being a teacher – Page 130

This year I was asked to mentor a new teacher in our building and although I willingly accepted part of me trembled just a little bit with fear. See being a mentor implies that you know what you are doing and since I keep changing what it is I am doing, I don’t know if I fall into that category. However, I also knew that I wouldn’t be a mentor to a brand new impressionable teacher but rather to someone who actually has a year more teaching experience than I do. So it wasn’t a case of me spilling my infinite wisdom of how to thrive in your first year of teaching, but rather to communicate ideas and offer discussion opportunities to help us both. So being a mentor has been a reflective practice, mostly because Mark has given me as much food for thought as I hope I have him. At the same time though I know that I have not fully acted as a mentor because I am afraid to step on toes, not that he would mind, but I just don’t feel right. And I don’t think I am alone.

So what is our problem with mentors or coaches in education? Why do we like the idea of them as long as we are not the ones being mentored? We tell our students to work together, to learn from others, and yet our defensive hairs stand up on our necks the minute someone mentions a coaching or mentoring opportunity involving us. I happen to know that I have a lot to learn and yet the reaction even comes from me; what do you mean you are going to teach me something? I am doing just fine on my own, thank you, take your concern to someone who really needs it.

Perhaps this is our achilles heel as a community; the inability to take advice or have a discussion on how to improve ourselves. Sure we say we want to get better as teachers, but often that means on our own, not with someone coaching us. We, of all professions, should be embracing the very nature of the coach or mentor, or whatever you want to call it. We should celebrate when we actually have the opportunity to learn from others, with others, and yet most of us get defensive instead. Are we just too competitive to take advice? Or have we lost our sense of trust when it comes to others wanting to help us? Do we really think that we are doing our very best teaching every day? I, for one, do not, just look at yesterday’s post, but still why I am not asking people to come in and discuss my teaching? Why am I not the one out soliciting feedback from my local colleagues? Why do I hide behind my classroom walls as much as anyone?

So how do we build the trust? Where do we start as a mentor or as a coach or whatever other title may be bestowed upon us? Can teachers ever learn to trust each other enough to know that we are are here to be be the best teachers we possibly can be? I just don’t know but I hope someone else does.

For a wonderful perspective on lessons learned from being a coach, please read John T. Spencer’s post “10 Things I Learned From Coaching.”

being a teacher, failure, mistakes, students

When We Admit Our Faults Or When Math Blows Up in Your Face

May 14, 2012 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

I admit it; math today was a mess. I had done my preparation, I had created my lesson, I had everything ready and then in the middle of it; breakdown. The kids were getting antsy, my explanation didn’t work, and finally it dawned on me ; I was not making sense. Mortification, terror, and just a little bit of embarresement. You see, I hadn’t taken the time to fully understand the concept being taught. I had prepared, sure, but I hadn’t figured it out on my own. I had just follwoed the prompts of the books and copied the words thinking that I understood when in reality I didn’t. In fact, I wasn’t even close.

So when students started asking questions, there I stood with a choice to make; do I admit my faults or do I pretend that I know what i am talking about. I swallowed my pride and admitted it,”Sorry, but I have to figure this out first before I teach it to you.” The kids went quiet. “I don’t want to teach it to you because I will teach it wrong, so let’s get back to it tomorrow when I have had some time.” Then the kids sighed in relief. “Good Mrs. Ripp, because I was really confused…” and the energy immediately returned to the room.

After school today, I sought out a colleague and I asked them to walk me through it and explain it like they did to the students since the book just wasn’t clicking for me. And as he patiently explained it, I realized once again how our students must feel when something doesn’t make sense. I realized how important it is for us to figure our curriculum out before we teach it to students. I realized how crucial it is for us to admit when we simply don’t know.

Sure my lesson tomorrow just a got a little more crowded, but in the end, it is worth it. I didn’t wing it, I didn’t fake it, I presented it as a true learning moment in which the teacher didn’t know, and then I figured out how I would learn it myself. In the end, when I admitted my fault, I learned more, and that lesson is something worth passing on.

being a teacher, being me, communication, contest

We Are Only Human, Why Do We Forget That?

May 13, 2012 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

Being a blogger, a teacher, a person who exposes themselves to the world through their words and actions, our personalities sometimes get distorted. We get boxed in, labeled, or categorized in some way, all so that others can get a better handle on who we are and what we stand for.

Strangers decide whether they like us or not on small acts, on assumptions that they create, on things we say, write, do and then spread that like or dislike to others, forever judging us based on perhaps one blog post, one idea of what we are, or some distorted image. And sometimes others forget that we are humans too. Parents send angry emails based on an assumption, anonymous commenters attack rather than discuss, and sometimes people you consider to be part of your support network drop you like you were yesterday’s news. And it hurts, and our blogging, or our teaching interferes with the emotions we bring home and into our homes. Our personal relationships suffer because of what happens outside of us, outside of our own realm of control, and we wonder why we put ourselves out there?

This school year, I was a top 10 finalist in a contest for good teachers. While I had nothing to do with my own nomination, I used it as a way to show that having a non-traditional classroom in a public school setting was indeed possible. And yet, no matter how noble my intentions, the contest proved to be detrimental to me as an educator and as a person. I said yes to continue on in the contest because if I won, I could get $10,000 and use it for something at my school; a new gym floor, working computers, more books. And that was something bigger than me. I knew there would be backlash but the magnitude of it still astounded me. People who I thought would understand, perhaps not support, but understand, berated and tore me to shreds. Educators whom I admire in my PLN decided that they would no longer follow me or have conversations with me, teachers whom I admire thought I did it as a way to show off, to elevate myself above the rest. And it hurt. And it confounded. And even though you try not to take it personal, you do, because it is. And even though you try to pick up the pieces, they just never fit back together the same way. The people are gone, the communication is gone, the care is gone.

So I learned my lesson, don’t think you are anything special – perfect for a product of Janteloven – because others will disagree. Others will tear you down. How sad, how utterly contrary to what we stand for as educators, how eye opening. And yet, I continue to congratulate others, to be excited about their success and I remind myself whenever I see someone within my realm of the world; whether global PLN or local community, that is being recognized that I should cheer for them. That I should be happy whenever an educator is recognized for something good rather than some evil they have done.We are all just human, and words hurt more than we know, we should be each others biggest cheerleaders, there are enough people trying to tear us all down.

being a teacher, classroom expectations, summer, teaching

Summer Is Not Here Yet – Tips To Stay Motivated and Energized

May 8, 2012 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

See that kid walking in; the one who smiles every day and then just kind of retracts into their own world. yeah that child, well, it is not too late to make a connection. In fact, now, as the end of the years nears is the perfect time to try again. I know you are busy, I know summer looms large, but still, how about another try?

With less than 5 weeks to go, some are in summer mode, both teachers and students, and others continue to push on. At the end of every day with my students I say, “There goes another day in 5th grade but boy we have a lot to do.” In our room there is a sense of urgency; a need for efficiency, hard work and a little bit of pressure because the learning just does not have time to wait. Students are busy with larger end of the year projects and I work more as consultant than direct instructor. Sure side conversations slip in but overall there is a sense of mission. A sense of using the year to the fullest degree, of finishing with a bang rather than a fizzle.

So what can we do to keep ourselves motivated?

Reach out and speak to someone new. We tend to retract during this time, feeling that our schedules are overpacked and there is so much to do but there is something about reaching out and making a new connection. Whether it is with a student, a colleague, or a parent even, now is the time to continue to build relationships. It provides spark and energy and new ideas, what else could you want in May.
Get heavily invested. I am very invested in these end of the year projects and I am in new territory with all of them. Students are acting as teachers in one with an assessment piece even tied in by them. Another lets us use Adobe Elements which I have never attempted, you get the drift. Instead of resting and trying something safe, I continue to push it and it keeps me revitalized, which directly translates to the energy level of the classroom.
Now is the time for conversation. Although my mind is fully in this year, knowing I have a maternity leave coming up, I want to make sure I set my sub up with the best options, so my students and I speak a lot about what works and what doesn’t. How would they tweak the classroom, how would they alter projects and so forth. I, in turn, listen and take notes, changing as I go.
Trust them more. I see some teachers pull in the reins and really try to control students more as the end of year nears. And yes, energy levels are up across the board and yet, I give mine more leeway. I trust them more to make the right decisions, to represent, and to push themselves. They have grown so much over the year, now is the time to acknowledge that.
Crank the music. And don’t take yourself so seriously. Yes, you may be frazzled with so much to do, we all are, but is it fair to give that to the students? I try to laugh more, smile more, and dance more as the year comes to a close. We al need the body breaks and you an get a lot of classroom cleaning done with a great 80’s song blaring.
Stay with the kids. And with that I mean, in your mind and in your heart. I always have an awful time letting go of “my” kids even though I know they are ready, but it is something I pride myself on. These kids know I am fully focused on them and on their academics. They know that I want to hear their stories and I want to support them. Even though our official year is almost over does not mean our relationship is. So I continue to work on all of my relationships with them to ensure that they know that they belong, that they are accepted, and that room 310 will always be their home, no matter how old they get.

being a teacher, classroom expectations, punishment, rewards

How Do I Punish My Students? Umm, I Try Not To

May 4, 2012 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

Recently a comment on my post “If We Would Just Stop Talking, We Might Learn Something” has made me think quite a bit. Short and simple, it asked, “Do you have your non-punishment strategies written down? Could you please share it?” And I went hmmm, non-punishment strategies sounds much more fancy than what I have. The truth is, I don’t have any strategies; I simply do not punish kids. In fact, even the word punish is such a heavily loaded word that I cringe at the sound of it. It brings to mind canning or publicly embarrassing children, simply not my thing. So instead I handle situations as they arise, mostly with common sense. Let me explain by taking some every day situations in a classroom…

A student keeps blurting out. Sense of humor works for me here most of the time and I tend to look at it through a positive lens; wow, that kid can’t wait to share the answer because they are having so much fun! Strategies used to curb or direct it has been to give them dry-erase boards to write down their answers and then flash them to me or have them tell it to a partner. If the blurting is more like an epidemic I place a blank post-it on their desk and have them make a tally every time they blurt out. This is used for self-awareness not as a way to reward or punish and I have seen it help kids realize the extent of their blurting who were otherwise unaware.
Homework is not handed in. Even in a classroom where I try to stay homework-free, some students do not use their time as effectively as others and may have a page or two to do at the end of the day, mostly math. So the first thing we speak about is time management; what could they be doing differently in class to curtail taking work home? Then we also discuss taking responsibility for not having their work; if a child tells me in the morning that they did not do their homework and have a strategy for getting it done such as bringing it tomorrow or spending some time during recess, then I am fine with that plan. The point to the conversation is; I don’t want to be the one that has to come up with the plan or have to find out that they didn’t do their work. They need to come to me, take responsibility for it and then fix it. Just like we do as adults.
And yet, the homework continues to not get done. This does not happen a lot in my room because we just don’t have the homework. And yet it does happen once in a blue moon. Besides a conversation with the student where we discuss things they have tried to fix it, we often do a quick phone call home to discuss strategy with parents. This is not a punishing phone call but instead a “heads-up” we need to give a little more support here both at school and from home because the work is disappearing. Often I find the root of this to be disorganization rather than laziness, so my number one point is; ask what happened!
Students goof off and generally not paying attention. This is a huge flashing sign to me that what I am doing is not engaging and that the kids need a break. So unless I for some extreme reason cannot stop what I am doing, I do just that; stop and switch gears. Whether it just entails giving them a body break or asking them how they would like to learn about this concept something needs to change. I have also had them do partner share, journaling, or whatever pops into my head to make sure they stay engaged. Sometimes a lesson is continued but in a different format, sometimes we scrap it for the day.
Students are staring into space, reading a book or doing other work. For anyone who has ever been absorbed in a great book, we know how hard it is to stop reading, so I always smile a little when I see a student reading under the table. And yet, students do need to be doing whatever it is we are doing at the moment. Often a quick tap on the shoulder or even just silence and waiting for them to join the rest of us works. It is not a big deal, nor do I make it into one.

Yes, I have had students throw chairs and tables in my room, yes I have had students hit each other, and yes, I have had to send students to the office because they needed a cool down moment. And still, even during those more extreme situations, I always try to keep in mind that there is a cause to this behavior and it is my job to figure it out. So I do not punish my students. I do not take away their privileges to coerce them to behave. I do not threaten, I do not dangle things in front of their nose. Instead I start out the year by inviting them to create the rules of the classroom and then asking them to responsibility for it. We help each other out, we steer each other as we do, and we take the time to talk.

So although I may claim to not have any strategies, the one I might have is to listen with not just my ear,s but also my eyes. Listen to what their behavior tells me, listen to what they tell me, and then listen to my own reflection on how to create better situations. And that’s how I don’t punish my students.

being a teacher, hopes

Please Don’t Become A Teacher…

April 29, 2012July 24, 2013 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

If you believe that those who can’t; teach.

Please don’t become a teacher if you think you just get to play with kids all day, leave when they leave, and just have them work from a textbook.

Don’t become a teacher because you think it will shelter you from the demands of a high paying job, or give you those summers off to pursue your real interests.

Please don’t become a teacher if it seems like an easy job where all you have to do is fill students’ minds and then test them on it afterwards.

But do become a teacher if you believe in all children, not just those with fortunate lives.

Become a teacher if you want to be part of someone’s life, good or bad. If you see the world through challenges and things to explore.

Please do become a teacher if you have unwavering faith, love, and patience. If you are not afraid of change, have convictions, and honestly believe that ALL children can succeed.

Then become a teacher; if your heart is in it, because it must be in it to endure all of the outside demands that we face. Please do become a teacher if you want to grow and have a job that changes you as a person while you help change others. Become a teacher if you have much to give, much to love, and much to believe. But if you don’t, please don’t become a teacher.