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why creating a school site was a disaster

I'm not a detail person. I mmispell works frequently and often my speller check won't pick it up. I don't notice when my shoe is untied. I forget to brush my horse. My wife has been known to write "Wash Me" onto the coat of dirt of the poor mare. I'm Read More...

2010 02 8

John Spencer

1 Comments

cleaning out my wallet -- perhaps the lamest blog post I've ever written

I've never had a massive wallet. Perhaps I am a minimalist or maybe just a little too simplistic in how I live. People occasionally get angry that I don't carry pictures of my children in my wallet, as if that is a barometer of my parenting ability. It's Read More...
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2010 02 7

John Spencer

6 Comments

a follow-up with Ms. Jackson

The principal pulls me aside and tells me ahead of time, "Tom, I'm not a counselor. I'm not a psychologist. I'm not even a phrenologist, so you won't see me trying analyze the bumps on your head to see what you were thinking." "Okay, so what's the matter?" Read More...

2010 02 6

John Spencer

1 Comments

trouble-makers still need pencils

"I can't believe Ms. Jackson through away my document because I didn't have my name on it. I worked really hard, left it on my desktop and now it's gone," a student complains. "Did you talk to her about it?" "She said that in the real world an employer Read More...

2010 02 5

John Spencer

2 Comments

what we miss in the talks about creativity

People tell me that creativity is necessary in the New Economy. After all, it's absolutely critical that I understand the "seven facets of creativity" (Which is oddly enough not a very creative concept. Seven is a bit overdone. How about pi times two? Read More...
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2010 02 4

John Spencer

3 Comments

a class of collage artists

The first time I allowed pencil-based research, I assumed kids would understand how to look at the bias in a source, figure out the facts and summarize them. So, I brought our kiddos to the library and found a disturbing trend. Students pulled out their Read More...

2010 02 4

John Spencer

3 Comments

book should make you feel uncomfortable

I first read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school and felt bored with the dialog, annoyed by the flat (and always either entirely good or entirely bad) characters and unsure about why we had to read it. Later, while working in a chaotic non-profit and Read More...
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2010 02 4

John Spencer

14 Comments

sorry, but you need to learn how to use the sharpener

"Hey Techno-Tommy, when you're on prep I need you to come by and sharpen my pencils," a math teacher mentions. She turns to another teacher and says, "I know he loves working with pencils." Wrong. I love to write with pencils, because I love words. I Read More...

2010 02 2

John Spencer

6 Comments

like survivor in reverse

"You used to work in A.E.?" I ask a fellow staff member. "I loved it there," she explains. "Weren't the kids crazy?" another teacher asks. "No, they were kids. They were just in trouble, that's all." "But they were kids who had been kicked out," I add. Read More...
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2010 02 2

John Spencer

3 Comments

will technology replace teachers?

Paul the Pre-industrial Poet asks me one day, "Techno-Tommy, do you think teachers will ever be replaced by technology?" "I've considered this concept before. I'm doubtful of it. Nothing will change. Not for decades. Not for centuries, really." "You mean Read More...

2010 02 1

John Spencer

1 Comments

meandering around the road blocks

"Mr. Spencer, I don't get it," a girl says pointing to her screen. I briefly review the research chart and she says, "So, why is that we have to find our answers online?" After reminding her of the need for research, she adds, "Why can't we just watch Read More...
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2010 02 1

John Spencer

8 Comments

book decision

One of the advantages of a book is the notion of unity and longevity. A blog is quick, simple and temporary. So, the process of turning blog posts into a book has felt a little like trying to stir compost with the hope that something will grow. So, here's Read More...

2010 02 1

John Spencer

5 Comments

a tiny reform

Students in my second hour are working a documentary project about rethinking schools. I begin with the assumption that the research portion will be rocky, but instead I find that students are enagaged. Many of the lower readers (and the class has a high Read More...
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2010 01 31

John Spencer

12 Comments

do we need educational pencil degrees?

Sometimes I wish that I could hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign around my neck and wear it at places where it is socially acceptable to be intrusive. I'd wear it at church, during the "shake hands with each other," time. I'm not so great at sharing the peace. Read More...

2010 01 29

John Spencer

0 Comments

a make-believe conversation about parenting

"Hey John, can you describe your approach to parenting?" "I guess I would say that I want to have a few firm boundaries, a considerable amount of freedom and unconditional love." "Oh, that's not at all how I run a family," my friend explains. The term Read More...
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2010 01 29

John Spencer

23 Comments

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