Department:
Social Studies
High School:
San Marin High School
CLASSES:
Psychology, AP US History, AP Econ, Honors World History
SCHOOL OFFICE PHONE:
898-2121
Mr. Spinrad is an experienced teacher of world and honors world history, US
and AP US history, government, economics, and psychology. He also heads San
Marin's social studies department. Before entering the teaching profession,
Mr. Spinrad worked as a marketing professional for Bay Area engineering firms,
served as a marriage, family, and child counselor intern,and toured the United
States as a musician. He holds degrees from UC Berkeley and St. Mary's College
and a teaching credential from Dominican University.
Mr. Spinrad lives in central Marin County. He has five children, ages 19 to
eight, and much less hair now than in 1995--see the above picture.
In my opinion, the biggest challenge in teaching is not working with gifted
or low-achieving students, or adolescents with learning disorders. The
biggest challenge is finding a way to transform students into more critical
and independent thinkers, able to express themselves in an academic setting
orally or through written work. They need to understand the different
layers of meaning in a historical work, produce balanced research papers,
hold their own in debate, and become familiar with the major themes of the
curriculum.
I teach two important skills along with the curriculum: literacy and the
ability to understand multiple points of view. I create lesson plans by
examining the State standards and producing activities that are both
interesting and teach from the standards. I also use dependable and
respected lesson plans and inventive ideas from colleagues.
Occasionally, kids need another adult besides parents that believe in them. I
am honored when picked for that job.