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February 2010 - Posts

five thoughts on Twitter

I have been on Twitter for awhile now. I've wanted to write a blog post about it, but my thoughts range so much that I thought I would share some random musings: There is no sense of permanence or posterity. There is also little sense of who has read Read More...
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2010 02 28

John Spencer

5 Comments

what was missing from my presentation

The crowd is standing room only as I begin. I'm Icarus soaring up toward the sun. I'm powerful. I'm respected. No spit wads or hunks of paper. No airplanes. Just me, backed up with my PowerSlides set up with the Edison Projector. I offer a give and take, Read More...

2010 02 28

John Spencer

0 Comments

Book Q & A

Q: What is the book about? A: The book is called Teaching Unmasked. It's about the paradox of humility, the notion that often less is more. I tackle various aspects of teaching mostly through metaphor and story-telling and sprinkled with a bit of humor. Read More...

2010 02 27

John Spencer

5 Comments

mystery

Note: this is a small section of one of the chapters that I'm writing for Teaching Unmasked. Parts of the book are written from scratch and other parts use my blog as source material. And now I'm using a part from the book to post to the blog - so I guess Read More...
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2010 02 26

John Spencer

4 Comments

we expect more out of the poor than out of the rich

As we analyze the functions of money, a student raises his hand and wonders why we left off two categories. "What about bribes? It's not the same as spend, save, invest, give away, lend or borrow." Another student argues that it fits better within the Read More...
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2010 02 26

John Spencer

4 Comments

the pencil planning committee

I don't believe in committees. Like bureaucracy, the term is too difficult to spell and too cumbersome to endure. Committees often turn to mindless group think, chatty ego boosting and a lack of innovation out of a desire to mitigate liability. Besides, Read More...

2010 02 25

John Spencer

2 Comments

what if everyone is right?

Students in my district have a hard time passing the standardized tests. It's no secret. You don't have to show me another graph advertising this in an in-service meeting (if you really want to provide me a service, you might want to ditch the graphs Read More...
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2010 02 24

John Spencer

16 Comments

Mr. Johnson, will you be my friend?

I overheard a conversation a few days back (yes, I eavesdrop on my students) about the pen pal networks. "I only have twenty followers," a kid says. "It's okay. Jesus only had twelve." "That's not true. Jesus had thousands of followers. He just had his Read More...

2010 02 23

John Spencer

5 Comments

reflections on joining a pen pal network

So, I added myself to the Pen Pal network and I have found the following things to be true: My friends and family mostly send messages about make believe games where they pretend to run a farm or move through a sorority. Note to self: the only thing lamer Read More...

2010 02 22

John Spencer

0 Comments

math poem

show your work prove it the process the system the graphite numbers coldly lining up dreading the red checkmark simply saying "the product is more important than the journey" either/or binary machinery every number predictably acting as numbers act always Read More...
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2010 02 22

John Spencer

3 Comments

I hope he stays a lunatic for life

Micah tells Joel to look up at the moon. The elder is taking a lesson from the younger, a quick reminder that the moon still matters. "It was hiding behind the clouds, but now it's back," Micah explains. "It's a quarter-moon," Joel adds. "A quarter is Read More...
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2010 02 20

John Spencer

6 Comments

Isn't All Media Social?

Paul the Pre-industrial Poet tells me that I need to get onto a popular Pen Pal Network. He's an "early adopter," who tends to find technology quickly, explore it rapidly and then decide if he wants to keep it or dump it. I tell him that he treats technology Read More...

2010 02 20

John Spencer

0 Comments

sometimes it's best when technology isn't user-friendly

The simple addition of "pages" tabs into Blogger has made student portfolios so much easier. In the past, I would say, "I want you to have a blog that also functions as a website and as a wiki, allowing me to edit your portfolio. I'm not telling you how Read More...
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2010 02 20

John Spencer

2 Comments

Which cover looks better?

So, I've been working on a writing an indie book (indie sounds so much cooler than self-published) called Teaching Unmasked and it's based on the paradox of impact. I think I've gotten over the need to have my work published by a "real" publisher and Read More...
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2010 02 19

John Spencer

25 Comments

Friday Featured Blog: Joe Bower

I stumbled across Joe Bower's Blog For the Love of Learning through Twitter. He posted some comments and I enjoyed his responses. I enjoy some bloggers because they are so different from me (Matthew Koslowski, for example) or because they have similar Read More...
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2010 02 19

John Spencer

1 Comments

turning a day's word verifications into a poem

I decided to record all of my Facebook Word Verifications (CAPTCHA) from yesterday and paste them in the exact order to see what kind of random nonsense I get: in Romans lost legacy we sit on television ransacked nation ankle glory chained left lives Read More...
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2010 02 19

John Spencer

8 Comments

part two of "Full of CREP"

For the most part, I abandon the worksheets. We breeze through them quickly and then I break students up into small groups to discuss the question, "What are the elements of a good career?" The brainstorm turns out to be incredibly specific with a few Read More...

2010 02 19

John Spencer

1 Comments

why I believe in scrapping grades

I used to believe that grades were ineffective on motivation. While I knew some students were motivated by the desire for an A, I thought that taking away grades would make little difference. The hard-working students would be the ones who still wanted Read More...
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2010 02 18

John Spencer

11 Comments

Kids Aren't Learning Enough About Dinosaurs

a mock article I wrote: A recent U.S. Department of Education study confirmed researcher's deepest fears about the inherent flaws in our Early Elementary Educational System. Children are not recieving adequate training in paleontology, despite the numerous Read More...
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2010 02 18

John Spencer

8 Comments

full of CREP

A day after the worksheet debacle, Mr. Brown comes into my room. "Can you believe we have to take time out of social studies to teach Career Readiness Exploration Program?" "I'm sure the districts spent barrels of money on it, what with all the worksheets Read More...

2010 02 17

John Spencer

0 Comments

TAD Talk #1 - How much instruction do I offer?

My first TAD Talk. (TAD Talks are meant to reveal how little we know, how much of a mystery life is and what it means to meander in the mystery - in other words, the opposite of many expert-driven TED Talks) I don't know how much instruction to offer. Read More...
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2010 02 16

John Spencer

2 Comments

TOD Talks

I might be the only person online who finds TED Talks to be smug and annoying and overly perky. I can't imagine Whitman or Thoreau at one. I admit, too, that I'm probably more sensitive to the smug side, because that can all too often become my mode of Read More...
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2010 02 16

John Spencer

5 Comments

TAD Talks

I changed this up after a great suggestion from a fellow blogger. I might be the only person online who finds TED Talks to be smug and annoying and overly perky. I can't imagine Whitman or Thoreau at one. I admit, too, that I'm probably more sensitive Read More...
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2010 02 16

John Spencer

5 Comments

Where should we invest?

A district office representative pulls me aside before class and says, "Tommy, we're concerned with some of your pencil use." "Well, it's not really me that's using the pencils. It's the students, so would you mind if I allowed them to be a part of this Read More...

2010 02 15

John Spencer

4 Comments

my list of the best and worst presidents

Five of the Best Presidents Abraham Lincoln: I like him, not because he was so great, but because he was flexible, moderate and yet willing to stand up for important issues at the right time. George Washington: He could have become a dictator. With the Read More...
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2010 02 15

John Spencer

5 Comments

why my students don't use dictionaries

I once got sent to the office for making fun of dictionaries. See my friend correct me on the word "ambivalent." I told him that it meant you felt split about something and he said it meant that one felt apathetic. Finally I told him, "Quit being such Read More...
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2010 02 15

John Spencer

12 Comments

do we need a phonograph in my classroom?

Last night, we gathered around a small fire in our back yard. The necessity of warmth forces us to connect. A few of our neighbors come by. For all the talk of social networking, this is our true social network. Before we had pen pal sites, we had fire Read More...

2010 02 15

John Spencer

0 Comments

staring into a shattered window

Once a month, we have a philosophical discussion as a group. People occasionally bring friends, but on some level, we know one another. The conversation typically remains civil and deep - sort-of the antithesis of Fox News or CNN. The topic is the relationship Read More...
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2010 02 14

John Spencer

10 Comments

look at my acronym

If Google is allowed to turn a noun into a verb and the Sultan of Standards can beckon teachers to "incent," then I want to create an acronym for the verb acronym. Anyway, I hate acronyms and so I have developed one mocking all acronyms. A nother C omposition Read More...
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2010 02 11

John Spencer

2 Comments

not so sure emergencies are comical

I love my school district and so this isn't meant to be a slam. However, I'm not so sure that lockdowns, fire drills or tragic accidents fit well with Comic Sans. Perhaps arial next time? (And yes, that is pink) Read More...
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2010 02 11

John Spencer

8 Comments

I'm Concerned that Your Class Is Fun

sometimes "fun" isn't what's healthiest for a child On typical parent-teacher conferences, I interact as best as I can in Spanish. It becomes a role that I play, an act that I put on based upon memorized lines, key words and body language. My smile is Read More...
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2010 02 11

John Spencer

9 Comments

blogger's block

I've never been through a period where I fail to blog. However, I have had periods where I think, "I need to come up with something better," or "This is starting to sound too much like what everyone else is saying." If I allow this spiralling mental monologue Read More...
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2010 02 9

John Spencer

2 Comments

Drunk Tetris

I'm sitting at a team meeting during my first year of teaching. In order to prove that we are "data-driven," (as opposed to say, "student-driven," which would be my preference) we sift through pages of graphs and charts, each with its own set of acronyms Read More...
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2010 02 8

John Spencer

6 Comments

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

8 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