Author: Pernille Ripp

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA, 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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, Reading, reflection, students

Why It Matters to Be Passionate About Reading

April 5, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“…I used to hate reading, it wasn’t cool, you know? But then when I heard you were my teacher, I was kinda excited because in your room it was ok to like reading.”

He speaks these words to me as if they are no big deal. To him they probably aren’t, just another conversation with his teacher. But in my heart and mind, these words mean everything. These words are why I am so passionate about books and about kids loving books.

I chose to finally unleash my passionate reader last year, thinking it might make a difference in my classroom. Little did I know just how much of a difference it would make. We are a reading classroom now. Not that we weren’t before, but not like this. Not this excited, not this engaged, not this immersed. Reading is cool in my room, something that matters to 5th graders. Reading is what we do.

When I pull out a new picture book, the kids cheer. They laugh, they comment, they re-read. When I bring in a pile of books, I have to step out of the way while my students grab the one they have to read now and others scramble to make signup sheets so they can read it next. All it took was for me to be passionate. All it took was for me to share that passion. (And of course, incredible books).

We wonder whether passion matters in education and in reading in particular. Do teachers really need to be readers themselves to teach reading? I am here to tell you it makes the biggest difference. Children who have long given up on school can find solace in books. Books build connections. Books build memories. When we are passionate readers ourselves we are actively sharing our lives, our connections, our feelings, with the kids that we hand books to. When we go all out in our love of reading, we show kids that it is okay to be a reader. That it is not something to be ashamed of. Not something to hide. But rather something that should be embraced and shouted from the rooftops.

So when students come to me and tell me reading sucks, or reading is uncool, I am not afraid. Nor am I upset. They just haven’t found the right book, they just haven’t laughed at the right read aloud. They haven’t experienced the magic of reading a picture book as a big kid. They just haven’t had that moment where everything disappears and all that matters is the book. And that’s ok, hopefully, this year will be the year. Hopefully this year they will find their passion. Because I am not giving up on them.

PS: Have you heard about the Global Read Aloud? The books for 2014 were just chosen and I promise this year will be amazing. Connect your students to the world through a shared read aloud, after all it only takes one book to connect the world.

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, 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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being me, Reading, reflection

So What’s My Book About?

April 4, 2014April 4, 2014 Pernille Ripp

This week was very exciting for me as my very first e-book published by Powerful Learning Press became available for pre-buy. I had never thought I would be able to add “author” to my bio! This book is meant to be a how-to change your classroom for any level of teacher, pre-service, new, or veteran.

What’s even better is that right now until April 7th there is a coupon, I love a good coupon!

Save with this pre-buy coupon code

To celebrate the pre-launch of this exciting book for educators, Powerful Learning Press is offering a $3 discount through April 7. Use our coupon code PREBUY at checkout to save $3. Go to the PLPress online store to buy now.

I hope you consider reading it.

being me, Reading, reflection

Take a Moment to Celebrate

April 3, 2014April 4, 2014 Pernille Ripp

He sat down next to me, book bin in hand, ready for his conference.

“So what has been going on in your head as you read?” I ask, pen poised and ready to jot.

“Well…” he clears his throat “…I just finished this book.”

And that’s when it hits me. This kid finished a book! And not just one book but almost 10 books this year. This kid who at the beginning completely had given up on chapter books, who only read magazines if forced. This kid is reading. And not just reading, he is sharing his thoughts, writing ideas down, thinking of what to read next.

So I put my pen down, I only write “Celebration” in my notes. Instead we spend several minutes discussing his accomplishments, discussing his growth. I urge him to be proud, to notice what he has done. A few minutes is all it is, but monumental none the less.

When was the last time I took a few minutes to celebrate a child’s growth with them privately? I am great with the whole class praise, but often forget the one to one. Not any more. Instead of a reading mini-lesson I will be celebrating. Instead of giving them something new to try, we will instead spend a few minutes cherishing what they have accomplished, what they have already done.

In a week we can go back to the new, but for now we will cherish the old. After all, a small celebration can indeed go a long way.

being a teacher, being me, reflection, students

We Carry It With Us

April 2, 2014April 2, 2014 Pernille Ripp

There are moments in teaching that makes my heart heavy.

Whether it is the disappointment faced by a student rejected. Or the sorrow that weighs down some of my students as they come through my doors. The uncertainty some face. The anxiousness that travels with others. The sadness, the lost joy. They bring this along, into our rooms, and it becomes one more thing we have to address and work around. One more thing to add to our day and to our hearts.

We don’t leave those worries or fears of our students behind when we close our door. They travel with us in the car. They walk in through our front door, trailing us into our homes as we worry whether that child will ever be okay. Worry whether that child will have something to eat or will be back the next day. Worry about what that child may do that night. We push them aside and focus on our own lives but they stay in our hearts as the hours go by.

Sometimes those worries wake us up at night and we remember to hug our own kids a little more, tell them they matter a little louder.

So we return the next day with our hearts still heavy, not sure what to do other than to love those kids as if they were our own. When a new worry shows up we make room for that one as well. We carry it with us because we are stronger than the children we support. We carry it with us so that they are not alone. We carry it with us so that maybe, just maybe, they will find a moment of relief.

I may not be a superhero but when it comes to the children in my life, I have super hero strength. No child should have to carry their worries alone, that’s why I am there. And that’s why I teach.

Be the change, Student-centered, Uncategorized

So My Students Cheered for Spelling

April 2, 2014April 2, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“But Mrs. Ripp, we missed spelling!” Not said with a smile, not said with excitement, but rather with disappointment laced in their voice. I smiled, that was the first time a student had ever been upset that we hadn’t done spelling.

On my mission to bring more joy into our classroom, I knew I had to drastically change our spelling program. When my students blog, many times spelling is brought up as the ultimate boredom introducer. A hassle that they don’t see the need for, or at least not in the format that I teach it. Every year I have changed the way I do spelling, every year I have tried to make it more relevant, more transferable, more exciting for the students. Yet my attempts have fallen flat. Students just did not like spelling. So over break I decided to throw it all out and rethink how to do it. This is what I came up with:

Make it a team challenge, students are in teams of 4 or 5 that will change every week so no team has an advantage.
Rather than make spelling about normal memorization, make it about word understanding instead, focusing on root words and opening up language discussions in the classroom.

Weekly Breakdown:

Make sense Monday – this is the day to discover the meaning, the origin, and come up with examples for the 10 root words posted in the classroom. Student teams are given one device to look up their words and can then decide how they want to memorize it.
Try it Out Tuesday – 5 minutes for team charades and then classroom charades for another 5 minutes where students have to guess the root word.
Word Jeopardy Wednesday – I created a Jeopardy game for the teams to do, they keep their own score if they want.
Test Your Knowledge Thursday – Teams concoct their own quizzes to test each other’s knowledge of the 10 root words.
Flaunt it Friday – Each student is tested on their knowledge. Students are asked to write down the root word, its origin, its meaning and then give me 2 examples of words with that root word. Scores will be added up for the team and then averaged, this becomes the score for the test for the team.

So why the team approach? Because I needed students to get excited and this group of kids love a good challenge where they work together.

Why the team grade? Because I wanted the students to push each other for a deeper understanding. Because I don’t use grades in my room much the students don’t care much about their grade but they still like knowing how they fared on the quiz.

Why the competition? Because this group of kids likes competition and I knew it would light a fire under them.

If you walked into my room during our spelling time, you wouldn’t guess that is what we are doing. The students are so excited, animated, and kind of loud getting the words down. And the conversations are a thrill to hear, so many lightbulb moments making word connections. And those kids that never did their spelling, yup, they are into it too.

I should have done this a long time ago.

Here is a video from our Try it out Tuesday

Be the change, being me, Student-centered

Pre-Buy Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom back to Our Students

March 31, 2014April 3, 2014 Pernille Ripp

The day has finally arrived! My first book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom back to Our Students” is available for pre-buy starting today! This book has been wonderful to write and I am so excited to finally have it ready. I hope you will consider reading it if you like reading my blog. Here is a little more information about it:

From Powerful Learning Press – my incredible publisher

Breaking the rules is scary within the public school system, no matter how few or many years you have taught. We are indoctrinated about how a traditional classroom should look, starting with our own school days and then on through college classes and early professional careers. When we bring new ideas, or even just trust our instincts, we often think that what we want to try will never really work.

Pressure from schools and districts to conform — from the government and the tests — and sometimes even from colleagues who want us all to just stay the same — none of that helps as we think about changing our practice. Sometimes we give up before we even make the attempt, because we are pretty sure the barriers and pushback will be insurmountable.

In Pernille Ripp’s own teaching practice, what she discovered was this: Even the smallest changes can make monumental differences. And then you keep on until you create something new. Trusting yourself and your students and sharing the power of the classroom with them can lead to great teaching and learning even within the boundaries of our confining standards, testing obsessions and mandatory curriculums.

In Passionate Learners: Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students, Pernille shares what and how she changed—and how her students changed with her. We learn about the little and not-so-little things she did over the course of a transformational year, so that she could shift the responsibility for learning – the joy and wonder of it – to the kids themselves.

“I believed that I knew exactly what the students needed, if only they would listen. Now I know that a classroom has to be vibrant for students to invest their time and effort. We cannot force children to learn. They have to discover things and be teachers too.” -Pernille Ripp

Whether you are just beginning or well on your way in your teaching career, this book can inspire you to break rules, take risks, and eagerly pursue your journey toward a classroom filled with passionate learners.

At the very least, it will let you know that you are not alone when you think your secret thoughts—that there really are better ways to teach, and that others who believe the same thing want to connect with you to make it happen.

Save with this pre-buy coupon code

Save with this coupon code