Chris Zajac

Christine (Chris) Zajac is a fifth grade teacher at Kelly School in Holyoke, Maryland. Chris has been a dedicated teacher for over 15 years. For an entire school year, writer Tracy Kidder becomes a member of Chris' classroom to observe her teaching as well as the children in her classroom.Chris is warm, loving, and caring. She cares a great deal for the children in her classroom and thrives to make a difference in their lives.Although Chris is caring, she is by no means soft. She is stern with her class. With one look she can silence a room full of twenty children. She is always looking for ways to challenge everyone in her classroom, whether they an advanced or remedial student. She expects the best and if her children do not deliver the best, she will "make you do it again."

The novel focuses in on...