being a teacher – Page 71

being a student, being a teacher, being me, end of year, Student dreams

We Carry the Words

May 18, 2016 Pernille Ripp

Tonight, as I sit quietly processing a moment where a student shared their fragile truth with me. The moment when a child sat silently watching as I read their words, breath held to see how I would react, and all I could think was how very grateful I was for their trust, their truth, their faith in me as their teacher, as an adult in their life to carry the words they had chosen to share. I thought of this post, now written 5 years ago and yet ever so true in my heart. We may feel like we carry our students’ dreams into the world, we may feel we carry their words with us, but it is not just their words we take with us when they leave us. It is their truth. We protect it, we support it, and we carry it with us long after their final goodbyes and the summer vreeze settles in. I am so grateful for the very job that I get to do every single day.

The shuffled movement, the slight look possibly from the left, a small gesture to be noticed. “Ummm, Mrs. Ripp can I have lunch with you?” Oh shoot, there goes that extra prep, but yes, absolutely yes, let’s have lunch. Over food the words come tumbling like a bottle with it’s cork pulled. Didn’t even have to ask a question, they just spill out and out, away from this student, this trusting student that needs someone to carry the weight of the world with them. It is not new, not shocking, but every day life, every day fears, every day needs of wanting bigger, better, more. And yet here, it means the world.

We carry those words.

Another morning, a moment, a need for a hug and then a drawing shown. “Do you think I can make it, Mrs. Ripp?” “Of course, you can, just dream and work toward it,” is what I say but what I think tells more… Work hard, little child, don’t believe those people who will try to steal your dream. Don’t believe those people that tell you you are not smart, that you will not amount to anything. Don’t listen when they make you angry, or when they make you cry. Dream, dream on, dream strong.

We carry those dreams.

At the end of the day, a mad rush, backpacks on, cubbies emptied, and one last, “Thank you for coming.” I mean it too, thank you for being here, for sharing your day with me. For sticking with me when my voice got tired, or my explanation made no sense. For listening when I should have been quiet, for raising your hand patiently and waiting your turn even though you were really, really excited. Thank you for laughing, for thinking, for creating, and trying. Thank you for believing and caring, for trusting and loving, because that’s what it is; trust and love and hope and hard work, every single day.

And within the words they share. Within the dreams they hold. Within the hushed conversations and quiet moments, I realize that it is not just me that carries something, or even just the other adults. But all fo us as we protect the fragile relationship that exists within our 4 walls. And when they leave us on the last day of the year all we can do is hope that we have given them enough strength to keep on, to still dream, to still trust. And in the end, we were not the only ones that carried, fore they carried us too.

If you like what you read here, consider reading my book Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. Also, if you are wondering where I will be in the coming year or would like to have me speak, please see this page.

being a teacher, being me, end of year

This is the Time

May 12, 2016 Pernille Ripp

This is the time where I don’t feel I am enough. I am not fun enough. I am not smart enough. What we do is not making a difference, nor is it engaging. Where the test scores come in (thanks STAR) and I disagree with the stupid computer that clearly has no idea just how much our students have grown.

This is the time where I look forward, hoping next year will be better, while still trying to squeeze out every last drop of this year. Where I look around and realize that the students are counting down, the books are still missing, and the time for settling down stretches out before us.

I am not alone. How many right now feel like they didn’t do enough? They weren’t enough? That they still have so much to do?

But this is the time where I see a kid buried in a book who asks for just one more page and please don’t make me stop.

Where a child shows me their to-be-read list and tells me that they cannot believe how big it is.

This is the time where a child gazes at the book shelves, pulling out bin after bin until another child hands them a book and tells them they must read it because it quite possibly is the best book ever.

Where a child who has fought all year actually does something the first time it is requested.

This is the time where a child tells me they are ready to share their truths with the classroom, that they want to make sure that others see them for they are and not just who they think they are.

This is the time where I forget just how much they have grown. That they have learned. That they have changed. That they didn’t hate English, nor me. That I cannot be everything for everyone, but that I don’t have to because I am not alone. A team stands behind me. A team that cares about all of the kids. A team that sees all of the kids.

This is the time where I hold my breath as the end barrels toward us and I cannot believe that we made it another year. That I hope that the fragile seeds of reading that have been planted will blossom over the summer and stay strong until September.

This is the time where I know that every day I tried and so did the students. That what we had did matter. That they have changed and so have I.

This is the time to be thankful.

being a teacher

I Used to Be a Fun Teacher

May 4, 2016May 5, 2016 Pernille Ripp

I used to be the fun teacher. The one that had the crazy ideas, the noisy classroom, the one where kids couldn’t wait to see what they would do next. I wasn’t the only one, by any means. Being a 5th grade teacher meant there was a lot of laughing. A lot of crazy moments that kept us coming back and moving forward. A fun teacher, yeah, that used to be me.

Now it seems I am the hard teacher. The one with the crazy expectations, the one that makes you sit and write or read. The one that keeps telling you to try again, to give me more, to explain further, to revise, to edit, to think harder. The one that talks too much, asks for too much. It seems somewhere in my transition from 5th to 7th I forgot what teaching needs to also be about; joy. Not just learning or expectations. Not just growth and gains. But smiles, laughter, crazy moments. It seems so long ago that I used to think I was a good teacher.

So I can blame the system. The 45 minute time constraint certainly creates pressure. The standards. The whole idea of building a literacy foundation so that kids can succeed everywhere else. The pressure of knowing that every moment counts and that when you decide to do something that perhaps doesn’t tie in completely with the learning, you need to make up for it elsewhere. Or I can blame myself. 7th grade has apparently turned me quite serious. Like every minute matters more somehow than it did in 5th. That because they are 2 years older, my mission of reaching them, reaching them is so more urgent. That because I still feel like an outsider at times, that I try to be everything for everyone. And I just can’t keep it up.

So tonight, I don’t have answers or any bright ideas of how to make English Language Arts in 7th grade more joyful. More about the community, the experience, and not just about the learning. Because this age group deserves joy. Deserves the very best teachers they can have. Deserves so much than what I feel like I am. In the past, when I felt like I wasn’t a good teacher, I changed. I wonder how I will change this time? I wonder what lies ahead…

being a teacher

Thank You to All the Teachers Who

May 2, 2016 Pernille Ripp

Dear Educators,

I write this post not as an educator, but as a parent of 4 young children. 4 young children that despite our insistence are all growing up. 4 young children that have hopes and dreams bursting out of them and none of them involve sitting still. 4 young children that will all have teachers that will shape them into the future of our country.

So to all those teachers that have or will have our 4 children; thank you. Because teaching can be a lonely job. Teaching can be exhausting. Teaching can make you cry and lose your faith. Teaching can make you fight so hard for something that may or may not make a difference and yet you keep on fighting because there is a chance that it just might. You keep on fighting even though the kids you call “your kids” are not really yours and may not even remember you when they are adults.

To all those teachers that will take the time it takes to really know our children, thank you. For the time you will spend pondering what will make our child learn better, fit in, be happy, and love school. For the time you will spend planning lessons that will protect their curiosity and their personality. For the time you will spend meeting with others to discuss the needs of my children so that school will work for them. For all of the little things you will do that they may never notice, just because you think it might make their day better.

To all those teachers who fight behind closed doors or out loud as they see the injustice happening in our public school system. To all of those teachers who dare to speak up. To all those teachers who cannot stay quiet when the love of learning may be damaged, when the love of reading may be killed. To all of you; thank you, because without you there would be no promise of a better day. No promise of a better way.

So when you feel worn out. When you feel it doesn’t matter. When you feel like you have the most thankless job in the world; remember this… That kid you helped that day. That student that you stood up for. That colleague you helped give courage to. You made a difference in their day. You made a difference in their life. So thank you for loving your job. For making our oldest daughter believe that teaching is the very best job there is because “You get to have fun every single day, mom.” For making this terrified parent believe even more in the power of all teachers to help all children, even the toughest ones. I see it, we see it, and we are so grateful.

Thank you for making our oldest daughter believe she is a reader, that she is a writer, an artist, a person whose opinion matters. For helping her see her learning preferences not as obstacles but as opportunities. For letting us know how we could best help her and for having a world of patience with her when she got frustrated. Thank you for simply seeing her as a whole person rather than the labels we can so easily attach.

So this teacher appreciation week, I hope others will reach out as well and not just say thanks for the big things, but thanks for all of the small ones too. Being a teacher is not just about the time you stand in the classroom, but the life you live, the choices you make. So thank you for seeing more than what the data shows and the test says. For being more than we could ever hope for.

Best,

Pernille

Be the change, being a student, being a teacher, being me, Personalized Learning, student choice, Student dreams, student driven, Student Engagement, student voice

You Cannot Buy Your Way to Personalized Learning

May 1, 2016 Pernille Ripp

When I decided to change the way I taught, I didn’t have a system. I had a lot of ideas, a lot of thoughts, a lot of failures to push me forward in my quest to be a better teacher. I had kids who hoped that school would be about them again. I had parents that hoped that their kids would like school when their year with me was done. I had dreams of something different, but I didn’t have a clear path, I didn’t have a curriculum to follow. If I would have, I don’t know where I would have ended up.

You see, when you choose to make learning more personal to the students, it is not about buying a curriculum. It is not about buying a solution. Or even reading a book and following the step-by-step directions to make it more personal. It is not about finding the new tool so that you can adapt and make it fit all of your learners. In fact, it may be just the opposite. It is about getting to know your students, getting to know yourself, and then finding as much inspiration you can to become a better teacher for all of your kids. So when I wrote my book, Passionate Learners, it wasn’t so that others could teach like me, but instead so others could start to question their own teaching as well. I didn’t want to give directions, but just ideas, questions, and things to reflect on. Because making learning about the kids again means that we have to be the ones to figure it out. Because they are our kids, in our schools, and no one can tell us better than what they need than them.

Personalized learning is not about a system. It is not about a box. It is not about a computer where students can self-pace as they work through a set curriculum. It is not about a checklist, nor learning in isolation. Personalizing learning is about what is right for the kid that is in front of you at that very moment. About helping them get to a place where they can figure out what they need and what they would like to accomplish. And yes, sometimes that kid doesn’t know what they need and then it becomes our job to help them figure it out. It is not about what you can do for the students to take control of their learning, it is about what they can do. Personalizing learning is indeed what great teaching is all about; knowing the students and helping them find ways to make all learning worth doing again.

So if someone tries to sell you or your school a personalized learning system, a personalized learning curriculum, or even a technology solution so that all students can work at their own pace, I would stop and think about that for a moment. How can they possibly promise you personalized when it is far from personal? How can someone who does not know your students, your school, your needs, deliver something that will fit all of those things?

Education is a business and we should never forget that. As much as we may think that every person who creates something for the education market is in it for the right reasons, we would be fools if we truly believed that. Much like every other educational buzzword, personalized learning will become the new cash cow until a new buzzword overtakes it. Don’t let companies ruin what kids need. Don’t fall for the sales pitches. Personalizing learning for students means the emphasis is on the personal and for the personal to happen, we have to know our kids and we have to listen to our kids. Not a company. Not a sales pitch. But the voices of the very students we teach. And that is free.

being a teacher, being me

Not Every Kid Wants to Learn How to Code

April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 Pernille Ripp

It seems more and more initiatives are coming out proclaiming that all kids need to code. Tech companies like Google are joining forces with other influencers to ask for money so that all students will have the opportunity to learn computer science. Coding is the new black in our schools it seems, the one thing that school districts tout is keeping them innovative and cutting edge, Well isn’t that just nice…

But here’s the thing; not every kid wants to be a computer scientist. Not every kid wants to work with a computer. Not every kid wants to stare at a screen, nor do something with technology. Did we forget that in our eagerness to jump on the coding wagon?

What about the kid that wants to play music? Or the kid who wants to be an artist? How about those who want to be chefs? Or clothing designers? Or even just readers or writers? Where is the outcry for funding for all of those classes that are being cut and slashed across our public school system? Where are all of the companies urging congress to make sure that every child has access to a full-time librarian in their schools? That every child can take an art class? That every child can play an instrument? Will that not make the biggest difference to some of our children?

So while coding may be great for some kids, may be the one thing that keeps them coming to school, that offers them a future they never realized they could have, it will never be that for every kid. It will never fulfill the dreams of every child. I wish that reading, playing music, creating, or anything else that seems to be so often on the chopping block was just as worthy as coding. Perhaps then people would start to notice just how many programs are being cut. Just how many opportunities our children no longer have. So as Rafranz Davis pointed out; yes, all students should have the opportunity to code, but they certainly should also have the opportunity for all of the other classess too.