Team 6-1

Mrs. Jones

One of my greatest passions in life is teaching! Since I started teaching in 2011, I have found that I actually end up being the “learner” in our classroom. Students bring knowledge and perspective to our collaborative and flexible learning environment. My goal is to empower students to own their learning. Each individual has more potential than we realize, so I have high expectations for my students. We focus on Growth Mindset, and learn that our “failures” are actually stepping-stones to greatness if we are striving to overcome them.

I have lived in Idaho since 2006, and I try to take advantage of our beautiful surroundings as much as I can! If I’m not teaching, I’m spending time with my husband and children. We enjoy camping, hiking, fishing, snowshoeing, canoeing, and anything else that gets us outdoors. I also play the violin and have a deep appreciation for the arts.

My Class Website: jonesexploration.weebly.com

Mr. Spencer

My name is Josh Spencer, and this is my second year teaching 6th-grade math at Madison Middle School! I am so happy to be here and I look forward to working with your children. Math was never a pleasant subject for me growing up, and honestly, I did everything I could to avoid it! I felt that because I had never planned on using math in my career (funny how that worked out) I never had any reason or desire to learn. Later however, I began to realize that math was about more than just performing complex operations with funny-looking numbers and symbols. On an entirely different plane (excuse the pun), math is about learning how to solve complex problems based on a defined set of rules, in the pursuit of specific, desired outcomes. Regardless of the background and personal experiences of any one individual, we can all appreciate the benefit of developing problem-solving skills that can be applied in any situation throughout our lives. I am so excited to teach math to your 6th-graders this year, and I will do everything that I can to help them enjoy math and to instill within them a desire to learn. I enjoy communicating with parents about their children and discussing any needs that they may have, so please don't hesitate to contact me at any time, for any reason.

Mr. Bloom

My name is Erik Bloom. I have been teaching at Madison Middle School since 2014. I love teaching science and computer science. I am from Olney, Maryland, but have been in Idaho since 2007 and love it here. I married my wife Rachel in 2012. We have a daughter Madison who was born in 2014 and a son Joshua who was born in 2016. I love running, graphic design, and stained glass. I am looking forward to meeting my new students and their families soon!