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the real reason kids aren't motivated

Posted Sunday, May 18, 2008 6:06 AM by jtspencer
I'm reading a book right now that describes the difference between market norms and social norms. Market norms are based upon supply and demand, wages and profit motives. Social norms are based upon social relationships and the expectations contained Read More...
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why I'm glad I don't teach in the suburbs

Posted Sunday, May 11, 2008 7:14 AM by jtspencer
On Friday, during first hour, I yelled at the students. I mean, I really screamed at them. By the end of the period, I was calm and told them honestly, "I'm sorry for yelling. Anger has been a struggle for me my whole life. When I was your age, I was Read More...
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three lessons from students

Posted Sunday, April 20, 2008 6:43 PM from John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude
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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bad art and education

Posted Thursday, April 17, 2008 10:10 PM from John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude
Every time I ride past fifty first avenue, I see the old sugar beet factory in downtown Glendale. It's located near some housing projects and industrial warehouses. This afternoon, I began to wish it could be re-established in downtown Phoenix. It doesn't Read More...
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why the district is nearly always ineffective

Posted Monday, April 14, 2008 8:37 PM by jtspencer
I don't believe in the notion that the district is run by a bunch of pricks. I don't think that they are part of a vast conspiracy to make sure that we fail. I don't even believe in the lie that they are cruel, heartless vindictive people. However, I Read More...
2 Comments

advice from my mentor

Posted Saturday, April 12, 2008 9:59 PM from John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude
The greatest man to ever teach me spent less than a full year in our educational system. It's not that he "couldn't make it," but that he had already made commitments to run a hospitality house before he ever fell in love with the vocation. To his core, Read More...
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first ever video blog post

Posted Monday, April 07, 2008 8:10 AM from John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude
The following is a video blog post I created. I did this for a few reasons. First, we have to do it for our class. Also, I realized awhile ago that this is such a multimedia culture that this is the language people speak. Like my friend Dustin pointed Read More...
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thoughts on problem-based learning

Posted Friday, April 04, 2008 10:27 PM by jtspencer
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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cutting edge technology

Posted Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:48 PM from John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude
Teachers say they want "cutting edge technology" in their classrooms. They view the latest technology tools as a great cure that will finally transform their mundane teaching experience into a twenty-first century, state-of-the-art facility. Words are Read More...
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my ghetto home

Posted Monday, March 03, 2008 5:26 AM from John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude
When we first arrive, no one stands at the door to greet us - at least not officially. The resident homeless man, however, offers his loud (perhaps socially unnacceptable) greeting. With his typical bluntness, he says, "I haven't seen you around here Read More...
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digital ghettos

Posted Monday, February 25, 2008 5:13 AM by jtspencer
The Digital Divide is not a large chasm separating the "haves" and "have nots." The notion that we can simply fill this chasm with resources and make a bridge is a failure in metaphor. Technologically, lower-income and middle-income students live in separate Read More...
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too many voices

Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2008 9:30 PM from John Spencer's Blog - A Billion Blogs of Solitude
I'm listening to Sufjan Stevens, partially because I enjoy the song "Transfiguration" but mostly because I can't take anything too manufactured right now. Sometimes I think I've got the soul of an anarchist and I just want freedom. The district and the Read More...
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