being a teacher – Page 100

So many of us are trying to create passionate reading environments, we are doing all the things the experts tell us to do, and yet, something just isn’t clicking. Some kids are reading sure, but they would probably be reading any way, others though, not so much. Our passionate reading environments are just not working for all of our kids.

When I moved from 5th to 7th I knew I would be up against a challenge, after all, I had seen the slow decline of reading in my 5th graders and was pretty sure it would continue as they got older. And I was right, by 7th graders some of my students are not just disliking books, some really hate reading. And they are vocal about it! So what have I done to continue to create passionate reading environments? Here are a few ideas…

Invested in books. Every single book that I have in my classroom, pretty much, is a book that I think might capture a reader. When a book gets worn, I replace it. If a book has a bad cover, I try to see if a new version has come out with an updated cover. While I know our libraries should have massive amounts of books for all readers, I also believe in quality over quantity.

Diversity in books. The #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement have really gained momentum the past year, and rightfully so, and I couldn’t agree more. Our students need to be able to find themselves and their lives within the books we have. Not just across racial lines or economic lines but also in the narratives of their self-identity. These three books are doing just that for many of our students.

Easy access to our books. All of my books are in bins and they are right at their fingertips. No check out system, no asking for permission. And we need it in our classrooms, not just in the book room or in the main library. We need to have in-class libraries so that students can bookshop whenever they need to and so that they can be enticed to read.

Giving choice. Choice in seating, choice in books, choice in way of reading.

Free abandonment. Students think they need permission to abandon books for some reason and so I celebrate freely whenever I abandon a book. I ask the kids if someone wants to prove me wrong when I abandon a book and they always do. Sometimes they commiserate with me about how that book is not well-written and other times they argue that I am so wrong. What it does though is that it signals to kids that they should be selective in their reading as well, because that is the sign of a wild reader, to quote Donalyn Miller’s amazing book!

Leaving time to talk books. Too often we over-schedule our lessons and don’t leave time to just talk about what we are reading and why it is amazing. So find holes in your schedule where students can just talk books without any project attached to it.

Teacher recommendations. I start many classes with the 1 minute book recommendation sharing why I loved a book or why I bought a book. Then I place it on a ledge and walk away. I do different recommendation in all of my classes.

Student recommendations. We talk about books quite a bit, both in structured and unstructured ways. We do the 1 minute speed book dating where students face each other in two long rows and one side recommends their book in a minute, one the timer buzzes they go to the next person and recommend it to them. I leave book piles out on tables for students to browse through as they enter. These are not just new books but also some of my favorite older books that students may not have discovered. They have a “Favorite reads” book tree, where they can leave their favorite books for other students to read.

The To-Be-Read List. Students need to always have an idea of what they will be reading next so we have a paper list this year of the books we cannot wait to read. Next year, we will move to use Goodreads as a way to keep track of what we have read, offer suggestions and also have a way for our friends to see what we are reading.

It is judgment free. I am not the reading police and while I continually recommend books to students I will not stop them from reading a book, nor will I judge them based on what they are reading. Sometimes your strongest readers need a break, other times your developing readers need a challenge. Letting them figure out what they need at a particular time is incredibly empowering for students and definitely necessary.

Celebrating the re-read. I re-read picture books all of the time and often find myself gravitating toward certain books. The Poisonwood Bible is a book I have read several times, relishing the vague recollection of what happens but also discovering the text in new way each time. Too often we assume that students are re-reading because they lack inspiration, but that may not be the case. Some kids are re-reading to discover more about the text, that is true close reading.

No need for speed. Because we are reading log free, we have no need to track minutes or pages. Students read as much as they can in our independent reading time and I only ask them to write down the title. We do a 25 book challenge for all students, or higher if need be, and all students keep track of how many books they have read. Larger books count for more than one so that students are not discouraged from reading thick books, but can read whatever they want. And yes, picture books or graphic novels count as well.

Protecting independent reading time. Often our independent reading time is what we sacrifice when we have a lot to cover, and yet, this is the thing we need to protect the most. I start almost every class period with 10 minutes of independent reading and it is sacred time for us (thank you for the idea Jillian Heise!). Some times that is the only reading time students get and they need it. If we worry about whether a kid is reading outside of school pay attention to what they are reading inside this time. This is where I can help kids to find better books or help them develop their skills to pick books.

Creating enticing libraries. Kids love book stores because the books are exciting, even our most reluctant readers will pick a new book of the shelves if we display it well. So I pay very close attention to how books are displayed; I use all ledges, have a gutter hanging on the wall for picture books, and I switch out the books often. I want students to pick up the books and flip through them so I have to create opportunities for that to happen.

Creating reading role models. Students need reading role models, and not just adult ones. I love being passionate reader and it is something I showcase any chance I get in our classroom, but more importantly students need to see students who are reading role models as well. We Skype with other classes to share book recommendations, we share our favorite books on our blog, and we give students time to take on the role of role model. We need to create communities of readers where students have room to discover each other as individuals so they can learn from each other.

Let them order books. If a child says they cannot find a book they love, then I pull out a Scholastic catalog or get on Amazon and I let them choose a book. I use bonus points when I can or I buy the book myself if I need to. Sometimes simply being able to completely choose a brand new book means that a child will at least try to read the books.

Crack your hardest nut. You know that kid that really hates reading and almost flaunts it every chance they get. Spend your energy on them because often they are influencing the way their peers are thinking. So they are the ones I continually pass books to, they are the ones I am always talking books with, and they are the ones that I try to get be a reading role model if I can get them hooked.

Embrace mature books. These are the books that some of our most reluctant readers will finally pick up. The ones with the swear words, or the ones with the little bit more mature story lines. Be selective, set your standards, but don’t shield all readers from mature books. These can be “that” book for some of our kids who otherwise will never read.

Ask your students. Too often we assume that we know why students are not reading, so we never ask, but that is the very first thing we need to do. Ask your students to discuss why they hate reading and get those demons out in the open so that you can start to work with them rather than just assume you know what the problem is.

Stay passionate. There are times when we get so busy that reading was pushed to the side, yet often within our busyness is when we need to embrace our passion even more. So re-ignite your own passion, change things up, go on a mission to find the most magnificent book you have ever read so that you can hand it to students. Don’t let the outside world influence your inside passionate classroom.

Become a reading warrior. No more quiet compliance when initiatives are introduced that we know will hurt students’ love of reading, we have to band together and start speaking up for our students. Their love of reading is too sacred for us to stay silent any longer. Here is the blog post that discusses this more.

What did I miss?

I missed one of the biggest ones! Thank you Rachel Yoder!

Partner with the librarian! Whether your school has one (which every school should!) or you partner with your local librarian, bringing in another knowledgable reading adult is a sure fire way to have an even bigger impact. You are not alone in trying to create passionate reading environments, your librarian should be a trusted ally.

To see how all of my books are organized, go here.

To organize your own library, including check out, go here.

To see my book review blog, go here.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, 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. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, being me, MIEExpert15, Passion, Reading, student choice, student voice

Enough…

June 17, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

My love of reading never had to survive my childhood. My love of reading never had to survive well-meaning teachers, at least not when I was young. When I grew up, teachers weren’t really that bothered with what we read, or how much we read every night, just that we read. That we grew. That we became better. They didn’t ask us to keep logs, to record minutes, to stick post-it notes whenever we had a thought. They didn’t tell us which box to pick from or give us a label. Instead, they gave us a book, pointed to a chair, and they told us to read. Come up for air when you are done.

Some may shudder at the lack of instruction that I was put through as a young child, after all, where was all of the teaching? And yet within this brutally simplistic approach; read, read, read and then please read some more, was an immense amount of wisdom. Kids need time to read. Kids need choice. Kids need to be allowed to self-select books and then when they are done reading they should be asked to get another book. So if we hold these truths to be self-evident, I wonder, how has so much of our reading instruction gotten so far off track?

I think we teachers are part of the problem. I think our silence while we seethe inside at the new initiatives being dictated to us means that we are now complicit in the killing of the love of reading. I think we have sat idly by for too long as others have told us that students will love reading more if we limit them further and guide them more. We have held our tongue while practices have been marched into our classrooms disguised by words like research-based, rigorous, and common-core aligned. We have held our tight smiles as so called experts sold our districts more curriculum, more things to do, more interventions, more repetitions. We have stayed silent because we were afraid of how our words would be met, and I cannot blame any of us. Standing up and speaking out is terrifying, especially if you are speaking out against something within your own district. But we cannot afford to stay silent any more. With the onslaught of more levels, more logs, more things to do with what they read all in the name of deeper understanding, we have to speak up. Reading is about time to read first. Not all of the other things. And if we are sacrificing time to read to instead teach children more strategies,, then we are truly missing the point of what we we should be doing.

So I declare myself a reading warrior, and I believe you should as well. No more reading logs to check whether kids are reading. No more levels used to stop children from self-selecting books they actually want to read. No more timed standardized tests to check for comprehension. Being a fast reader does not mean you comprehend more. No more reading projects that have nothing to do with reading. No more reading packets to produce a grade that stops students from talking about books. No more rewards; prizes, stickers, lunches with the principal. We cannot measure a great reader by how many pages a school has read, so stop publishing it. Don’t publish your test scores. Don’t publish your AR levels. Publish instead how many children have fallen in love with a book. How many recommendations have been made from student to student. Publish how many books have needed to be replaced because of worn pages. Publish that, and be proud of the teachers that dare to speak up to protect the very thing we say we hold sacred.

Be a reading warrior, because for too long we have hoped that the decisions being made are always in the best interest of a child when we know at times they are not. No child is helped when we protest in silence, when we protest in the teacher lounge, or in our homes. We have to find the courage to speak up for the very students we serve. We have to practice being brave. We have to allow students to read books that they choose, to give them time to talk about their books rather than fill out a packet, and to allow them to self-monitor how much reading they are doing and then believing them when they tell us their truth. It is time for us to stand up and speak up. It is time to take back our reading instruction and truly make it about what the kids need and not what others tell us that they need. One voice can be a whisper or a protest, we make the choice when we decide to make a difference. Are you with me?

being a teacher, PLN, student voice

Have You Heard of the Teachers Leading Teachers Conference?

June 14, 2015June 14, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

Being a teacher who presents, which is a very new adventure for me, has been quite interesting to say the least. I didn’t know just how few of us there are that actually are able to go out and talk about the things that we do with our students and still stay in the classroom. In fact, I have been to a few places where there were less than a handful of teachers presenting and yet the entire conference was geared toward teachers. Hmmm… But I get it. It is hard to leave my classroom. It is hard to leave my family. Presenting and sharing the words of my students is an incredible opportunity that I am honored to get, but it is like having two full-time jobs at times. Yet, I can’t help but wish that more teacher’s voices were heard at all of the conferences that surround us.

Well, that is exactly what the founders of the Teachers Leading Teachers Conference, John T. Spencer and A.J. Juliani thought so too. But instead of wondering about it, they decided to do something about it. So what are the details of this awesome totally online conference?

The Teachers Leading Teachers Conference (from July 16th-20th) is bringing the best teacher leaders from around the world together to present and share their failures, wins, and practical strategies for teaching today’s student.

Here Is The Best Part

The entire conference in online (no travel or paying for accommodations)! Each session is available live, and as a digital copy. This format allows you to bring back the learning to your colleagues and school leaders at anytime.

It’s often difficult to explain the experience of an Edcamp or conference when someone wasn’t there, but the TLT Conference gives you access to that learning at any time. Sign-up now and take part in this first of it’s kind, online conference for teachers.

What You’ll Get As An Attendee

Over 20 Live Presentations From Top Teachers Around the World – Mine is all about empowering students, one of my very favorite things to discuss and share about.
Digital Recordings and Access to the ALL Presentations Forever – think of the wealth of knowledge you will have access to!
Certificates for work completed and each session – I love this because my district gives me PD Hour credit for conferences like this.
20+ Hours of How-To Sessions from Teachers Still Working in Schools
Bonus Resources From Our Presenters That You Can Use Right Away
Free eBooks from the Presenters and Conference Leaders
The Best Online Experience with Cisco WebX Platform
Live Q&A Before, During, and After Each Session
Sessions on STEM, Design-Thinking, Project-Based Learning, Student Blogging
Classroom Design, Robotics, 21st Century Literacy, Genius Hour, 20% Time, and Global Projects

Schools, Group Packages, and Early Bird Pricing

We are currently offering Early Bird Pricing from now till June 16th. You’ll save $50 on each conference ticket with the early bird price. And if you use the coupon code “Pernille” you will save an additional 10%!!!!!

We are also offering group packages for schools and districts. If you are a school district leader who is interested in purchasing a school/group package please contact me at ajjuliani[at]gmail[dot]com.

Learn more about this conference at TLTconference.com – and we’d also love for you to send in a proposal to speak (on the website we have a Call for Proposals).

So I hope you consider being a part of the conference or even presenting at it. I did my very first presentation 5 years ago at an online conference and I can tell you; it is an incredible experience to share the work of your students with others!

aha moment, being a teacher, being me, end of year, teachers

To All the Teachers Who Cared This Year

June 9, 2015June 9, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

5 days into kindergarten, my oldest daughter declared that she hated school. With all of the anger she could muster, which was remarkably quite a bit, she stomped her foot, scrunched up her face and told me that school was not for her after all because her teacher hated her and she was done. I chalked it up to her being tired. When on the 6th day, and the 7th, and the 8th, she told me that she still didn’t like school, and on the 9th she told me she had a stomach ache, I knew we had a problem.

It wasn’t that I thought that her school was bad. It was not that her teacher did hate her but in her mind, her reality, this was the truth she lived. And once that idea had set in, she was done. So 3 weeks into the school year of her very first year we open enrolled her in my district and Thea started kindergarten once again. I swear I have held my breath since then. Yesterday, she proudly showed me her kindergarten memory book and my breath caught for a moment when I saw what she had written. Under her most favorite thing she had written “Going to school.” And then I knew that I had to give thanks.

So to the teacher that loved my little girl so much that she cried on the night before the last day; thank you. I know how much you tried, I know much you cared. I know how many hours you worked, and how much time you spent thinking about all of those kids you taught. I know that there were days where I am sure you wanted to pull your hair out, we all have those days, but I also know that Thea told me that you were always happy. That no matter what you were happy to see her and she loved you for it.

You may not know, but that smile you put on your face, those little conversations that you had, the stories you told of your own adventures; those are what she told us about every single day. Those times you got silly, those times you held them to high expectations, she told us about that too. Every day a new story, every day a new memory. And so when she told me that she didn’t want any other teacher ever again, I knew that I would never have enough words to tell you how grateful we are. She hated school. You changed that. She faked stomach aches, threw fits, and cried those big fat tears, but you changed that. That is why great teachers matter. That is why people like you are so important for all of our kids.

So to all you teachers who cared this year. From this parent, who happens to be a fellow teacher, thank you. Thank you for putting in the time. Thank you for caring. Thank you for dedicating all of your emotional energy because you cared so very deeply for all of our kids. Thank you for inventing, for making, for creating. For giving students voices. For not giving up. For hugging. For listening and for seeing all of the kids for who they are. For giving hope, and for giving consequences. For making kids believe that they could achieve, even when the world was against them.

They say it takes a village to raise a kid, but honestly, sometimes it just takes one person. A person who sees your crazy amazing kid exactly for who they are and doesn’t think that something is wrong with them but instead tells them to be proud of who they are. So to Mrs. Huenink; the world needs more teachers like you so that more kids like mine can feel that they matter and that school is actually a place for them. Thank you.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, 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. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” // is available for pre-order now. Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter@PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, being me, inspiration, review

A Must Read Book for Educators

June 8, 2015June 8, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

Several years ago, I read the book Awakened by Angela Watson and her words changed who I was as a teacher (and person). I did not know Angela much at that time, I admired her from afar, but was so profoundly moved by how her book helped me move away from negative thoughts, that I contacted her to express my deep gratitude. A few years later, I am lucky to call Angela a mentor and inspiration. I still keep my Awakened mindset and recommend the book to any teachers I meet. Well, Angela has done it again with her new book Unshakeable – 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day…No Matter What.

Even as a somewhat veteran teacher, I found so many great ideas within the pages of this book. Angela is a no nonsense writer who crams inspiration into every single page. She isn’t just trying to inspire us to change, she is giving us ideas of how to do it, and the best part is that many of the ideas are so ingeniously simple, yet powerful, that I implemented some on the very first day of reading. From redefining my vision to many minor changes I can do to re-energize myself and my classroom, I am so grateful I got to read this book. So while I do not use this blog to recommend many books, I typically do that on another blog, I knew that I had to highlight this book to all of you who follow on here.

So if you know a new teacher who needs some inspiration. If you know a fellow teacher who could use some great new ideas. If you know that this is the summer you need to be inspired and re-energized; read this book. And then recommend it to others. You will be glad you did.

From Amazon:

Don’t wait for teaching to become fun again: plan for it! Unshakeable is a collection of inspiring mindset shifts and practical, teacher-tested ideas for getting more satisfaction from your job. It’s an approach that guides you to find your inner drive and intrinsic motivation which no one can take away. Unshakeable will help you incorporate a love of life into your teaching, and a love of teaching into your life. Learn how to tap into what makes your work inherently rewarding and enjoy teaching every day…no matter what.

being a teacher, being me, classroom management, end of year, life choices

It’s the Very Least We Can Do

June 3, 2015 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

The comment keeps showing up on my end of year surveys, slipped in between suggestions, hard truths, and great advice. It makes me smile every time. It has been a comment I have heard throughout the year from students in blog posts, in small conversations, and even from parents. “Mrs. Ripp smiles a lot…” “You always have a smile on your face…” “You smile every day.” And while it is not true, I don’t think I smile every single day for every minute, this little comment means the world to me because every day I make a choice to smile. Every day, when I pull up to the parking lot, when I open the days, when the crazy noise of the students coming up our stairs reaches my door, I make sure I have a smile ready to greet them because it is the very least I can do.

As educators, we spend so much time planning meticulous lessons. We do professional development to continue to be lifelong learners. We lay awake worrying about kids, about parents, about what we said, what we asked our students to do that day. We spend so much energy on the big picture stuff that we forget about the easiest thing we can do; smile. Show all the kids of your school that you really want to be there. That it matters to you that they are there. That you are happy to see them. That their very existence makes your life better. Even if you don’t totally feel it. Even if you don’t feel like it. If you can’t do it for yourself, then do it for the kids.

Our actions speak louder than our words and you wouldn’t believe how much the sight of a smile in a busy hallway can change the mood of a day. But don’t take my word for it; try it. Make it a habit. Smile as if your life depended on it, who knows, whose life it will change?