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marathon metaphors

in my ideal world, it would be the journey, not the time splits and kids would have a crowd cheering them on and they'd be embraced and encouraged At one time "curriculum" meant "journey" or "course." We still use the term "map," but now it's precise. Read More...
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2009 10 2

John Spencer

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why our standards-based grading sucks

Our school is shifting from traditional grades to standards-based grading. With this comes a major paradigm shift. We no longer assess a student's work ethic (it's impossible to lose points by not turning work in) but only pure academic achievement. At Read More...
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2009 09 18

John Spencer

4 Comments

why am I more transparent online than in the staff lounge?

Whenever someone asks how it's going, I offer a canned response. It's a politician answer often accompanied by a politician grin. I say, "I'm doing fine. The kids are great. I really love it at our school." I then offer some anecdote to prove the point. Read More...
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2009 09 11

John Spencer

6 Comments

why I'm not anonymous

Some of my favorite bloggers remain anonymous. I enjoy Brazen Teacher and It's Not All Flowers and Sausages. I understand the value of privacy and anonymity. It's why I don't have pictures of my sons and why I don't write about sex and why I'm careful Read More...
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2009 09 4

John Spencer

3 Comments

philosophy and food

I walk into a classroom yesterday to fix a computer. A student says to his friend, "That's the teacher I have for the fast food class." "You guys eat food in there?" "No, we're learning about fast food. Today we talked about why other countries hate us Read More...
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2009 08 28

John Spencer

2 Comments

what we can learn from PE teachers

this is used to be my image of PE, but I've changed my mind this wee k Someone recently posted an angry comment on one of my earliest blog posts. In this comment, the anonymous writer asked me if I was a PE teacher. I wish I was. It's not because they Read More...
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2009 08 21

John Spencer

1 Comments

the artist-administrator

I still cringe when I hear teachers refer to our vocation as the "business of education." It conjures memories of the executive teachers who employed the token economy, dressed in a suit, acted as a bully-boss and constantly talked about "the corporate Read More...
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2009 08 14

John Spencer

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Philosophical Friday: Rules vs. Procedures

Poor Chuck Norris would have a hell of a time in this class I think I'm going to enjoy the principal at my new school. He mentioned to the staff, "We have had only two big fights and two examples of graffiti. There was a consequence, but the relationship Read More...
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2009 05 22

John Spencer

1 Comments

Philisophical Friday: Ending Well

I used to sprint the finish every time, until a coach pulled me aside and said, "Don't sprint it. Go your hardest, yeah, but if you're running well you won't be able to sprint. You'll just finish and you'll be done and that will be it." Often, I sprint Read More...
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2009 05 8

John Spencer

2 Comments

Philisophical Friday

Today's Philisophical Friday is available on my other blog: The Trouble with Defining Love Read More...
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2009 05 1

John Spencer

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Philisophical Friday: Beyond Freedom and Dignity

in Skinner's mind we were all lab rats in need of boxes to tell us where to go Beyond Freedom and Dignity reads like a creepy dystopia; a satirical piece on the educational system of the Cold War era. Instead, it is B.F. Skinner's vision for humanity. Read More...
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2009 04 24

John Spencer

4 Comments

Philosophical Friday: Rethinking Theory

Too much theory makes a mind constipated, filled with ideas but unable to think; intellectual, but not smart. It transforms a person into a Cliff Claven (on Cheers) prototype . On the other hand, all action and no theory turns a person into a shallow Read More...
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2009 04 17

John Spencer

5 Comments

Philisophical Friday: Which approach is right?

My favorite history book of all time is Modris Eksteins' Walking Since Daybreak. It is sharp in its analysis, but creative in its style. Ekestins uses metaphor and poetic flair while analyzing statistics and deconstructing popular myths. It is a narrative Read More...
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2009 04 10

John Spencer

0 Comments

Philisophical Friday: What is meaningful?

"I knew school was bogus when they introduced imaginary numbers. For my entire school career. I say it as if it were something I was paid for. For my entire school prison term they drilled into me the idea that negative numbers cannot have square roots. Read More...
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2009 04 3

John Spencer

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Philisophical Friday: Cyber-footprint

I've mentioned before my theory that students need to be cybergeeks and technogurus . They need to become experts in how it works, how to blend multiple media and the best functions of a medium within any context. Yet, students also need to examine the Read More...
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2009 03 20

John Spencer

1 Comments

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