Product Review

Told through the observant and wise eyes of a veteran kindergarten teacher, a lyrical look at the hidden structures of life in an urban elementary school classroom.

The loss of veteran teachers with their deep knowledge of children, the successes and failures of different teaching models, and the constraints and possibilities of educational institutions affect schools everywhere. In Welcome to the Aquarium veteran educator Julie Diamond spells out what an experienced teacher knows and shows the magic a veteran teacher works in a classroom.

Tracking the progress of one prototypical collection of kindergarteners as they become a class with a distinct personality of its own, Diamond guides us through the myriad details of classroom life: the organization, curriculum, and relationships that create a unique class culture—a culture that, she eloquently argues, can represent the reality of our social ideals and values.

For parents as well as new and even experienced teachers, Diamond lays out the logic behind the routines and rituals children need to thrive. Like Tracy Kidder's Among Schoolchildren, Welcome to the Aquarium offers a lyrical look at the hidden structures of life in an elementary school classroom, but from the perspective of an expert insider and educator.