Musings from a Not-So-Master Teacher

I'm still the teacher

John Spencer — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:02:00 GMT

Teaching is one of the few professions left without an Orwellian euphemism. We aren't Cognitive Development Specialists or Core Curricular Instructional Achievement Specialists. Alan, a guy I know in that cyber-vapor kind of way tells me that some people...(read more)

miscommunication on the idea of story

John Spencer — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:36:00 GMT

Sometimes people say, "tell your story," and that's not what they want to hear. What they want is, "tell us a bulleted point list of your accomplishments." What they mean is more "tell us your resume" than "tell us your narrative, rife with conflict,...(read more)

from differentiating to empowering

John Spencer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:02:00 GMT

Someone recently asked me about a section in my book Teaching Unmasked where I argue that less instruction is sometimes better. I mentioned that the goal should be to move from differentiation to empowerment. Today's lesson demonstrates a little bit of...(read more)

yes origami is cool, but it's not why I have paper

John Spencer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:12:00 GMT

Awhile back, I attended the PIE Conference (Pencils Integrated Education) for the second year in a row. I'm not against conferences. They provide a platform for connecting and motivating - though not necessarily for training (which is how they market...(read more)

a few more conversations with my sons

John Spencer — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:11:00 GMT

Joel says, "I want my compass to talk." "It's impossible." "But you said it tells you where to go, daddy." "What I meant is that you can read it." "But I need it to talk to me in case I'm lost in the forest." "Joel, if you're ever in the forest, you know...(read more)

my new book is available

John Spencer — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:33:00 GMT

Order on Amazon.com: $4.99 My new book Teaching Unmasked is available in the following formats right now: As a free eBook (you can download the PDF file) On Kindle for $1.00 In Print for $4.99 On a blog (within the next few days) As a free audio book...(read more)

the perils of being a moderate

John Spencer — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:20:00 GMT

My left-wing progressive friends feel disenchanted with Obama. The slogans of hope and change have run dry and they're confused by a president who has failed to pass health care reform, continues to pursue war and has bailed-out large corporations rather...(read more)

guest blogger Bruce W. on pay-for-performance

John Spencer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:55:00 GMT

by Bruce W. (aka Bat Dude) Historians debate the emergence of superheroes as a dominant force for social justice. Some argue that the original superheroes were the saints (think folks on candles and not football players). The capes were originally monastic...(read more)

Drive - book review - part one

John Spencer — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:13:00 GMT

I'm currently on Chapter Four of Daniel Pink's book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us . I've been participating in a book study group with the Nerdfighteria Misfits. Here are my thoughts thus far: Somewhere in my freshmen year of college,...(read more)

turning thirty

John Spencer — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:44:00 GMT

If I was a verb tense, I'd be a past progressive, present imperfect and yearning for a future perfect. I'm thirty today. It feels like a milestone, but I'll celebrate it quietly. I'll probably splurge a little and go to Starbucks and then spend the day...(read more)

why did you block my pen pal network?

John Spencer — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:41:00 GMT

"Hey, I double-checked everything ahead of time for the professional development and you know what I saw?" I ask the district Administrator of Safety and Security. "Clearly I do not. I have no psychic powers," he responds. "The pen pal networks are all...(read more)

redefining math literacy

John Spencer — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:55:00 GMT

It's my fifth year of teaching and I have a math intervention class. The term intervention sounds really serious, as if we're bringing in a team of family members to confront a child on drug addiction. Apparently, it's less severe - some kids aren't getting...(read more)

uprooting root words: a post about economics

John Spencer — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:29:00 GMT

It's a good thing no one really takes serious the call to "consider the trees" "Is eco a root word or a prefix?" an ELL student asks me (ELL stands for English Language Learner, which is a bit of a misnomer, because we're all learning English) "I think...(read more)

what I can learn from early elementary teachers

John Spencer — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:50:00 GMT

I once sat in a meeting full of early elementary education teachers. It was a bizarre location, filled with bubbly talks of picture books and peppered with Pamper Chef party invitations. The speaker said, straight-faced, "Lee Canter is great and I recommend...(read more)

a post about seeds

John Spencer — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:50:00 GMT

I ask my brother-in-law about the vocational education program he is running. "I hate the word program. It's a word for machines, like we're programming kids. I'm not sure what's better. Venture sounds like a business word and project isn't much better...(read more)