Kindergarten: A Teacher, Her Students, and a Year of Learning

Julie Diamond

2016 eka. · The New Press

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“[Diamond] has captured the world of the class—at times chaotic, always busy, usually inspired”— Essential reading for parents and teachers alike (Los Angeles Times).
 
Hailed by renowned educator Deborah Meier as “a rare and special pleasure to read,” Kindergarten explores a year in the life of a kindergarten classroom through the eyes of the gifted veteran teacher and author Julie Diamond. In this lyrical, beautifully written first-person account, Diamond explains the logic behind the routines and rituals children need to thrive. As she guides us through all aspects of classroom life—the organization, curriculum, and relationships that create a unique class environment—we begin to understand what kindergarten can and should be: a culture that builds children’s desire to understand the world and lays the foundation for lifelong learning.
 
Kindergarten makes a compelling case for an expansive definition of teaching and learning, one that supports academic achievement without sacrificing students’ curiosity, creativity, or development of social values. Diamond’s celebration of the possibilities of classroom life is a welcome antidote to today’s test-driven climate. Written for parents and teachers alike, Kindergarten offers a rare glimpse into what’s really going on behind the apparent chaos of a busy kindergarten classroom, sharing much-needed insights into how our children can have the best possible early school experiences.
 
“As a classroom insider, Diamond pulls back the curtain and allows parents and others a view of how an effective classroom actually works.” —Library Journal
 
“An extraordinary resource for parents and teachers at all stages. It is honest and masterful, engrossing and unique. And it is utterly real.” —Ruth Sidney Charney, author of Teaching Children to Care

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A graduate of Swarthmore and Bank Street College of Education, Julie Diamond taught for over twenty-five years, first in Georgia, and then in a day care center and in private and public schools in New York City, where she lives. She has taught at Bank Street and City College, and her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in various journals. Jules Feiffer is a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, children's book author, and playwright. He lives in New York City.