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a book all teachers should read


22 October 08 08:35 PM | jtspencer | 1 Comments   
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...

letting students make decisions


15 September 07 05:58 AM | jtspencer | 1 Comments   
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...

School is ____________


08 August 07 06:06 AM | jtspencer | 3 Comments   
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...

Why I Love Teaching


27 July 07 01:48 PM | jtspencer | 6 Comments   
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...

Why I Won't Shut Up and Teach


19 July 07 04:12 PM | jtspencer | 5 Comments   
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...