Indie Teacher

Remember Pencil Quests?

John T. Spencer — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 02:30:00 GMT

It was somewhere in my sophomore year and the teacher was bubbling over with excitement. "We're going on a Pencil Quest!" he exlaimed. I raise my hand. "So, you will take us to various sites. Is it like a field trip?" "Yep," he says. "And each site will...(read more)

The Con Academy

John T. Spencer — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:58:00 GMT

"Mr. Johnson, we have a guest who we'd like you to meet," my principal informs me. I walk down the hallway and into the conference room. "A bagel?" he asks. "No thank you," I tell him. "It's free. Just like our system," he says. I've heard of Sam and...(read more)

I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga.

John T. Spencer — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:02:00 GMT

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?

John T. Spencer — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:39:00 GMT

"We need to talk," the principal tells me. "Mind if I shut the door?" I ask. "I do. I have an open door policy to keep up." "Oh." We sit down at a table and I pull out a hoarhound from his candy dish. "I see you were playing games today instead of teaching."...(read more)

10 Points on Pencils

John T. Spencer — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:39:00 GMT

Dear Superintendent: I want to address a few of your concerns that you had about my classroom and a list seems like an organized way of doing it: No, we don't have an Acceptable Use policy for pencils. I refuse to do this, because I don't have a policy...(read more)

"Pencil Me In" is a dollar right now.

John T. Spencer — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:48:00 GMT

That's right. You can download it for a buck right now as a Kindle download . If you don't have a Kindle, you can use their computer or mobile app. I'm also offering all my other books for a dollar , but only for the next week. So, you can get all of...(read more)

Are Pencils Making Us Narcissistic?

John T. Spencer — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:13:00 GMT

"Tom, I'm not comfortable with students using pen pal networks," my principal warns me. "It's not about comfort," Mr. Brown shoots back. "Good point. Let me rephrase this. I am concerned about the pen pal networks and the plogs and the class newspaper...(read more)

7 Reasons Why I Quit Reading Your Plog

John T. Spencer — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:51:00 GMT

Hey readers, I quit writing for awhile, not because I don't like to write, but because I had nothing relevant to say. I decided it would be best to take some time off rather than write a plog for the sake of a plog. 1. You quit pencil-logging and have...(read more)

Capturing Reality

John T. Spencer — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:43:00 GMT

"Daddy, what are you doing?" my daughter asks me. "I'm setting up the camera," I tell her. "Why?" "So I can take a picture of you guys in front of the waterfall," I respond. "Why?" she asks. "So I can capture this moment and keep it forever," I tell her....(read more)

A Reminder From My Son

John T. Spencer — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:10:00 GMT

I'm cleaning up the kitchen, trying my best to formulate a response to someone who had questioned my assessment practices. So, I run through the mental list: Students need to articulate their mental process Students need to connect multiple math concepts...(read more)

Ten Paperless Math Assessment Strategies

John T. Spencer — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:28:00 GMT

I recently wrote a post about the ridiculous nature of standardized testing . Somebody e-mailed me about why an authentic approach might work in some subjects, but not in a subject like math. So, here are a few ideas of paperless math assessments for...(read more)

I Don't Need Another #Chat Right Now

John T. Spencer — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:54:00 GMT

My mom calls to ask Christy a question. Something about pop corn in a bag. It didn't make sense - not because of her lack of description, but because of my lack of practical imagination. She says, four or five times, "I should let you get going," and...(read more)

White Noise

John T. Spencer — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:50:00 GMT

Joel asks me, "Daddy, why do people say black and white people when everyone is brown?" "So you think we all look alike?" "No, but some have dark brown and some have light brown. My friend Dylan is light brown but his hair is all curly like people who...(read more)

When to Be Lazy

John T. Spencer — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:41:00 GMT

10 Ways to Help Students Ask Better Questions

John T. Spencer — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:25:00 GMT

Note: While I enjoy writing "What Works Wednesdays," I admit that I am not the expert. I don't have all the answers. So, if this ever comes off as pretentious, just spend a day with me and watch me make mistakes. I'm not a wizard. My students gather in...(read more)