Product reviews for Making of an Educator

In The Making of an Educator, Andy Hargreaves goes back to the 1970s as his starting point. I started my own teaching career in the same decade, and for everyone in the same position there will both a familiarity and a freshness as the book successfully makes sense of four decades of change.

Andy Hargreaves is amongst a small group of academic researchers whose name is familiar to and referenced by practising teachers. He has been a leading figure in the revolution that is beginning to make teaching an evidence-based profession, and this book gives an insight into how Andy has succeeded in bridging the gap between policy and practice. He has a language that speaks to professionals from all parts of the education community in a way that they feel both understood and appreciated. It is a rare skill, and it runs like a thread throughout this book.

Andy is keen to say that this is not a memoir and, in the sense that it isn’t merely an account of the past, he is right. However, it is an invaluable ‘bringing together’ of the journey that school policy has taken over almost half a century and offers wise and rooted advice for the next generation of education professionals. As such, it provides us with a shared foundation for navigating the future.