Quantcast

Browse by Tags

All Tags » my students   (RSS)

we expect more out of the poor than out of the rich

As we analyze the functions of money, a student raises his hand and wonders why we left off two categories. "What about bribes? It's not the same as spend, save, invest, give away, lend or borrow." Another student argues that it fits better within the Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2010 02 26

John Spencer

4 Comments

the effects of a rainy day

Students walk into class edgy and hyper. A few shove one another in the halls or deliberately squeak their shoes. Rain is a sedative to adults and an upper for most children. So, while I yearn for a cup of coffee and a book, my students can't sit still. Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

,

,

,

2010 01 23

John Spencer

4 Comments

the power of dance

I don't dance. I'm not comfortable with anything publicly expressive that goes below the neckline. I get the power of dance on a very cerebral level. I can talk about dance from an anthropological perspective. I've seen some ballets and interpretive dance Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2009 11 18

John Spencer

2 Comments

if you normally read this blog in a reader . . .

. . . check out the actual site today and click on the different rollover links at the top. I added pictures from a student named Itzel. She new what I wanted this blog to become and so the last week of school she made some sketches for me and for our Read More...
Filed under:

,

2009 07 1

John Spencer

4 Comments

how the students have changed me

Every year, I get a little sad when it's about to end. In the last week, it goes by so quickly and there are so many sheets to fill out that I have learned to find closure in the second to last week. So, while sitting at home grading final papers, I look Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2009 05 26

John Spencer

3 Comments

follow-up conversation

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned the story about defining love. So the story gets crazier. The girl who brought up the point at the end asked me (I'm paraphrasing), "Do trees feel? Can they communicate? I'm serious about this. What if their language Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

,

2009 05 1

John Spencer

1 Comments

hope for the next generation

In reading Fahrenheit 451, a student suggested that the robotic dog was a symbol of how machines are being humanized and humans are being mechanized. That's not the exact terminology he used, but it's the basic gist. So, I posed the question, "Is it true Read More...
Filed under:

,

,

2009 04 18

John Spencer

2 Comments