This image is the cover for the book Lessons from Starfish

Lessons from Starfish

Lessons from Starfish is the story of a teacher who didn’t really plan to be a teacher – and the children who taught her the most about teaching and learning. The author shares this about her book: “I hope that my starfish stories are an invitation to practitioners and parents – and all those who work with children – to take the journey with our students that can lead to the heart of teaching and learning. I also hope that through these stories, parent readers, educators and community will gain insight into the many ways that we are all important educational partners who play significant roles in our children’s educational lives.”

In this memoir, you will meet seven children who inspired their teacher to “make a difference” – not just for the seven – but for all the children she taught.

J Coleman-Merritt

J Coleman-Merritt is a retired Educator. She was a classroom teacher for over 25 years, as well as a Central and Local District Administrator with the Los Angeles Unified School District. She is currently an Author and Educational Trainer/Consultant. This memoir, Lessons from Starfish, is a reflection on her experiences as a classroom teacher and the essential principles she learned from some of her most challenging students.


Coleman-Merritt edited and published Come Drink from My Cup: Musings of an East Harlem Poet as a tribute to her late brother, Damon Chandler, in 2005. Two recent articles in the field of Human Resources were published in the Routledge Companions in Business Management and Marketing (2020). Her latest project is in the historical fiction genre and set in the Caribbean Islands.

Austin Macauley Publishers