Small Wins

I was out of school yesterday.  My husband strained his back and since he is a stay-at-home dad that meant that all of a sudden my own kids needed me more than the kids at school.  It was our first day back after a three-day weekend and you know how sometimes things go wrong on that first day back after a three-day weekend?  Well, yeah, some things went wrong.  And yet…

When I returned to our classroom today, I was met by cheers.  “You are back, Mrs. Ripp!””How is your husband?”  “Why weren’t you here with us?” As I got them up to speed, we quickly got to work; book shopping to be done, self-reflections to fill out.  A day full of busy, much like any other day, and a day full of small wins.

From the child that knew just to grab a pencil rather than ask if they could borrow one, to the child that told me to please hide the new book in the pile because he had already started reading it.

To the girl who gushed about a book I held up to make sure others read it, to the boy who told me he was proud of how he had challenged himself.

Four kids all racing in after 7th hour to grab the same book and telling me that the others better read it fast because they have to read it now.

A child simply telling me thank you when I helped him.

Being given the chance to hand a child an assignment back that they had done so well in and seeing the moment they recognized their own achievement.

From the girl that kept trying and finally did, to the boy who told me he had found a way to stop his pen tapping, to the boy who told me that in our class he does well.

Those are the moments that followed me home.  Those are the moments that matter.  Because while we may look at the big picture of the year and wonder how far we still have to go, the truth lies in those small wins where we really see how far we have come.

To all of my kids today, I am so proud to be your teacher.

If you like what you read here, consider reading any of my books; the newest called Reimagining Literacy Through Global Collaboration, a how-to guide for those who would like infuse global collaboration into their curriculum, was just released.  If you are looking for solutions and ideas for how to re-engage all of your students consider reading my very first book  Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students.  I am currently working on a new literacy book, called Passionate Readers and it will be published in the summer of 2017 by Routledge.  I also have a new book coming out December, 2017 .   Also, if you are wondering where I will be in the coming year or would like to have me speak, please see this page.