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.
happiness

Go On – Be Happy With Me

Pernille Ripp
The new year smells of new opportunities, new promises, hope and change.  And yet I know that no grand sweeping resolutions will stick.  Heck I broke my first one about 30 seconds after midnight when I swore, oops.  So this year I am keeping it simple, along with my mantra to slow down I want to enjoy more, to smile more, to laugh more, so here comes the happiness streak.  (And no, I cannot take credit for that awesome title, it is from Josh Stumpenhorst.)

So every day I promise to notice my happiness moments, I promise to share them (hashtag #happystreak), and to show that the true happiness in life does come from those small fleeting moments.  So for the first day of the year I will have a luxurious breakfast with my family and I will read Thea a book.  Those will be my happiness moments today, what will yours be?  Start your happiness streak today.

So to make it more official, I will do a 365 photo blog of my happiness streak – check it out here.

new year

What is Your Sentence for the New Year?

Pernille Ripp
The other day I thought aloud on Twitter of what my sentence or words for the new year would be.  After some time I realized my sentence would be “Slow down.”  Slow down to me means relax, say no to projects, cherish my time, and enjoy the moment.  Slow down to appreciate.  Slow down to enjoy.  Slow down with the expectations.  2011 was an incredible year for me as an educator but a very tough year for us personally, so this year, as I work on one of the biggest projects yet, I will be slowing down.  And I will cherish it.

What will your mantra for the year be?

projects, Student-centered, video, webinar

Let Them Film – Another SimpleK12 Webinar Presentation

Pernille Ripp
I am thrilled to have been asked back to do another webinar for SimpleK12 entitled “Let Them Film – Promote Student Ownership in Learning with Video Cameras.”  The description is as follows:
How would you like to get rid of the packets and worksheets and offer students an interactive way to learn? Would you like to have students participate in the learning conversation, becoming more aware of their goals and challenges? Then join this webinar and discover ways to integrate video cameras into your curriculum. With this simple tool, students can go on grammar hunts, report their science findings, and teach other students how to do math. We will explore how to integrate the cameras without changing your learning goals, as well as discuss some meaningful activities that you can begin with.


This webinar will take place on January 12th at 12:30 – 1:00 PM ESt and is free!  All you have to do is register so to register just click on this link.  I hope to see you there.
being a teacher, choices, homework

Give ‘Em a Break

Pernille Ripp
I used to be that teacher that thought breaks meant more time to do work.  I used to be that teacher that thought that vacation meant the students would forget everything unless I assigned them work to do. I used to be that teacher that thought school was the most important thing in a child’s life and I therefore had the right to all of their free time, as much as I needed, to make sure that they were always learning.  Then I had a child and as I see the world through her eyes I see the constant learning.  I see the exploration.  I see the boundless curiosity.  And I am ashamed of my past decisions.

Vacations and breaks are not for school, otherwise students would not get them.  They are for living, for being with family, for recharging and letting the world sink in.  They are for going outside, for reading for fun, for exploring whatever one chooses.  School is not the most important thing in life; living is.  So I give my students a break over the break.  Read a book if you want, blog if you want, sleep in, have fun, and relax.  When you get back we have much to do but until then you deserve the rest.

So give your students a break.

Related articles
family, help

Remember the Wish for My Brother

Pernille Ripp
In November, I wrote a post asking for help in giving my brother Paul a very special Christmas.  He was at the time deployed to Afghanistan and expected to come home before Christmas.  Besides being an incredible trauma nurse and studying to be a doctor, he is also the biggest Maple Leafs fan I have ever seen. So in my post I asked if anyone could help me get a shirt for him and lo and behold it all happened due to the power of Twitter.  Watch the video below how it all went down and thank you again if you were part of the journey in getting the word out.

being me, review

The Ones That Meant the Most

Pernille Ripp
We can all see our statistics and see which posts are the ones people read the most.  And yet those numbers don’t always convey those that meant the most to the author.  So I thought why not highlight the ones you may have missed, the ones that speak the loudest of the last year, the ones that meant the most.
  1. Those Things We Carry

    2.   Teachers carry more than the responsibility of teaching students.  

  2. The Story of My Brother The Onion Boy  How there is no such thing as meaningful punishment.
  3. What is Their Sentence?  We often discuss what our own motto would be but I would rather think of what my students’ sentence would be.
  4. What Type of Difference Do You Make?  We all know that teachers make a difference in others’ lives but do you think of what type of difference you make?
  5. He Was Right There – Words to My Father.  How one man choosing me to be his daughter changed my life.
  6. Saying Goodbye.  Letting go and giving thanks to my cat.
  7. Do Teachers Have the Right to Privacy?    The title explains this fascinating discussion.
  8. Teachers Save Lives Too – We Just Don’t Get Paid Like We Do.
  9. An Ode to the Lost   Saying goodbye and letting go to the child that never was.
  10. We Say and Yet.  How our words do not always match our actions.

So there you go, some that meant the most to me this year r came from the most personal place.  I do not know if I will take a break here from blogging, I will blog if the mood strikes me.  So thank you for reading this year and take care.