Category: being a teacher

being a teacher, being me, Reading, reflection

My Students Hate Our Read Aloud

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I could tell they were falling asleep.  Drowning in their disinterest, faking it just for me.  So I tried to make the voices like they like, I tried to quicken the pace.  I emphasized the action that happened.  Nothing…  The read aloud had started 2 minutes ago yet it felt like an hour.

I closed the book.  Asked what was the matter.

“It’s so boring, Mrs. Ripp,” whined a student (yes really, whined).

“There’s no action…”chimed another.

“Remember how with “The False Prince” we asked you to keep reading?  That hasn’t happened once here!” exclaimed a third.  Heads nodding all around.

So I did what most teachers normally do when their meticulously chosen read aloud is torn apart, I got defensive.

“What do you mean there is no action?  Didn’t you just read this part?  And also, you have to give it a chance, not everything can happen all at once…”  I could hear my own sales pitch but I couldn’t stop it.  “Trust me, I  picked this book and it is phenomenal, it gets so good.”  I was starting to sound desperate.  I shut the book, sent them off to read, and sat n the rocking chair licking my wounds.  How could they question what I had chosen?  Didn’t they trust in my opinion?

Now, looking back on it I see what I should have done.  I should have listened.  Asked more questions, taken their notion to heart and opened it up for a classroom discussion.  I shouldn’t have gotten defensive, I shouldn’t have shut it down.  I shouldn’t have taken it personally.  It is not me, nor the book that is the problem.  It is the choice of the book right now that isn’t working, that’s all.

So tonight I realize that perhaps we need to just abandon the book.  That it is not a case of me being wrong on my selection; the book is one of my all time favorite books, but that it may just not be the right fit for us right now.  That it may not be the best read aloud.  That doesn’t make it a bad book, far from it.  It just means that kids should discover it on their own, at their own pace, much like I did when I first read it.

Tomorrow when I am with my students again, I will ask them their thoughts.  Should we abandon or should we continue forward?  I will not be offended, I will not become defensive.  I will instead take it as yet another learning moment just like I should have done from the start.  Although we try so hard to find the perfect read alouds for our class, they don’t always work.  And that’s ok.    It is when the students have the courage to speak up against our choice that we must listen the hardest.  After all, as teachers isn’t that we strive for them to gain?  The courage and independence to form an opinion about something?

My students didn’t set out to upset me, nor to disappoint me.  They spoke up so that we could be saved 200 pages more worth of bored read aloud time.  I am not mad, nor upset anymore, but instead renewed by the challenge of finding the perfect read aloud.  The one that will have the students begging for just one more page.  The one that they will clamor to read themselves once I am done.  That’s the one I need to find.  And the best part, I know it is out there.

Post Script:

Today we talked about the book, I shared with them the new book that they could switch to and then we did a secret vote.  In the end, I was surprised.  The majority decided to stay with our current read aloud, however, I struck a deal with the other disappointed kids.  We will revote in 50 pages and see if we want to continue with it then or not.

I then discovered something important as I read aloud.  While I hate to stop a read aloud, I asked them if they knew what a passage meant.  They had no idea.  Between my sub and I, we had not discovered that the students were not catching a lot of the meanings in the text or even some of the context!  I had miscalculated their background knowledge as well as their vocabulary.  No wonder they dislike the book so much, they were missing half of the action.  As I finished our read aloud telling them a little bit about WWI, I could see I was re-hooking them into the book.  While it may not be everybody’s favorite book still, I think it still has a chance…

being a teacher, being me, reflection

I Don’t Know What It Means to Be My Student

Pernille Ripp
image from etsy

I grew up in a small town in Denmark, population 7,509.  There was a handful of minority students at my school, all adopted with little knowledge of their old culture.  I didn’t grow up in diversity, I didn’t grow up in poverty, I didn’t grow up in instability or transitional homes.  I didn’t grow up in anger or uncertainty.  I grew up surrounded by the love of my family and kids that looked just like me.

I teach in a school with a diverse population, yet you would not know it looking at our teacher population.  Mostly white, mostly female.  Much like many elementary schools across the United States.  I am asked to relate to my students, to be sensitive to their needs, their background.  To be aware of how their situation, their family life, their culture affects their entire being.  And yet…

I don’t know what it means to be a minority.  I don’t know what it means to come from poverty.  Or a broken home.  I don’t know what it feels like to be in a classroom where no one looks like you or to be judged because of the way one speaks.  I don’t know what it feels like to be homeless or angry at the world.   I can pretend I do, but I don’t.

But there are things I can understand.

I can understand what it means to be the new kid.  To not speak a language.  To not have 2 parents.  I can understand what it means to feel the like the world is against you and there is no one that cares.  I can understand what it feels like to think that not a single person cares about you in the whole world and that you will always be alone.

I cannot connect to my students using experiences we have not shared  and I will not pretend that I can.  Yet that doesn’t mean I cannot be a great teacher to them.  That doesn’t mean we cannot forge a deep relationship.  I can connect with my kids through listening.  Through caring.  I can connect through the love of a book ,a song,  a class or a laugh.  I can connect with my students by acknowledging that we are different and that I will never know what their lives are truly like but I will try.  I can connect not through their background but what we create together.  I can connect with them based on the now,  while still acknowledging the before.  Together we can try to understand, together we can make a new connection.

I don’t know what it means to be them but that’s ok.  I know what it means to be here, now, in our classroom.  And that’s a start at least….

 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” will be released this April from Powerful Learning Press.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being a teacher, PD

Small Moment PD or How To BE a PD Ninja

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I am busy working on my second book to be published by Corwin in the fall hopefully, tentatively titled “Empowered Teachers – Empowered Students” it is all about how to change the climate of a school and a classroom.  One of the things that I have been writing about is the need for “small moment PD,” particularly as we get busier and busier in our educational lives.  What follows here is an excerpt from the draft, I would love to add your ideas to it or just get your thoughts.

 So where can small moments of professional development happen?

  • 5 minutes after the first bell.  This may be a sacred time for attendance but why not dedicate it instead to article reading time or video viewing time. Send a short blog post or article for teachers to read the first five minutes during the day.  Students are typically settling in, working on morning work, listening to announcements, and getting ready for class to start.  While you read they could still be doing all of that or they could also be reading an article to benefit them.

  • Create school-wide independent reading time.  Once a day or once a week, everyone should drop everything and read.  Often teachers think that independent reading time (if at all implemented) should be used to meet with students, grade papers, get ready etc, but instead give permission to just read something.  You can choose whether it should be something pre-determined or whether teachers can choose their own reading material but give them the time.

  • Buy professional books for book clubs.  Some teachers thrive in informal book club discussions but don’t want to spend their own money buying the books needed.  So why not allocate money for staff to pick their book club books and then highlight that a book club exists.  Often all it takes for teachers to start reading is to give them a nice, new inspiring book.

  • Forward on condensed magazines filled with information.  One of the biggest obstacles to quick professional development is finding the time to find things to share.  Magazines such as “The Best and Next in Education” do the work for you.  All you have to do is subscribe and then pass it on to staff.

  • Preload iPods with podcasts.  I know teachers who drive for more than 45 minutes to get to work, why not have pre-loaded iPods ready for them to check out with great new podcasts to inspire them?  There are so many wonderful podcasts available for free that is destined to inspire.  What’s more many podcasts nowadays are 15 to 10 minutes long, that means even teachers driving short distances can benefit from these.

  • The all school read in.   Why not have a weekly or bi-weekly read-in in the gym where teachers can drop their students off and meet in teams to learn something together?  Often teachers are eager to learn but don’t have the time to meet, so even a 30 minute read-in can provide the time needed with minimal supervision required.

  • The bathroom article.  The one place that all teachers go at some point is the bathroom, so why not post relevant articles in them?  While this may seem silly or disgusting to some, having reading material right in front of you usually means you will read it.

  • Bribe teachers with lunch or coffee.  Where this is food, there can be learning.  Once a month, my incredible PTO provides a teacher appreciation lunch, why not combine this with a great video or discussion group.  While it could not be made mandatory, if the content being delivered is worthwhile, you should see at least some teachers choose to participate.

  • Combine PD with students.  Some of my best best PD has been in discussion with mystudents after watching a video or reading an article.  Now these are 5th graders so the content being delivered has to fit the appropriate age group, but I have always left these student discussions with ideas to implement in our classroom the very next day.

As I said, this is not the ultimate list, but rather a beginning to spark ideas for you.  Every school is different, as is its culture.  Brainstorm with teachers and students where to find the time for extra professional development.  Create the opportunities and then highlight the teachers that take it.  Lead them into new leadership positions where they can share their new-found knowledge, after all, it is not just meant to provide teachers with more knowledge, but for them to become experts in their own right.

 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” will be released this March from Powerful Learning Press.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being a teacher, reflection, Student-centered

Hey Why Don’t You…Some Ideas to Shake Up the Week

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

In one week I return to my amazing classroom full-time.  Done with a messed up maternity leave and eager to be back, yet sad to leave our little baby at home.  Being at home has let me not only snuggle 4 kids any time I want, but it has also allowed me to reflect on small changes I want to incorporate into my own routine when I get back  to my other kids.  Perhaps you will find some ideas to shake things up a bit as well.

  • Be a PD ninja.  So often we think of PD as a whole day affair but PD can also come in the form of a really great 5 minutes.  So why not print out an article and slap it on the bathroom door?  Why not forward a link to the whole staff?  Why not start a PD related discussion at lunch?  I love the little moments of learning that can be found in a day.
  • Ask your students.  I swear this should be on my non-existent business card.  My students have had an incredible sub while I was gone so the first thing I plan on doing is asking them what they loved about her way of teaching.  I love stealing ideas that have worked in my room already, we should always embrace our chance to grow from others.
  • Incorporate a talk break.  My students really struggle with transitions, they even blogged about it.  Yet instead of beating them up about it, I plan on incorporating a mini-talk break before we transition.  Students get a chance to switch their brains and also just get it out.  A few minutes invested in talking will hopefully pay off the whole day,
  • Seek mindfulness.  This article on mindfulness really made me think of how much it is needed in my room.  While I have yet to figure out where it will fit, I am going to make it fit somewhere.  I think we all need a moment to just be content and quiet as we tackle our learning.
  • Encourage unsupported reflection.  I get to do conferences the week I am back and as always they are student-led.  However, this time rather than having students fill out a questionnaire, I created a reflection sheet for them.  I really want to see where they are not just as thinkers, but also how they will express themselves.  How deep will they go in their conference when it isn’t just a fill in the blank sheet?
  • Make more connections.  We got really busy before winter break and then I went into the hospital and everything got a bit chaotic.  Making global connections was not our first priority.  So the first week I am back we have 2 mystery skypes and a literacy share in honor of World Read Aloud Day.  I have also reached out to a 5th grade in Australia to start a collaboration with them.
  • Start a continents project.  Geography seems to be the loser in our curriculum with very little time to figure out where we are in the world.  We will therefore be researching the continents and learning about the world during our resource block, hello Twitter connections!, what we will be doing I have not decided, after all, I need to ask my students.
  • Give back.  I was inspired by this article  on a 6 year old getting books for homeless children in NYC to think about what my own students could accomplish.  We will therefore be starting a service learning project as well, once again proving that even children can change the world.

I can’t wait.

advice, being a teacher, being me, Mentor, new teacher

Lessons From My Mentors

Pernille Ripp
image from incanread

I didn’t know how lucky I was in the beginning.  Surrounded by phenomenal teachers that quickly became my mentors, I assumed every teacher had the same experience as me; people reaching out and guiding me whenever I needed it.  Now 6 years into my teaching journey, I see how wrong I was.  Many teachers have few people to reach out to in the beginning, sure they may have a mentor on paper, but that is where the relationship stays, never fully blossoming into what I still have to this day – a true give and take with some incredible teachers, Kathy and Melanie.

So why are mentors so important?  Some of my biggest lessons have come straight from my mentors.

  • Be prepared to eat a little crow.  Meaning be prepared to eat your words and swallow your pride.  I cannot tell you how many times these words have helped me through difficult situations.  Whether I was in the wrong or not, sometimes the best for a heated situation is to simply apologize and look for a solution rather than continue fighting.  It shows grace and humility and can often forge much stronger relationships than existed before.
  • Stay connected.  While my mentors never dreamed I would be connected globally, they both believe in the power of relationship and that being connected can only benefit you in the long run.  So reach out to those around you and believe in the power of team, we are stronger together.
  • You can learn from anyone.  They have modeled this to me through all the years I have known them.  When I walked in through their doors, they both assumed that I had something to offer, not that I was an empty vessel.  This approach not only boosted my esteem but has set the stage for how I treat my students.
  • You can create a relationship with any student.  While we seem to easily connect with some kids, there are others that take hard work.  Tenacity and genuine interest have taken me a long way in figuring out how to connect with all of my kids, not just the easy ones.
  • Those that fight you the hardest are often the ones that need you the most.  Those students that seem hellbent on making our lives miserable are often the ones that need us the most, whether they even know it or not.  So don’t give up on them, don’t fight back in anger, but keep trying.
  • Keep changing and innovating.  You are never done growing as a teacher, so keep changing the way you teach to fit the students in front of you right now, not those you had the year before.
  • Kids can always do more than we think is possible.  The power of expectations and continually pushing students to do more and better is something that inspires my classroom every single day.
  • Start out positive.  There have been many times that I wanted to condemn a new initiative before it has started, but these words have stayed with me.  Give it a chance and withhold judgment until you know more.
  • Be kind.  Nowhere have I seen better modeling of being kind to anyone.  As teachers we spend a lot of time being kind to our students, but what about the adults we encounter every day?  Do you stop and take an extra moment with those that surround you?  Do you take a genuine interest in the people you see?  There is so much power in being a model of kindness, we can make a difference with our actions every day.

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” will be released this March from Powerful Learning Press.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being a teacher, reflection

What Becomes of the Lonely Teachers?

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

“…Don’t worry about it, I will take care of it.”

So read the text message from my teammate Mark when he found out I was in the hospital trying to stop the birth of Augustine (in vain, I might add).  And with that little message, I could stop worrying about the 27 kids that rely on me Monday through Friday and start worrying about the baby trying to meet us way too early.

Mark didn’t have to write my sub plans, in fact, he didn’t have to do anything for me, he has his own classroom full of kids to work with, his own plans to write, his own family to take care of.  But he did, and he didn’t make a big fuss about it, it was simply what he does, and what we do as a team.

I often wonder about the teachers that shut their door, tired of trying to make connections, tired of trying to make their team work.  Did they ever have a team that took care of them?  Does anyone notice when their door is shut?  I know when I have shut mine, whether by choice or accident, someone has always knocked on it, concerned and just checking it.

Yet,we know there are teachers that come to school, teach, and then leave without many people knowing that they were even there, without many people reaching out to them to make sure they are having a good day.  We are so concerned with our lonely students, but do we share the same concern for our lonely teachers?  Do we reach out and go out of our way to make sure everyone feels included and welcomed?  Do we stop by and invite them to have lunch with us if they are sitting in their rooms?  Of for coffee after school?  Do we tell them that we will take care of them if they need it?

I know I forget to, I know I get too busy trying to catch up with the ones I already have established routines with.  I know I forget to include, to ask, to invite, but I try.  And it is in this trying that I find my own hope, that perhaps if I try and everyone else tries, that perhaps those teachers we let slip through the cracks will be caught by someone and for once they wont be the ones shutting their door, for once they wont be the ones that no one noticed that day.  For once they will belong.  But we have to notice first, so on Monday, please take the time to notice who is by themselves.  Notice who shuts their door, notice who seems alone.  Then stop, say hi, start a conversation, try.  No one should have to be alone in a building filled with happy children.  Everyone should have a Mark in their lives.

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 March from Powerful Learning Press.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.