A look at the children

The names of the students and their teacher and substitute teachers in this series have been changed to protect the identities of the children. The names of other teachers at the school are real. The fourth grade pupils who appear most often during the series:

* Amal: Hyperactive, unfocused, rude and armed with the wit of a nightclub comic, he is the class's biggest behavior problem and Pendry's toughest challenge.

* Armand: Pudgy boy who arrives a few months into the year. He is among the lowest-ability pupils in class and a candidate to repeat fourth grade.

* Cheyenne: Painfully shy, she shows up several weeks into the year as a transfer from another school.

* Darius: Chronic troublemaker with a toothy grin and a smart mouth. His single mother urges Pendry to be the positive male role model otherwise lacking in the boy's life.

* Dean: Despite his mother's concern about Attention Deficit Disorder, the boy thrives in class early in the year. Among his problems -- girls. "Smoochy, smoochy," he says.

* Elizabeth: Arrives several weeks into the school year, with wide eyes, platform tennis shoes and an inability to concentrate on school work.

* Hannah: With a curious interest in cheetahs, she quickly establishes herself as one of the brightest students in class. One of three pupils who begin the year in the school's gifted and talented program.

* LeAnthony: One of most athletic pupils in class.

* Lily: Bespectacled and bright, she is one of the quietest pupils in class.

* Lucy: The shy and sad-looking Lucy arrives at Jydstrup during the second week of school, her second school in two weeks.

* Molly: Another student in gifted and talented classes, she is among the brightest in the class. She has a pet horse and parents who worry that public schools don't challenge her.

* Nasser: A live wire who can hardly help his mouth, which frequently gets him in trouble. Pendry tells him to use better handwriting the next time he forges a note from his mother.

* Nick: A chronic tattletale and whiner, he is the least mature of Pendry's pupils and never takes responsibility for his behavior.

* Orwell: Sharp-dressed in designer clothes, he is one of two special education students in Pendry's class and the only one with bright orange tennis shoes.

* Ramon: Arguably the brightest pupil in class, he devours words in the thesaurus. The bright boy's smart mouth often lands him in hot water with the teacher.

* Ray: Along with Nick and Amal, the boy with a blonde buzz haircut and stud earring completes Pendry's troublemaker "triumvirate."

* Ronny: Quiet, honest and quick to smile. He won't wear his hearing aides unless Pendry reminds him to put them in.

* Rochelle: Daughter of a teacher and the tallest girl in class. Also arrives several weeks into the school year.

* Shannon R.: Obsessed with the Spice Girls. Like many of her classmates, she can "sound out" the words but has trouble reading for comprehension. Unlike many of her classmates, her mother keeps in regular contact with Pendry about her daughter's academic progress.

* Shannon T.: Bright, precocious and a natural leader, she loves to play teacher and lead the class in games of hangman.

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