Teacher. Author. Creator. Speaker. Mom.
Yesterday I had the great pleasure of sharing my de-grading story with the wonderful teachers at CISVA. Before I spoke to them (and lost my voice subsequently) I thought about what I would tell them if I could only share five things. So why not share that with everyone else as well. Find your purpose.… Continue reading My Best Advice on Going No Grades
Quitting grades to some means to quit expectations. I used to think that if I didn’t meticulously grade everything, I was inefficient, ineffective, and certainly lazy. And yet I have come to happily realize that quitting grades as much as I am allowed to do has become one of the great liberations of my young… Continue reading So What Does a B+ Mean to You – Quitting Grades Does Not Mean You are Lazy
As summer winds down and my new job beckons, I have been reaching for graphic novels more and more. What is not to love? They are colorful snapshots of experiences that surround us. They feel like rest and recovery. They tantalize even on my most tired days as a reader. And there are so many… Continue reading 17 New Graphic Novels You Don’t Want to Miss
Once or twice a year, dependent on what the students feel like doing, we set out on our book clubs journeys in 7th grade. For 11 years I have been sharing ideas on this blog and so it feels natural to revisit past posts and update what we have been doing since my practice is… Continue reading My Best Ideas (for now) for Book Clubs at the Middle Level
I have been thinking a lot about failure. About this whole notion of growth mindset and having kids take risks. About how often we ask kids to just keep trying even when it is hard yet seem to fail to do so ourselves. About how often we expect kids to give us their all, their… Continue reading It Starts Now
Our first semester ended last week. I have been working on grades, both standards scores and letter grades, for the past 3 days. Pondering. Wondering. Pulling my hair out as I try to figure out which box to place my students in as we try to assess the growth that has happened. In the end… Continue reading How to Make Grades About Students Again
Pernille Ripp 