being a teacher – Page 115

Don’t Forget It’s About the Kids

August 22, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

The excitement is palpable. The rush is on. Meetings, freshly copied stacks of paper, and endless to-do lists lead to sleepless nights. North America is headed back to school. All around our country superintendents, principals, and keynotes speakers are getting ready to deliver words of wisdom, words to start the school year off right. There is much to cover, much new to unveil, there always is, and yet, I have a plea for you.

Don’t forget to inspire.

Don’t forget to keep it about the kids.

That we are here faced with so many new things, but if we don’t love what we do, and if we don’t love those kids, then new initiatives don’t matter. Then new ideas will not take off right. Then a new vision will never take root.

Don’t forget that we have dreams too. That numbers and data and stacks of information is important but so is the need to dream. We want to be told that we matter, that our ideas matter, and that we are in it together.

You don’t have to speak for long. You don’t have to say anything fancy. But start out with the most important message of them all; we are here for the kids. And then end with it too. Sure, show us the data, share the new things, but the kids? That’s where we need to focus. Not the new, not the clever, not the vision even, but them. They are the reason we are here.

H/T to my administration who did just that.

I am a passionate teacher in Wisconsin, USA, who has taught 4, 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 from Powerful Learning Press. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” can be pre-ordered from Corwin Press now. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, being me, ideas, Literacy, new year, Reading

Small Ideas for Better Readers Workshop

August 21, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

I have been discussing reading and writing almost every day these past few weeks preparing for my new job as a 7th grade English teacher. I haven’t minded one bit either. It seems if I am not discussing it, I am thinking about it, and that tends to lead to a blog post or five to get my own thoughts straight. I started to realize that there are little tweaks that I have been using the past few years to make our conversations deeper and to make it run a bit smoother, couple that with new ideas thanks to my amazing PLN, and I am feeling pretty good about the start of school September 2nd.

So if you want students to actually read…

Give them reading time in class, even in middle and high school. We cannot control what students do outside of our rooms but we can give them the gift of time in our rooms. So even if you only have 10 minutes like me to give in a 45 minute block, give it to students for independent reading. Make it sacred and believe in it by not infringing in it.
Set up reading routines and expectations from day one. The students will be coming up with how to get settled into independent reading right away as they come to class, as well as what that looks like/sounds like/feels like. I am taking the time to build a proper foundation because this is so important for the entire year. Yes, there is curriculum to cover but it will not be covered well if our routines aren’t in place.
Have incredible books. Don’t just rely on your school library, have an actual library in your classroom. No, it is not cheap, but the investment we put into getting great books pays off when it hooks a reader. I also use sites like Donorschoose and Books4Schools to get more books. And yes, this goes even for middle school and high school.
Let students choose their books. We do book clubs later in the year, but overall books are self-selected, with help when needed. Students need to develop their own taste in books and need to develop deep reading habits, they have a hard time doing that if we are constantly telling them what to read. I do not have a leveled library because of this, I don’t want students to feel defined by their level, but rather figure out who they are as readers. I do whole class books as a read aloud to have a shred experience and a shared text to discuss lessons within.
Read yourself. A very simple idea that pays off tenfold. If you read and can hand books to students, you set an expectation for continual reading. It also creates a better reading community because you can really discuss books with your students.
Do a challenge of some sort. I have done my own version of the 40 book challenge with a lot of success; every student read more books than the year before because they were trying to get to 40 books. This year it will be a 25 book challenge instead, due to the limited independent reading time I can offer students. There is no prize, nor any competition, but rather an awareness of trying to beat one’s own number of books read. And no, it is not a public challenge.

So if you want them to develop deeper ideas…

Use post-its to mark text and jot down ideas. Teach students to look for things they want to discuss, not just connections, questions, or unfamiliar words. Those tend to not to lead to deeper discussion, but rather dead end ones.
Discuss what creates a highway conversation vs a dead-end one. This is a simple analogy that works well; think of your reading thoughts as a highway. You are trying to create one where there are many places to go, not on that stops abruptly. Having students act this out on pre-written post-its can get the point across really well.
Re-visit post-its. This is a great strategy for those students that cannot get past their initial idea. Have them jot something down and then have them continue reading, at the end of their reading time, have them return to an older post-it and add thoughts to it now.
Give students a warning before reading time is over. I do a 2 minute warning reminding them that they need to take time to think and jot something down for them to discuss with their partner or group. Everyone knows there is no reason to not have anything written down.
Give them cheat sheets. I am all about scaffolding because asking probing reading questions can be hard eve for teachers. So we brainstorm cheat sheets that students keep on small rings, these rings also have their monthly reading goals on them (one quantity goal and the other two skills goals) that they write.
Model partner conversations. Have students guide each other on what they can say or how they can push someone’s thinking. It is often much more powerful coming from peers than a teacher.
Create huge goals for reading. In our classroom, we don’t read to be better readers, we read to be better people that can carry on conversations by being interested and active listeners and speakers. Yup, my 5th graders could discuss more than just a book by the end of the year, I was so incredibly proud of them.

So if you want it to be better because something isn’t working…

Ask the students their opinion. I survey them at the beginning of the year for their reading habits, but I also ask them throughout the year what is working for them and what it isn’t. Sometimes really small things can be the cause of distractions and can be easily fixed but we won’t know that unless we ask.
Videotape yourself. I found out I talk too much and don’t see kids lose interest through video tape. Film yourself teaching and then watch it with an open mind. No one is perfect and there is always room for improvement.
Ask a colleague to watch you teach. This can be one of the hardest things for us to do and yet it can be one of the most powerful. I have an open door policy in my classroom at all times and if people happen to wander in during a reading lesson, I always ask for their opinion. They always have something valuable to teach me but you won’t know it if you don’t invite people in.

being a teacher, being me, classroom expectations, classroom management, classroom setup, new year

Modified Readers/Writers Workshop in the 7th Grade Classroom

August 15, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

All summer my mind has been in high gear trying to wrap itself around what my classroom experience will be like next year. I know I will be teaching an incredible age group of students at an amazing school with a stellar team. I know I will be an English teacher and what our curriculum is. But that still left me with the big question; what will this look like in my room? 5th grade I knew what it looked like. 5th grade I had 90 leisurely minutes to get through reading and then another 75 for writing. What luxury! But 45 minutes every day for both reading and writing what does that even look like?

So I did what I always do; reach out both locally here to my awesome colleague Wendy, but also globally to amazing people who have been answering my questions. So I think I have an idea of what it will look like, a more tangible plan has been forming in my head, so now I do what I always do; share. Because I cannot be the only 7th grade English teacher wondering how to do this!

My crazy ideas include independent reading EVERY DAY. This is not a typical thing I have heard in 7th grade due to the limited time for teaching, but Jillian Heise, who I admire, gave me the perfect idea; to use it as the very first thing when students enter. That way every child has a purpose and routine as they enter the room. I am free to check in with students, gather what needs to be gathered and otherwise just observe/assess/and ask questions.

Up next will be the mini-lesson, I will be alternating days between a reading and writing focus, however, there will be both every day. This is where my skills of not blabbering will be tested. The mini-lesson needs to be short! This is where picture books come in handy, as well as using the same text for both. That way students are familiar with the text on the second day but we can change our lens with which we view it. Also, the Global Read Aloud text “One For the Murphy’s” will be used as our mentor text for the 6 weeks of the project, ensuring that we participate in the read aloud. And yes, I set up my rocking chair and easel in a corner just for this purpose, students can choose to sit on the carpet or in chairs as we listen, discuss, and reflect.

Then on to conferring and independent work time. I will be meeting with small groups and one-on-one with students for the next 15/20 minutes. During this time students will be writing or reading, whatever the focus is for the day. That does mean that some kids will get more independent reading time, and I am thankful for that. I fully believe that if we want kids to be great readers they need to read as much as possible. I am hoping to meet with 2 small groups at least every day. This may be totally unrealistic, but it will keep the pressure on me. I will also spend time popping down next to students as they read for informal check ins, cutting out time wasted of students coming to me.

We will end the 45 minutes with grammar, blogging, random mini-teaching points as well as show-and-tell. Yup how-and-tell. Thank you John T. Spencer for the idea. If we are to live a life of readers and writers, we need to build a community and show off what we hold dear. Show and tell allows us to share a slice of us, plus it can lead to deeper reflection for the audience of the reaction they have to something. This won’t be every day, probably on Friday’s, but it will happen.

This is all tentative and should really be entitled “Pernille’s crazy ideas for modified workshop.” But it is a start, a tangible start, that gives me something to work with and work on from the very first day of school. There will also be days of Mystery Skype, Skyping with authors, longer assignments, speeches, and presentations. But those will come as needed. And with my independent reading class I will get to implement 20% time every Friday! So yeah, I may not know what I am doing yet, but I have an idea, and it is making me so excited to get started!

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, building community, making a difference, new year, principals

Dear Administrators, Please Don’t Forget About the Little Things

August 12, 2014August 13, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

Dear Administrators,

I know you are excited. I see it on Twitter, I hear it on Voxer, and in the conversations I am lucky enough to be a part of. School is starting and another year is about to begin. The big ideas are ready, the new initiatives, the dreams, hopes, wishes that come bundled with the start of a new school year. There is so much potential surrounding you. So much to do. And so little time to waste.

But before you get too far in your dreams, think small first, please. Before you roll out all of the new initiatives, the changes that you know will make everything so much better for everyone, yourself included, make me a promise first; promise to take care of the little things as soon as possible.

Yes, I know it is not fun or exciting to think about those things that you promise teachers that you will do, like approving a form, emailing a parent, looking up that long lost order. But those little things? They make a big difference to us teachers. Those little things that you may not think deserves your limited time right now, those are the ones we need you to also take care of because those things add up to a whole lot of stress for us when left undone. In fact, some of those little things may be stopping us from fulfilling our big dreams, hopes, and wishes.

An amazing school doesn’t just come from dreams. It is built upon a foundation of trust, of accountability, of feeling respected. And all three of those are built on getting the management side of your job done for those who need it. There are certain things that we teachers can only ask you to do, we don’t mean to burden you, we don’t mean to add more tasks to your already busy day, but there are some things we are not allowed to do or we are not capable of doing. There are some things we need you for to make our jobs easier.

So this year, please do dream big. Please do work for change. Get excited about the big things. But don’t forget the little things, those boring to-do tasks that don’t seem pressing. To you they may be able to wait, but to me, it matters so much that you got them done. That I can trust you to get them done. That I know that even the small things deserve attention in the journey we are on.

Thank you,

Pernille

PS: Shannon or Jason, if you read this, you do this. Thank you from the bottom of my very excited heart.

Be the change, being a teacher, new year, student choice, Student-centered, voice

Some Myths About Student Choice and Voice

August 11, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

If you ever listen to me speak, whether in a podcast, at a conference, or just over tea here in Wisconsin, chances are at some point I will mention student voice. And then, if we continue discussing teaching, student choice will also pop up. I can’t help it. It is what I fervently believe in. It is what I live for in the classroom. Yet, sometimes when I bring it up, I get strange looks, like “Is she insane?” type of looks. Or just confused expressions, nonchalant shrugs, or even indifference. Sometimes though I get excitement, then confusion, then questions. Those are my favorite types of moment.

So what are some of the most common myths about student voice and choice?

That it is hard. Giving students a voice is not hard. Asking them for their opinion is not hard. Implementing it is. Listening to it without judgment is. But asking the first question, not hard, not even brave. Acting on what they tell you, now that takes courage.

That is a mess. Sure, students working on different things can be messy, but it is far from a mess. A mess would indicate no direction, no instructions, no real purpose. Messy can indicate a variety of things; creativity in progress, exploration at hand, failure and triumph all at the same time.

That it is utopian. Offering students a choice in what they are doing, even if it is a small one, is not an unrealistic expectations for students to have. After all, as adults (which I believe children will be some day) we are given choices all of the time. Sure, certain things are determined by things outside of our control, but so many things can be handed over to students to decide. We just have to look for them.

That it stands in the way of learning. Often choice is seen as a hindrance to cover what we need to cover, yet, in my experience the opposite is true. Giving students choices and a voice in the world will help you cover more curriculum. You can have students unpack the standards with you and come up with ways to cover multiple ones in projects. Plus student engagement inevitably goes up when they are engaged in the learning progress.

That it will breed negativity. Often the assumption is that if you give students a voice all they will do is complain, but that is simply not true. Sure, there will be complaints, but there will also be constructive criticism, braistorming, ideas, questions, and hope. We will not know what we get without asking first.

That it is the answer to everything. I love student choice and voice, but there is more than this to creating a successful learning journey. You can add it, but it won’t fix everything. To do that you have to figure out whether you would want to be a student in your own classroom and then start fixing what you wouldn’t like. Student choice and voice are just parts of the solution.

being a teacher, new year, reflection, Student-centered, students

I Know What Students Want So Why Do I Forget It?

August 9, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

The new year anxiety and excitement is creeping in. The days are ticking down. I am awake more often with dreams of schools and ideas trailing around my mind. Can I do this? haunts me in my thoughts Do I know what I am doing? keeps me awake.

Then I remember. I know what students want. Not my new students, those I have yet to uncover, but year upon year when I have asked my students what they need from school and teachers their answers have been the same.

We need someone who cares.

We need someone who listens.

We need someone that believes in us. Notices when we are not there. We need someone who likes what they are doing.

They need us to be kind. To be honest. To be present.

They need us to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms.

They need a safe place to try.

But it is not just what they need that I remember. It is also what they want.

They want to be respected.

They want to be pushed.

They want us to see that having in fun in school does not mean learning has stopped.

They want to have a voice, to have choice, to know that their opinion matters and so do their ideas.

They want to know that what they are doing is relevant and not just because. They want to know we trust them,

They want to feel loved. To feel important.

They want what so many of us want; a place where they belong.

So why do we forget this every year? Why do we allow the curriculum to push us into a frenzy, forgetting about these most basic things?

Children don’t remember the tests, the homework, not even always that crazy, cool project you did. They don’t remember the posters, the seating, or even the rewards necessarily.

But they do remember how they felt, and that we can control. They do remember if our rooms felt like home, and whether they mattered. Don’t forget that as our year gets busy. We know what to do, just do it.