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you can't teach me if you don't know me I have my students for nine weeks at a time. It takes two weeks to learn the names. I speed-read each story and throw myself in for a moment. I'm a minor character, playing the role of the firm but fair often casual, Read More...
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2009 12 7

John Spencer

6 Comments

why I like Hayden and what that has to do with teaching

I popped in the Hayden Desser's In Field and Town cd for the first time in a month. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I placed Hayden on a deliberate sabbatical. It's just that I've been listening to the Sufjan Steven's Illinoise album and I've been on Read More...
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2009 09 2

John Spencer

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the body

Perhaps the creepiest thing I've seen in years. Even scarier than Trovolta in drag in Hair Spray. Yet, a random example of an eighties kid's memories of the obsession with bodily perfection. Micah started singing a song he learned in Sunday school. "I Read More...
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2009 08 1

John Spencer

3 Comments

stolen dance moves

My son thinks the Wiggles stole all their dance moves from The Charlie Brown Christmas Special. I think he's onto something here. Read More...
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2009 07 12

John Spencer

22 Comments

Jesus and Twitter -- or, why one should be careful with metaphors

The following is based upon an actual experience yesterday. Read More...
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2009 07 7

John Spencer

2 Comments

Does parenting make people happy?

Micah calls me outside to look at the moon. It's been ages since I looked at it, I mean really looked at the moon. I stare for awhile, but the beauty isn't up there. It's in his face, lit by the lunar rays (or the solar rays reflected off the moon or Read More...
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2009 07 4

John Spencer

5 Comments

the problem with being relevant

"Towns turn into motels, people into nomadic surges from place to place." "The bigger the market, the less you handle controversy." "It didn't come from the government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship to start with, no! Technology, Read More...
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2009 05 5

John Spencer

4 Comments

a note to myself in the first year

I wrote the following letter today to the person I was five years ago. I know it's a little odd, but here it goes: Hey John, This is a note to you in your first year of teaching. On some level, you're counting down the days. You're second-guessing what Read More...
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2009 04 25

John Spencer

13 Comments

ten things I don't do

This began as a response on my friend Quinn's blog. Christy once told me the number of hours a person spends in a lifetime ironing, folding socks, folding sheets. She asked me, "When you are on your death bed, do you want to have those hours back? Do Read More...
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2009 04 8

John Spencer

1 Comments

updates on my writing

I am a little lost one where to go next with my book. People have suggested the following options and I'm interested in what my reader's think: Publish it as an eBook - going on Google Books and Amazon.com (I could let people download it for free) Self-publish Read More...
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2009 03 6

John Spencer

5 Comments

I Wish I Could Enjoy The Following . . .

Five Foods I Wish I Could Enjoy Lunch Meat - There are people at my school who assumed I was a vegetarian, because every "teacher reward" lunch involved sub sandwhiches. I piled on any imaginable veggie to make up for the bland, slimy meat imposters. Read More...
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2009 02 28

John Spencer

4 Comments

marathon interview with myself

After completing my marathon, I thought I would go Q&A style by interviewing myself. John: What was your time? Spencer: I ran it in five hours and twenty minutes. John: Is that what you were aiming for? Spencer: I had no target time, so I'm not really Read More...
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2009 02 15

John Spencer

5 Comments

25 Things About Me

Someone had me do this on Facebook, so I thought I would share it here as well. 1. I abhor bureaucracy. The mere fact that it is so unnecessarily hard to spell should tell you something about it 2. My childhood family nickname was Bubble Butt. I don't Read More...
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2009 01 31

John Spencer

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outsourcing life

Christy and I watched the movie Nanny Diaries. I realize it was supposed to be a sort of escapist chick flick. To a large degree, that is how I treated it. This morning, however, it has me thinking about the concept of outsourcing life. I realize that Read More...
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2008 12 21

John Spencer

3 Comments

slowly shifting

I've created a new blog that is based entirely on my thoughts about education. It's less personal, more practical, more philosophical and more structured. If you're interested, it's located at Learning with IMPACT . I think it might end up as a blog that Read More...
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2008 12 2

John Spencer

0 Comments

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