portrayal of a San Francisco classroom. Presented in character-driven vignettes with a large ensemble cast of mostly nine-year-olds, Terry Carroll has distilled his experiences as a volunteer into a non-fiction novel of humor and dignity.
Set in an upbeat school with a mostly poor student body, the children manage to ace many (but not all) of our society's biggest daily tests. Their voices have a crispness of immediacy as they interact continuously with the narrator -- who is himself like a forty-something fourth grader. He is an insightful but flawed guide, for both the children and the reader. Lucky in life, full of tender wisdom, and quick with improvised solutions while bringing a non-parent perspective to situations, he, nevertheless, has many issues of his own.
Told at an adult level, with mature themes -- at times wickedly funny -- ultimately this is an optimistic story, roiling with emotions. Arriving in an era of contentious disputes over the status of public education in America, Among the Fourth Graders serves as an object lesson in context and circumstance, in which nothing is standardized except outside expectations.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Terry Carroll is a writer and photographer, born in 1960 in San Francisco. He is a former community college history instructor who then spent six years as an elementary school classroom assistant. His previous book, Relationships, is a selection of his black-and-white photography, which is also grounded in humor and dignity. Terry Carroll lives in Oakland, California, where he splits his output between words and pictures.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for Among the Fourth Graders
Stock Image
Among the Fourth Graders
Seller: Books From California, Simi Valley, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Cover and edges show shelf wear. Pages are clean and intact. Has some minor dirtiness on the outside. There is some slight dirtiness on the textblock/fore edge from handling. Seller Inventory # mon0002855723