This is for the kids who made me cry. Who wore me out, who tore me down. This is for the kids who wondered why. Who dared to speak, who dared to question. This is for the kids that didn’t give up, that saw something in me I would have never seen myself. Who questioned persistently, who had the audacity to say they were bored. And who never ever thought that school should be about the teachers and not about the kids.
Those kids that may be “hard” to teach. Those kids that are definitely hard to reach. Those kids with their chips, their baggage, their grudges. Who couldn’t think that this was what school was meant to be, who didn’t believe that it couldn’t get better. Who pushed me and pulled me, who got angry at times. This is for you kids, and I hope you know who you are, because without your courage to speak up, I wouldn’t write. I wouldn’t speak, and I wouldn’t be a better teacher.
So this is for the kids who dared to dream that being a student in our schools could be more than it was. Who through their defiance shattered my illusion that I was a good teacher and drove me to become better. This is for you, for all of you, who instead of giving up, got angry, who instead of fitting in, stuck out. You gave me the reason to change. Thank you for being those kids to me.
I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Pernille Ripp 
Funny how those are the ones we miss the most.
Reblogged this on Brain waves.