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musings from the awards assembly

A student pulls me aside when the assembly ends and asks, "I got the social studies student of the year award and I got a piece of paper. Other kids pull a ball through a hoop and they get a trophy. Why does it work like that?" There's a reason she's Read More...
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2009 05 28

John Spencer

2 Comments

why blog?

I talked to a guy one time who had just finished seminary. I asked him why he chose that path. I expected a cliche answer about "God leading" but instead he explained, "I think on some level, I wanted an acquaintance with power. I wanted to feel that Read More...
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2008 12 17

John Spencer

19 Comments

the paradox of accountability

Accountability is a buzzword in education circles, business culture and within the church. It's an idea that makes sense at first glance. We should reward those who do right and punish those who do wrong. Simple. The problem is that accountability almost Read More...
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2008 11 3

John Spencer

1 Comments

a book all teachers should read

I'm almost finished with my master's degree. The Capstone Project sounds impressive on paper, but it's actually not all that innovative. All the ideas are from somebody else (research journals). Even if it is documented, it somehow feels like cheating. Read More...
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2008 10 22

John Spencer

5 Comments

Is it wrong for a teacher to be boring?

I walked into a language arts teacher's classroom and he vented about the lesson, "Kids just aren't at all engaged. It's just not motivating them." "What are you teaching?" I ask. "Well, it's folklore and lengend. We have to do the story of Paul Bunyan." Read More...
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2008 06 28

John Spencer

7 Comments

the real reason kids aren't motivated

I'm reading a book right now that describes the difference between market norms and social norms. Market norms are based upon supply and demand, wages and profit motives. Social norms are based upon social relationships and the expectations contained Read More...
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2008 05 18

John Spencer

6 Comments

letting students make decisions

Twenty students claim their favorite seats within minutes of the lunch bell ringing. The skeptic in me initially assumes that it is a first week rush, a desire to get out of the one-hundred and ten degree heat. The students will find out that our Student Read More...
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2007 09 15

John Spencer

1 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

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

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

Why I Love Teaching

I met with a group of young teachers. They remind me of people who are newly married, in the way they exude a certain idealism and passion. I love being around new teachers, because that energy is contagious. I know that the daily grind of paper work, Read More...
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2007 07 27

John Spencer

6 Comments

Why I Won't Shut Up and Teach

After reading a recent blog, suggesting that teachers should self-censor and stay politically inactive, I feel compelled to write this blog. Telling teachers to shut up and focus on their classrooms is like telling Martin Luther King Jr to shut up and Read More...
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2007 07 19

John Spencer

5 Comments

recovering what we lost in standardized education

After taking so many theory classes this summer, I am left with a mental overload. I enjoy the dialogue and debates, yet I can't help but feel that none of the "isms" really worked for me. Constructivism was great, but often unrealistic. Behaviorism seemed Read More...
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2007 07 15

John Spencer

5 Comments

My Goal Is Not to Make a Difference

Whenever I ask most teachers why they teach, the number one answer is, "to make a difference." I think I once half-heartedly believed that, but not anymore. A few years ago, I spent time after school every day working with a student. I watched as he eagerly Read More...
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2007 07 7

John Spencer

3 Comments

Barry Bonds, the American Dream and Education

Like many Americans, I am not looking foward to Bonds breaking Hank Aaron's home run record. There is something else beyond the steroid use that bothers people about Barry Bonds. After all, Americans could overlook the steroid use in Mark McGuire as he Read More...
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2007 05 19

John Spencer

1 Comments

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