Category: being a teacher

being a teacher, being me, GATO

A $10,000 Opportunity

Pernille Schmidt Ripp
As some of you may know, a couple of weeks ago I was told I was one of 10 finalists in the Great American Teach Off.  This contest was created to highlight great elementary educators across the nation and I am frankly astounded to be part of the group.  And yet, here I am super excited, super proud of the work I do and very eager to showcase it.  Not only that but the grand prize in the contest is $10,000 for my classroom.  
The last two weeks I have been very busy creating videos highlighting my students and how we are innovative and making a difference and now I need your help.  The final part of the contest is a nationwide vote-off.  Every week they post a video and the lowest two vote-getters will be eliminated until finally one is left standing.  I do feel like I am on American Idol right now, but thankfully it is not my singing chops being evaluated but rather me as a teacher.
Voting starts on Monday at 1 PM at www.good.is/gato and you can vote once a day for the week.  If I survive the first week then I have to get people to vote the following week and so on.  
So if you have a moment, would you please consider voting for my classroom (on Monday)?  
These students work their hearts out, sharing their journeys with the world, and we try to be innovative within the very rigid public school framework.  I am proud of the accomplishments of my students, their eagerness to try and fail, and their willingness to share it all with the world. 
$10,000 for us would mean more books in our library, perhaps a new gym floor, or even carpet in our classroom so we could snuggle up with good books.  There are many deserving educators out there and I am one of many, so here is our chance to get more money into a public school and that is a wonderful thing.
being a teacher, education reform

We Have It All Backwards

Pernille Schmidt Ripp
When the solution to budget problems becomes to bring in new unexperienced teachers because they are cheaper – we have it all backwards.

When decisions that affect our children on a day to day basis are made only at the government level – we have it all backwards.

When teachers performance are closely tied in with test scores created by test companies that making millions of dollars in profit off of their tests and programs – we have it all backwards.

When administrators try to build trust and collaboration but then take away the time to do it so that we can teach more – we have it all backwards.

When teachers try to restore discipline by setting more rules – we have it all backwards.

When we give our students even more homework to cover all the stuff we didn’t have time to cover in class – we have it all backwards.

When we blame technology for not being the magic pill to raise test scores – we have it all backwards.

When we buy more stuff for our schools rather than raise teacher salaries – we have it all backwards.

It is time to go forward not backward.

being a teacher

I Am the Solution

Pernille Schmidt Ripp
With every footstep I take down our long hallways, every time I walk past a door filled with noisy children learning,  I hear, “I am the solution.”

With every meeting, every set-back, ever promise fulfilled or spoken, I think “I am the solution.”

With every child’s dream shared, with every hope delivered, those visions conjured, and faith fulfilled, I believe “We are the solution.”

I could be the problem, and some times I am, but I would rather be part of the solution than working against it.  So I remind myself to be part of the solution even when I don’t want to be.

being a teacher, PLN

I Need Your Help

Pernille Schmidt Ripp
This week I was astounded by the news that I am one of 10 finalists nationwide in the Great American Teach Off.  While I am humbled, excited, and certainly shocked, I now need to make 5 videos, 90 seconds in length each by Wednesday the 28th of September (!), answering these questions:

-How am I an innovative teacher
-What I’m doing to make a difference
-Best teaching tops for teachers across America
-Endorsement from a parent or peer
-What I would do with $10,000 for my classroom 

While some of these are easier to make, I need your help with one of them.  Some people tell me that I have helped inspire them to change something in their room, whether it is to get rid of your desk, join the Global Read Aloud, get your students blogging or other things.  If you are one of those people, please consider taking a picture of yourself holding a sign where it says what I inspired you to do, your name and where you are from and email it to me (psripp at gmail.com).  I may then use it one of the videos.

So something like this (courtesy of my amazing students):

You don’t have to be super creative, just write it in sharpie and hold it up.  I cannot tell you how much this would mean to me and my kids as the grand prize winner gets $10,000 for their classroom.

Thank you!

being a teacher, community, school staff

I am Nothing Special – Why Are Teachers Afraid to Share their Successes?

Pernille Schmidt Ripp
Even in the staunchest of schools, teachers celebrate their students.  Whether it is through formal rewards, which I am not a fan of, or informal recognition, which is more my style.  We celebrate achievements, goals, and recognize our students for the incredible minds, people, and human beings they are.  Teacher brag about their students in the lounge, and to their families.  We are quick to share the funny things they and highlight the amazing ideas they concoct.  We blog, we film, and we sing their praises to those that will listen because we think they deserve it.

So why is it that within teaching, if a fellow teacher or a teaching team receives recognition we have a harder time celebrating it?  Why is it that we often see other’s achievements as a knockdown to our own abilities?  Why is the competition so fierce among teachers to be the one recognized that we cannot celebrate the successes we all have?

I work in a school with incredibly talented people, who have amazing successes every day.  You walk through our hallways and you will see the excitement in classrooms, you will see innovation wherever you go and teachers striving to do everything possible to reach each and every child.  I have often written about the incredible people I work with.  And I wish we celebrated it.  I wish people were recognized just as much as we recognize our students.

So administrators and fellow teachers; what do you do in your building to celebrate everyone, and not by handing out awards?  How do you recognize the achievements of all of your staff?  Where do you start your celebrations?  It is time we stand together and and decide that one person’s success is a whole school’s success and that we are only as strong as our team.  Educators should not be afraid to share the great things they do, they should be yelling them from the rooftops.

being a teacher, power, students

Know Your Place

Pernille Schmidt Ripp
I once was told to know my place.  And much like our students are asked to conform, fall in line, sit down and be quiet so we can fill these empty vessels with our knowledge, I was so hurt that it took months to recover. Funny now really, because I do know my place.

Sometimes it is that of an expert, most of the time it is of one who soaks up knowledge from the incredible people I learn with.  My place is in a team that is not afraid to speak its mind but does it with kindness and honesty.  My place is among the students because it is created by the students, for the students, and about the students.  My place is where dreamers dream and believers continue to believe.  It is one of positivity, humility, and passion.  Change, vigor, and failure.  My place is ever evolving, sometimes it goes in a straight line and other times it spirals back.  I would not want to change the way my place shapes me.

So when someone tells you to know your place, tell them that you do.  It is wherever we can teach and learn the best.  Wherever our dreams take us and wherever our imaginations go.  I know my place; do you know yours?