This book tells the story of the lives of 34 children who attend an urban elementary school, Lafayette Elementary School, highlighting how they do the best they can under trying life circumstances. The intention is to get underneath the stereotypes of at-risk children and adults in their lives by describing the variety and complexity of their situations and putting a human face on them. Though the children face terrific challenges, many of them do well in school, and all want to do well in school. The nine chapters are: (1) "Life inside Mrs. Sorensen's Classroom" (working with and thinking about children); (2) "Living in Poverty" (the children); (3) "On Men and Fathers" (anger and disappointment, quiet hurt, here today/gone tomorrow, glad he is gone, and a few good men); (4)"Mommies, Daddies, and Drugs" (the children); (5) "Abuse in the Home" (living in fear); (6) "Parental Injury and Death" (the children); (7) "Family Instability" (the children); (8) "Children's Dreams of the Future" (vocational imaginings); and (9) "For the Sake of Children" (children's changes, the school context, changing the workplace, focusing on people, altering the grammar of schooling and bolstering resiliency, and the wider context). (SM)