Quantcast

Browse by Tags

All Tags » classroom management   (RSS)

my absolutely unnecessary ranking system of coffee

This is how I spent the lecture portion of today's professional development. It's not that I don't pay attention, but just that I sometimes need a creative outlet if I'm going to listen intently. I can tell you, almost verbatim, everything discussed in Read More...
Filed under:

,

2009 08 11

John Spencer

8 Comments

Philosophical Friday: Rules vs. Procedures

Poor Chuck Norris would have a hell of a time in this class I think I'm going to enjoy the principal at my new school. He mentioned to the staff, "We have had only two big fights and two examples of graffiti. There was a consequence, but the relationship Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2009 05 22

John Spencer

1 Comments

Monday Metaphor: The Acoustic Classroom

When all the kids in our neighborhood memorized the words to "Beat It" and "Thriller" and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," I sat in front of the record player to hear "Sweet Baby James" (before James Taylor had become the staple music for grocery stores) Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

,

2009 04 27

John Spencer

1 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: What no one ever tells you about classroom management

Sometimes windpower is not such a great thing I'm posting this a day early. It began as a comment on another teacher's blog and now I'm expanding it. Today the kids were edgy. In my seventh hour, they were constantly engaged in side conversations. A few Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

,

,

,

2009 04 15

John Spencer

8 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: Mr. Jones and Me

For PLC training, we cram together in an empty classroom (an empty shell remaining from the days before the sherrif's immigration raids and the collapsing housing market) to watch Fred Jones teach us to manage behaviors. I roll my eyes at most of his Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2009 03 12

John Spencer

3 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: My Approach

I caught a girl tagging on one of my chairs. Let me restate that. I noticed tagging on my chairs, matched it to the tagging this student has done in the classroom and then determined that it had to be her. It felt like a punch in the gut. After going Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2009 03 5

John Spencer

6 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Shrapnel

A few times a year, I lose it. I yell. No, I scream at my class. Sometimes, it's the build-up from failing to address conflict. It's a combination of little things that I feel I shouldn't have to deal with anymore. After all, I convince myself, I have Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

,

2009 02 9

John Spencer

4 Comments

What-if Wednesday: What if it is personal?

What about that wad of paper on the ground? Yep, it's personal. When I first began teaching, I had a difficult time with classroom management. Well-intentioned teachers would explain to me, "It's not personal." Often, this advice was accompanied by "you Read More...
Filed under:

,

2008 12 31

John Spencer

9 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Driving a Car

On three separate occasions, my mom attempted to teach me how to drive. At first it seemed to work. However, she would quickly micromanage, offer too much feedback, give some seemingly phony praise and I would grow nervous. I would over-correct to one Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2008 12 15

John Spencer

2 Comments

Thursday Thoughts: A Libertarian's Guide to Classroom Management

I don't post the rules on my walls. In fact, I have no rules in my classroom; or at least no explicit rules. I never create a seating chart. I can't think of the last time I timed out a student. It just doesn't make sense to send a kid off in exile for Read More...
Filed under:

,

2008 12 11

John Spencer

2 Comments

a book all teachers should read

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...
Filed under:

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

,

2008 10 22

John Spencer

5 Comments

lessons from a horse whisperer

On NPR today, I listened to a story about a horse whisperer. He described the way he began as a horse trainer. He used two-by-fours in order to "break the will" of the horse. Often, the success seemed immediate, but a few horses would refuse to conform. Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2008 08 12

John Spencer

3 Comments

why I don't do rewards

Birthdays are important to me. Unlike other American holidays, they do not require reciprocity. There is no give-and-take, no social contract; nothing that says, "our gifts better be equal, because if they don't, I'll either feel gyped or guilty." Unlike Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

,

2007 08 19

John Spencer

4 Comments

well-intentioned low standards

The first few weeks for me are always the hardest. After a rather sedentary summer, I find myself swept into motion. Energetically, I run from place to play, smile, give compliments, offer instruction. I fail to learn all the names and I know even fewer Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

,

2007 08 10

John Spencer

0 Comments

preventative classroom management

Classroom management, to me, is a bit of a misnomer. The term manager conjures up a man clad in a shirt and tie, sitting behind a cubical (sp?) attempting to maintain the status quo. A manager keeps things under control. A leader, however, is proactive Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2007 07 31

John Spencer

5 Comments

More Posts Next page »