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.
being a teacher, being me, reflection

A Daunting Realization

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

Thea comes home today from school and tells me all about the drill she had.  “Mom, we had to lock the door and sit really quiet.”  My heart seems to stop for a second when I realize that type of drill she had to practice for the very first tine.  4 years old and she is being trained in what to do in case of an armed intruder at her school.

To her, it was no big deal, she was excited that the principal checked on them and told them they did a good job.  To me, I can’t help but think that she is on the second floor, there is glass in the door and where would they go in case something were to happen.  Where could they hide?  Who would protect her and bring her back to me.

My aunt is visiting from Denmark so my mom and I mention it to her.  This is the reality we live in over here, where we teach in places that could become scenes of absolute devastation.  Even in Madison, Wisconsin.  She asks me if I think any of my students would ever be capable of something like this.  No, they wouldn’t, but I don’t know who would.  No one ever seems to until it is too late.

I think about my classroom, my 27 kids that I get to be with every day, and what I would do in this situation.  I realize that I would protect them at any cost, or at least I hope I would have the courage to protect them, so that their parents would know they were safe with me.

Sometimes being a teacher is more than just teaching.  It is knowing that we would give up everything for those we teach.  I am humbled by my realization.

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” will be released this fall from PLPress.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

 

 

 

 

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Be the change, being me, reflection

Some Small Confessions From an Almost Veteran Teacher

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

When I first started teaching, I couldn’t wait to be done with my first year.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved my first year, but I couldn’t wait to have the experience under my belt.  To think that a whole year of knowledge and expertise would be part of my toolkit for planning great lessons.  A whole year of just having tried it and knowing that the second year at least I would have something to rely on other than college.  One more year closer to being a veteran.  You see, those veterans seemed like they had it all under control, like every lesson was well-planned and smooth.  Like their classroom management worked like a dream, like there was nothing that could faze them.  Yes, I couldn’t wait to be one of those people.

Now on my 6th year of teaching, I have a few things to confess.  I am by now close to being considered a veteran, I think, I don’t quite know when that happens.  And I am here to tell you, I still don’t know it all.

I am here to confess that there are days I have no idea of how to fix a lesson or reach a child.

There are days when a lesson blows up spectacularly in my face, even though it was well-planned and well-intentioned.

There are moments in which I want to cry because I am so frustrated with something that happened.  There are moments when I cannot wait for the lesson to come to an end because the students and I just need a break from it.

There are moments when I cannot think of the right thing to say or think of the perfect thing to do for a certain child that needs me.

There are days when I carry piles of work home with me, not knowing how I am going to get through it all.  In fact this year that has been almost every single day.

There are lessons where even with my experience I cannot seem to get the kids excited about what we are about to cover or learn.

There are days where my words and actions fail me and something I say or do gets completely misconstrued.

There are moments in which I raise my voice rather than explain something calmly.

There are moments where I know I can do better, know I can do more, know that there is a better way to do this.

And yet, being an almost veteran has helped me in one huge way; I know that these are just moments or days.  I know that they will pass and that the next moment or day will be so much better.  That there is an up whenever there is a down.  That there is a way to get better, even if just means admitting that I was not on my best that very day.

So all you new teachers, or even all you veterans, yes having experience makes teaching so much easier but don’t be fooled.  We all have those days, we all have those moments, even if we don’t show it, even if we don’t write about it.  So remember that the next moment will be better.  The next day will be better.  Even if you are the only one that believes it.

 

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” will be released this fall from PLPress.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

 

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Be the change, being me, reflection

I Think It Is Time to Stop the Hurry

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I stopped being in a hurry when I realized that all I did was yell at my own children because of my own poor planning.  The realization of how I created that stress hit me like a brick.  I stopped being in a hurry yesterday in my classroom, when I realized that there is only so quick 27 students can truly get ready and that every day we rushed out of the room not taking a good moment to say thank you.

There are many things we battle as educators, many things that are beyond our control.  And yes, time is one of those.  We are given a finite amount of time to teach those children all those things that someone decided they should know.  And we feel the pressure to hurry, the get through it all, to cross it off our list so we can hurry through the next thing.

Yesterday i stopped yelling at the end end of the day.  Instead I quietly called them up to mailboxes and then I watched them work together.  I stopped telling them what to do and waited for them to figure it out.  Sure I ended social studies 4 minutes before I normally do, but we still got through it, they still had the time they needed, and at the end of the day we walked out as the first group in our building with smiles on our faces.  Sure we didn’t quite get to our Friday huddle but we got to say goodbye without me yelling.

I think it is time we just made it work.  I think it is time I chose silence rather than orders.  I think it is time I stop being in a hurry.

 

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” will be released this fall from PLPress.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

 

 

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inspiration

Do You Need a Style Pick Me Up? How About a $100 One from Loft?

Pernille Ripp

Many years ago as I went to college full-time I also worked at  Loft.  Perhaps this is where my critical eye of teacher style was honed, but it definitely helped me build my own beginning wardrobe while giving me skills I still use today.  So while I don’t really do promotions on this blog, after all I want to keep it real, when Loft contacted me to do a giveaway I felt it was my time to give back.

First the details, between October 15th and October 20th any teacher who shops at Loft (and shows their teaching ID) will get 25% off full time purchases.  Now for the cherry on top one lucky reader of this blog will get a $100 giftcard to shop with from Loft.  So how do you get this awesome gift card?  All you have to do is leave a comment detailing either your biggest teacher fashion pet peeve, your biggest fashion blunder, or tell me why you need this gift card.  Now I wish I could give one to everyone that reads this blog, I am sure we could all use it, but I do only have one.  You have until Sunday evening at 8 PM CST to leave your comments.  Have fun shopping!

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Update:  The contest has closed, however the promotion starts tomorrow.  Happy shopping!

Reading, Student-centered

There’s A Sheet for That – Readers Workshop Sheets to Help You

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

Being in a more formal reader’s workshop format this year has meant that I have needed a better method of keeping track of all of the one-on-one and small group conferences I am having constantly.  So as always, I thought why not share what I have created with the world.  Mind you that I tweak these as I use them so if you really love a form you may want to keep a copy of it before I change it.

We do a modified 40 book challenge for the year.  Here is the sheet explaining the rules and also keep track of their books.

How Am I as a Reader.  I started out the year by asking students how they were as readers, these were the base for our first conference.

Reading Parent Survey (borrowed from Colby Sharp).  A few weeks into school i ask the students to fill this out with their parents.

Calendar of one-on-one conferences: This idea is adapted from the The 2 Sisters, I also have a pensive where I keep all of this.  Now I can see at a glance who I have met with. by putting the conference date in the small check boxes.

One-on-one student conference sheet.  I needed somewhere to keep all of my thoughts and this is what has helped me.

Reading Log.  I have been asked for students to keep a reading log so this is our modified, in room use only, reading log that the students fill out every day after they have read independently.

Small Group Conference  Calendar sheet.  I pull a lot of small groups to quick hit on skills with them but I needed a separate way to keep track of when I did it.  This sheet is helping me keep track of them.

Small Group Conference Sheet.  This is a conference sheet specifically for a child in a small group setting, I needed the distinction between one-on-one and small group so I created this.

Monthly Reading Reflection Sheet.  I have students do shorter weekly reflections about their progress and goal but at the end of the month I have them do a longer reflection more centered on reading.  Here is September’s.

I hope this useful to you, I know it is helping me stay sane and on top of all of my diverse readers and their passion.

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” will be released this fall from PLPress.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

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Be the change, reflection, Student-centered

I Have Noticed…

Pernille Ripp

As I sit in the stillness of my house I cannot help but reflect on the students I have and all the little things I have noticed in the past few weeks.  So while I should have been planning my reading lesson, I instead took some time to write each of them a post-it that all started with, “I have noticed…”

On Monday, as they grab their morning work, I hope they will each get a little glimmer of how proud I am of them, how much I do notice how hard they are trying, and how thankful I am to be their teacher.

Sometimes the smallest moments have the biggest impact.

photo (6)PS:  If you wonder how the students reacted to the post-its, this may answer your question:  As I walked into my classroom late this morning after a hospital appointment, this note was stuck to my computer…

photo

 

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” will be released this fall from PLPress.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.