Teacher of the Year: The Mystery and Legacy of Edwin Barlow

by Lawrence Meyers

For 35 years, Edwin Barlow taught mathematics at his beloved Horace Greeley High School in Upstate New York. For 35 years, thousands of students passed through his classroom. Yet when he died, he remained as much an enigma as the day he arrived, for he deliberately shrouded his life in rumor and mystery.

340 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2008

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Education is a subject that interests me a great deal, and this is a very interesting book. It is all about Lawrence Meyers' favorite teacher at Horace Greely High School, from his own perspective, from the perspective of other students, and then what he learned about his teacher after his death.

While the author reveres Edwin Barlow there are a few former students who think a lot less highly of him, due to his harsh methods. Yet, even those who hate the late Mr. Barlow can't deny the impact he had on their lives. I wonder which camp I would have fallen into?

BTW--some authors seem to have favorite words that they can't resist using. Can anyone guess which is this author's favorite word?

[George Dudley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting teacher / man

[Dean Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest up front, I have read better written biographies. What I mean by that is this book tends towards hyperbole, imaginative passages, and, more often than not, boarders on hagiography. But I am not convinced that this book was meant to be a biography. It is an impeccably researched labor of love to honor a teacher that simultaneously inspired and terrified generations of students. I only attended Greeley for one year and in that time only had Mr. Barlow as a teacher for one quarter. I can't remember why I changed to a different teacher, but I can guess that I found Mr. Barlow more terrifying than inspiring. A great shame. At fourteen I did not have the intelligence or the stamina or the knowledge of self to comprehend why Mr. Barlow taught the way he did. In retrospect I can see a bit of him in every teacher that inspired me after that point. Beyond his fascinating story this book suggests that everyone we encounter, every teacher, boss, tormentor, lover, or friend has a compelling story about how they became who they became. This book pushes aside the myths and rumors to tell us Mr. Barlow's story, and for that I will always be grateful.