The Influence of Teachers: Reflections on Teaching and Leadership

by John Merrow

Merrow, John

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

220 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2011

About the author

John Merrow began his career as an education reporter with National Public Radio nearly 40 years ago with the weekly series, Options in Education, for which he received the George Polk Award in 1982. He is currently Education Correspondent for PBS NewsHour and President of Learning Matters, an independent production company based in New York City.

An occasional contributor to USA Today, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and Education Week, Merrow is also the author of The Influence of Teachers: Reflections on Teaching and Leadership (2011), Choosing Excellence (2001), and co-editor of Declining by Degrees (2005).

Merrow earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in American Studies from Indiana University, and a doctorate in Education and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He received the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education in 2012, a Lifetime Achievement Award From the Academy Of Education Arts And Sciences in 2012, the James L. Fisher Award for Distinguished Service to Education in 2000, the HGSE Alumni Council Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education in 2006, The Horace Dutton Taft Medal in 2010, and honorary doctorates from Richard Stockton College (NJ) and Paul Smith’s College (NY).

He lives in New York City with his wife, Joan Lonergan, the Head of the Hewitt School.

John Merrow also maintains a weekly blog, Taking Note.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really hoping to get this book through the free giveaways and I did! I am a teacher myself and liked what I read here, most teachers would agree with what Merrow puts forth in his discussion. There is a lot of charter vs. public school debate as well as merit pay and the rest of the current issues in education. One aspect of the debate that always seems to get left out of the discussion is parochial schools. I teach at one and have yet to have seen any studies that talk about what they have to offer compared to charter/public education. One of Merrow's last points dealt with the importance of character development - something I think parochial schools address well. We tend to operate on smaller budgets, produce better scores and have less discipline issues - I'd love to see a study include them for once... maybe his next book? Anyway, very enjoyable, proposes some good strategies to try to turn around the education system. As long as it's all about money though, I don't see a turn around. In my eyes, the most important thing a teacher can do is foster a love of learning in a child, then the rest simply becomes a matter of putting challenges in front of them to conquer. That doesn't necessarily take a lot of money, just a ton of love and effort.

[Christine Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something to read and think about if you’re a teacher who wants to evolve with the educational needs of our students.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merrow is a likable narrator, and I enjoyed many of the anecdotes. Sometimes, I also strongly agreed with his conclusions -- for example, he writes:
"Denying that there's any connection between teaching and learning contradicts what experience teaches us, and flies in the face of common sense. If unions are telling us that there's no connection between teaching and learning, why support teachers, or public education for that matter?"
At that point, Merrow gets at the absurdity of the (false) idea that teachers can't matter (and it's always struck me as odd -- would someone who really loves carpenters relentlessly argue that carpenters don't matter and are all equally uninfluential?
Yet at other points I don't completely align myself with Merrow -- for example, having just written that, how does he later decide that the reality that there will always be a spread in achievement means that this spread must always fall along class lines? Can't we change that?
I'm glad I read the book, though, and I enjoyed Merrow's open-mindedness and curiosity.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally--a book that covers the major problems facing teachers and education today, without trashing teachers. This is uplifting, thought-provoking, provocative. If you teach or care about education, this is the book to read.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Marginal education produces dangerous schools". I adore this man - from PBS to Lehrer's NewsHour he knows and seen it all, and reflects it so soundly in this book.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merrow gives a decent overview of the current debate about education reform, but the book meanders a lot. He needed a better editor.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book poses some interesting ideas to ponder about teaching, education and what is happening in today's classrooms.

[Joan Torres]

I really enjoyed reading this book. very neutral view points along with opinions.