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August 2007 - Posts

the solution for tagging

I ride past a freshly plowed empty field and see a large corrugated fence that advertises the latest neophyte tagging crew in sloppy, choppy letters. I don’t know what is the worst of these aesthetic crimes – the graffiti on the walls or the fact that Read More...
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2007 08 31

John Spencer

3 Comments

Is teaching an art or a science?

I sit in the college campus, surrounded by eager students who furiously write notes. Some search for tidbits of practical advice, morsels that will use to compose their masterpiece ideal classroom. For others, it’s simply an extension of their long-standing Read More...
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2007 08 28

John Spencer

5 Comments

after reading a Time Magazine article

Every so often, Time Magazine runs a crisis issue about how horrible education is. Often, I find myself agreeing with them. It's easy to shout "Amen" to a criticism of No Child Left Behind. Today, I feel that way right now after reading an article about Read More...
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2007 08 26

John Spencer

15 Comments

time-saving ideas

I'm not naturally excited about practical aspects of teaching. Yet, I believe that little things can often make a difference. True, they may be a Band-Aid solution, but when we think about bandages, they are really effective. Such a small thing can help Read More...
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2007 08 25

John Spencer

12 Comments

five words that shook the world

It was a simple concept, really, the notion that how something is done might be as important as what was done. After all, people knew it intuitvely in everyday speech. The tone of voice, the body language, the spatial proximity all contributed toward Read More...
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2007 08 24

John Spencer

1 Comments

paradigm shifts

For the next few weeks, this blog will focus on technology-related issues. Technology integration sounds so easy. It seems to be a simple matter of training teachers and providing equipment and a school begins to flourish. Yet, there are countless schools Read More...
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2007 08 22

John Spencer

7 Comments

5 movies teachers should watch

I am a big fan of movies. Though I don't watch many, I think they are the legends, the myths and the folktales that we pass on from generation to generation. Often the scripts contain profound insights about life. So, I am listing movies that have had Read More...
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2007 08 21

John Spencer

11 Comments

adventures in going digital

Last year, I worked hard to obtain a pile of old iMac G3's. It's hard to imagine them being useful in the classroom, given the fact that they have less memory than an up-to-date iPod. Yet, it was the best I could muster up. I've learned that if I want Read More...
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2007 08 20

John Spencer

4 Comments

why I don't do rewards

Birthdays are important to me. Unlike other American holidays, they do not require reciprocity. There is no give-and-take, no social contract; nothing that says, "our gifts better be equal, because if they don't, I'll either feel gyped or guilty." Unlike Read More...
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2007 08 19

John Spencer

4 Comments

administrative b.s.

I love teaching. I really enjoy the five hours spent teaching and the time I spend with the students and staff during prep periods, lunches and after school. I have structured my day so that I spend as little time on administrative work as I possibly Read More...
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2007 08 17

John Spencer

16 Comments

showing favoritism

A new scientific study suggests that Major League umpires show favoritism toward their own race. Regardless of the umpire, it appears that their strike zone favors both hitters and pitchers of their own racial background. The unnerving aspect is that Read More...

2007 08 16

John Spencer

9 Comments

Why"Aha!" Moments Are Overrated

When I first learned to type, I never had any "aha!" moments. There were no brilliant epiphanies with a choir of angels and bells and whistles. Slowly, begrudgingly, I tapped away using the proper format. Finally, it was a part of my motor memory and Read More...
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2007 08 14

John Spencer

1 Comments

I am not a Robot

For the last two hours, I have been converting my format for lesson plans (which include the standard, the essential question, the objectives, a few inclusion pieces and a very structured outline) into the school-mandated, heavy-handed SIOP format. I'm Read More...
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2007 08 13

John Spencer

9 Comments

Can anybody be a teacher?

I have read the grim statistics on teacher burn-out. Experts attempt to suggest the catalyst - bad parents, disrespectful students, a poor school culture, a lack of support systems and a host of other educational systemic ailments. Yet, I have yet to Read More...
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2007 08 12

John Spencer

32 Comments

the good life

I'm breaking the rules of blogging ettique, by creating a long post. Yet, I don't think I can explain the story in a shorter format. Maybe it's just not meant for a blog. It's the first week of school and I have a class of forty-one students for a scripted, Read More...
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2007 08 11

John Spencer

2 Comments

well-intentioned low standards

The first few weeks for me are always the hardest. After a rather sedentary summer, I find myself swept into motion. Energetically, I run from place to play, smile, give compliments, offer instruction. I fail to learn all the names and I know even fewer Read More...
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2007 08 10

John Spencer

0 Comments

School is ____________

On the first day of school, students completed a metaphor of school. School is a _______ and I am a _________. Many students chose prison, because, like prison, the school tells them what to wear, when to speak, when to pee, what to eat, what to study Read More...
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2007 08 8

John Spencer

3 Comments

Environmental Hypocrisy

There is a picture of Al Gore, sitting in front of multiple computer screens, next to stacks of books, studying intently. The caption reads, "Gore spends time studying global warming for a conference in Japan." I find it interesting that he sits in front Read More...

2007 08 5

John Spencer's Blog

0 Comments

getting organized

The phone rings as I'm sifting through papers. I catch a glimpse of a post-it note reminding me of a meeting that was apparently scheduled in the morning. I pick up the phone and listen to a lecture from the school counselor about why it's important for Read More...
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2007 08 5

John Spencer

756 Comments

Will we lose our ability to red, I mean reed, I mean read

Technology has a profound impact upon societies in ways that are often unforseen unintended. Despite the goal of technocrats to integrate technology, there are always social and political consequences that few can predict. For example, it is no accident Read More...

2007 08 5

John Spencer's Blog

0 Comments

should education go digital?

Will we lose our ability to red, I mean reed, I mean read Technology has a profound impact upon societies in ways that are often unforseen unintended. Despite the goal of technocrats to integrate technology, there are always social and political consequences Read More...
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2007 08 4

John Spencer

17 Comments

Learning Is Messy

As I approach the driveway, Joel stands there with a hose, spraying the grass. I expect him to drop everything and run to his daddy. Instead, he waves and smiles, then returns to his duty of running up the water bill and increase the Phoenix drought. Read More...
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2007 08 2

John Spencer

18 Comments