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the truth is . . .

Sometimes I become stereotypical in trying not to be stereotypical. I relish in the notion that my Legion of *** Poor Scholars can often out-think the honor's crowd. But then, I'll get a kid (sometimes gregarious, sometimes shy, sometimes camoflauged Read More...
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2009 12 28

John Spencer

10 Comments

advent

Today isn't the birthday of Jesus. Any historian with open eyes can tell you that. It's the winter solstice; a time when the tilt seems to wane so much that we believe, on a very visceral level, that all is broken and dying. Even here in the desert, I Read More...
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2009 12 25

John Spencer

1 Comments

yet another paradox

A high-minded pundit sat on NPR awhile back and told the radio audience that, in a global economy, it's all about differentiation. He said that companies don't want vanilla. They want creative flavors. At first, I smiled. It was rare to have someone talk Read More...
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2009 08 29

John Spencer

5 Comments

Student Blogs

This year, I have had the students set their individual blogs to private (out of a heightened sense of security on behalf of parents). However, I have expanded some of the blogs my class is participating in this year. They helped with the design aspects Read More...
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2008 10 10

John Spencer

1 Comments

kids these days

I have heard that the current generation is selfish and shallow, that they are the iGeneration, that they focus on MySpace, but rarely think about OurSpace. Students meet together, but they do not entirely connect. It seems that share a physical proximity, Read More...
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2008 08 29

John Spencer

5 Comments

cubicles and classrooms

I was talking to a friend the other day who works an office job. He described life in a cubicle as being basically boring. Despite this, he is grateful for what he has. "They decided to get rid of the cubes for a few months. Actually, it was about half Read More...
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2008 08 19

John Spencer

5 Comments

a short dialogue

Me: Why do you tag? Raul: I want to be known. I want to have my name painted in big letters somewhere in the city. I want people to notice what I've done. Me: But nobody knows that it's you. Raul: I guess I want to be known without having to be known Read More...
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2008 08 12

John Spencer

4 Comments

lessons from a horse whisperer

On NPR today, I listened to a story about a horse whisperer. He described the way he began as a horse trainer. He used two-by-fours in order to "break the will" of the horse. Often, the success seemed immediate, but a few horses would refuse to conform. Read More...
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2008 08 12

John Spencer

3 Comments

should teachers be more confusing?

I love how Socrates always ends his dialogues unanswered. The end seems to be a multifacted mystery rather than a three-point outline. Similarly, throughout the gospels, Jesus tells parables that confound and confuse his audience. It seems counterintuitive Read More...
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2008 07 17

John Spencer

7 Comments

it takes a village

Johnny passes by in his cap and gown as a flood of memories pass. I recall snippets of hard conversations, small arguments, difficult basketball games and the late nights where I was editing his papers. I thought of that first moment when he was a fourth Read More...
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2008 06 1

John Spencer

2 Comments

yearning for community

Many of my colleagues have enormous desk calendars where they mark each passing day with a large red oversized Sharpie. I don't have a desk calendar. (Sometimes I think there must have been a teaching class I missed; perhaps when I was ditching the lesson Read More...
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2008 05 21

John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude

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on reading my twin brother's blog

I read my brother's blog yesterday. The topic was real estate in Mexico, which is his line of work. As I read it, I could almost hear my own voice in it. He had a decent number of people who comment, because the style is so casual and personal; even introspective. Read More...
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2008 05 10

John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude

6 Comments

three lessons from students

It's a false cliche to say that we learn more from students than they do from us. The reality is that teachers typically teach more than they learn. By the end of the year, I will have taught a student about history, economics geography, how to construct Read More...
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2008 04 20

John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude

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thoughts on problem-based learning

For the last two weeks, students in my class have explored multiple facets of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. They have analyzed sources for bias, posed intelligent questions, created metaphors for the conflict and developed solutions. I admit that Read More...
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2008 04 4

John Spencer

6 Comments

I ride past a sign

While on my bike, I ride past a tagged-up sign. In the foreground is the latest freshest graffiti, supplanting the corporate letters advertising for an incumbent politician. (I can't think of the last time we had an election) It seems a poignant message Read More...
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2008 03 17

John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude

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