Visiting Scholar: A Reader for Educational Leaders

Dr. Isherwood, a professor in McGill’s Faculty of Education, had planned to use part of his retirement to write a book about his career as an educator, but death intervened before he could finish. He believed in the importance of storytelling as a means of revealing ideas and principles, and so his colleagues were asked to contribute their stories – about Dr. Isherwood and about their own careers – to complete the manuscript. The result is a compendium of tributes, narratives of other educators, and relevant articles.

After a stint in the US Marines, Dr. Isherwood became a teacher, then a principal, a self-admitted “bean counter” and authority figure. Over a lifetime of teaching he learned that moral principles and the highest good were more important than focusing on school budgets and scheduling. His theme gradually becomes clear: there is no manual that can teach excellence for educators. Each educator must bring his/her own ethical system and values to teaching, and respect for the student must inform each interaction.

In the end Visiting Scholar is a tribute to a human being who left this life too early, but it is also of value to teachers who wish to consider the story they have to tell, and the impact they have on their students. mRb