The unstructured observations of a participant observer can point out areas of research interest overlooked by formal research instruments. This researcher's diary presents insights obtained while conducting a study regarding the home environments of 15 higher achieving and 11 lower achieving Puerto Rican fifth and sixth grade students residing in southeastern urban Pennsylvania. The notes were not structured prior to the home visits and reflect experiences, feelings, and descriptions about each of the students' families and their situations. Findings obtained through semistructured interviews with the children and their parents are reported elsewhere. Analysis of the notes in the diary revealed characteristics of the homes of the students under study that were not captured by the formal interview instrument. The homes of higher achievers were characterized by the following: (1) supervision; (2) organization; (3) parent involvement and communication; (4) bilingualism. The homes of low achievers were characterized by the following: (1) lack of supervision; (2) no parent involvement or communication; and (3) one language. A 24-item list of references and three tables of statistical data are included. (FMW)