being a teacher – Page 95

being a teacher, books, Literacy, Reading, student voice

Books Are A Chance To See the World They Do Not Live In

August 3, 2015August 2, 2015 Pernille Ripp

My classroom library is a large mix of reads. Several thousands of books greet my 7th graders when they enter and are free to leave the room in their hands. Over the last year I have tried to expand it as much as I can afford to make sure that it represents the world we live in, that it represents their experiences, that they can find themselves within our library and use that knowledge to boost their own lives. My students need to see themselves in our books.

Yet, after a conversation with a great friend, I realized that it is not so much the need to find themselves within our library that I should be focused on because let’s face it, most of the world surrounding them is filled with images that look just like them, sound just like them, and share many of their same experiences. They are used to turning on the TV and seeing kids that are like them. They are used to picking up books and seeing like them in the pages. To many of my students seeing something other than white is uncommon. For my mostly white, rural population of readers it is important that they find the rest of the world in the pages. That through our library they can experience the world that they do not live in. That their emotions can be stretched to encompass events that they will most likely never have to encounter. That the library provides them with a window to things that they most likely will never have to live through such as racism, extreme poverty, no access to education, civil war, religious intolerance and a myriad of other issues that exists in only small ways in most of their lives.

So when we rally the cry for diverse books, it is not just so that our kids can find themselves within our pages and find books that mirror their experience. It is so they can see the world they do not live in. It is so they can see a world that may not make sense to them and start to make sense of it. It is so they can start to develop empathy, interest, and community with other parts of the world, other societies, other experiences that do not mirror their own.

Most of my students have plenty of books that they can find themselves in. My job is to provide them with ones they can’t.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 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. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, being me

I Didn’t Become A Teacher

August 2, 2015August 1, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I didn’t become a teacher so I could test my students into submission. So I could talk about them as data points and chart their growth on a spreadsheet.

I didn’t become a teacher so that I could make students cry. Or make them smile on command, make them sit still, make them schedule their breaks to my own benefit. Punish them into submission while I wondered why they seemed so disengaged.

I didn’t become a teacher so I could tell children which books they couldn’t read, where they couldn’t sit, and who they couldn’t work with.

I became a teacher so that I could help students make their voice louder. Help students believe more in themselves. Help students grow, learn, and thrive.

I became a teacher to help students find the guts to say, “This is what I need, this is what I want.”

I became a teacher not to kill a child’s love of learning, but to protect it.

And that is the reason why I am still a teacher to this day. I don’t want to forget that.

Be the change, being a teacher, new year

As We Start Another Year

July 30, 2015 Pernille Ripp

There are journeys we start where that path is laid out, the route determined, the destination clear. While hard at times, they follow a set course and we plod along, knowing where we will end up. Knowing where our hearts will be once we finally get there. Then there are those journeys that start when something ends, when something abruptly happens and we have a moment of clarity and we realize that now another direction is needed. Sometimes these journeys start without us knowing and we don’t discover them until we are far on our path. Confused we wonder how we get here, where we are going, and why we didn’t know we were traveling anew. Those are the journeys that can change us the most.

We are travelers in education. Always searching for a path, always searching for a way. Tirelessly plodding along, sometimes pushing our students ahead of us, other times dragging them along. Our journey changes often, seemingly from year to year is a guarantee by now. We notice as the years pass, as summer inches closer and then ends. We notice when a crop of new students show up and then leave us. We notice seasons, months, and sometimes even weeks as we plan for our hopes and dreams.

Yet the daily journeys we take, the journey we begin and end within the span of 8 hours is often viewed as minor or insignificant, not worthy of our daily ponderings, not quite worthy of our dreams. After all, a day is simply a step, not a destination by any means. Yet, it is these journeys, the ones that happen every single day in our rooms that can matter the most to our students. To those children that travel along with us. A single day can change their course for many years to come. A single decision made by a teacher can change their path forever. We forget about that responsibility, probably a wise move in some ways, lest we drive ourselves crazy with the knowledge that even our small movements can cause oceans of change for others. Yet those journeys are the ones we should be watching.

Every day we have a choice to make; do I teach my students or do we learn together? Do we explore or do we wait for knowledge to find us? Do we stay on our path or do we change course? Do we support or do we hinder? Do we encourage or do we fault when missteps happen and our path gets rumpled? Do we always take the lead or can students show us the way? Do we listen to their voices when they tell us to change course or do we stubbornly stick to the path because we know best?

The day-to-day wrapped up in it mundanity offers us the perfect opportunity to make a change. Change doesn’t seem scary when you think of it as trying something for just one day. You can go one day without punishing. You can go one day without homework. You can try for one day to ask students what they want. You can try for one day to stop talking so much. One day does not seem like much, but it can be the seed to bigger change.

We have a choice of whether or not we notice the day-to-day or if we continue to plan as if we have unlimited time to reach every child. We don’t. We don’t know when the students we teach will no longer be ours. We don’t know when a child has moved beyond our grasp. So as we plan for the long, focus in on the short. Yes, keep the destination in mind, but don’t forget about the journey. What you do today has an incredible impact on what you will do tomorrow. Make each step count, make each step worthy of your time, and don’t forget that it is ok to get lost once in a while, as long as you bring your students with you as you try to find your way.

aha moment, being a teacher, first day, new year

3 Non-Ice Breaker Things to Do the First Week of School

July 28, 2015July 28, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I always wonder how students felt about doing the ice breaker activities I had planned for them. How I asked them on the very first day to let loose, lighten up, and live a little. How some of them seemed to light up while some barely went through the motions, no amount of coaching from me helping them. And some just stood there mortified. I figured a little embarrassment didn’t hurt them that much.

Then I was asked to do ice breakers myself. To share something I had never told someone else. To take part in a scavenger hunt where I had to do things I didn’t feel comfortable with. I didn’t feel like I knew people, I was mortified. That night I swore to myself never to do anymore ice breakers, at least not in the traditional sense.

Yet we still have to break the ice. We still have to plant the seeds of community. So while I have discussed what I will be doing on the first day of school already here, here are three more ideas for forming a community with your students.

How We Are Connected Web

I wish I could remember who taught me this one, but I cannot. You take a large piece of paper (bulletin board paper will do nicely) and then every students gets a sharpie. All students and you sit around the piece of paper and then write their name down in front of them. A students will then share something they like or dislike, if you agree with their statement you draw line from your name to their name. You then go around the paper until everyone has shared. In the end you will have a spiderweb image on your paper showing just how many things you have in common with each other.

Find A Picture Book

It is no secret that I am obsessed with picture books, so I love this way to get a hint at their personality. All this requires is a lot of different picture books spread out. Tell the students that they should find a picture book that speaks to them in some way, perhaps the cover reminds them of something, perhaps they remember it from their childhood, perhaps the story connects to them? Once everyone has found a book, have them gather in groups and share why they selected the book they chose. Students get a chance to speak about themselves and it is a great way for them to get excited about the books they will have access to.

The Circle

This is taken straight from our restorative circle program at school, an incredibly powerful program. All members sit in a circle and one person holds the talking piece. A question is asked such as; what is your favorite memory or something else non-threatening, and students take turns sharing and more importantly listening to each other. We use circles all throughout the year and the way they build community is extraordinary. Students learn to be a part of a protected environment where they can share whatever they need to share and know that their words are private within the circle.

Building community and getting to know students should not be something that embarrasses kids or leaves them riddled with anxiety. It should be a positive experience that sows the seeds for the community you will build the rest of the year. So be mindful of all of the students, not just those that you know will love the games. Make sure they all feel accepted or you may be causing more rifts than building connections.

Jenn Gonzales from Cult of Pedagogy just published “Icebreakers That Rock” – check out her post too for more inspiration.

being a teacher, first day, new year, reflection, Student

On the First Day of School

July 26, 2015July 26, 2015 Pernille Ripp

Today I was reminded of the stark reality that is the 45 minutes blocks of time that I teach in every day. As I sat and planned my first quarter, or at the very least wrote down some of the ideas I have, I kept glancing at that first day; the one that seems so magical. I have so many ideas. So many things I would like to do on that very first day. Yet, the 45 minutes really stifles a lot of creativity. The 45 minutes really forces me to see what is most important.

On the first day of school I don’t want to do activities. I don’t want to play games. Nor do I want to fake my enthusiasm.

On the first day of school I don’t want to force student into awkward ice breakers, while they hope the teacher will forget it is their turn next. I will not force them to bare their soul, nor to share their dreams.

On the first day of school, we will not have many things planned. We will not spend precious time listening to me drone on. We will not run around hectically trying to figure it all out.

Instead, on the first day of school we will sit quietly and listen to a book read aloud. We will have the time to speak to one another. We will cautiously start to feel each other out, find our friends, glance at the new people.

We will ask the questions about 7th grade that we have, not because we have to but because we will take the time if needed. Students will set the rules of the classroom, as always, and it will take as much time as it needs.

The first day of school is meant to be a great experience, but that does not mean we cram it full of things to do. That doesn’t mean that we put on our entertainer hat and try to juggle as many balls as we possibly can. Instead, it means that we take the very first step to get to know these students that have been thrust into our lives. That they take the very first step in trusting us and trusting the community. That can only happen in a genuine way if we take things slow. If we allow time to just be, to just sit, to just talk. So as you plan for the very first day of school, plan for the quiet, for the reflection, for the conversation. Don’t spend so much time planning for all of the things. Because this isn’t about how to prove how fun you will be this year, it is about showing the kids that you care.

being a teacher, books, Literacy, new year, Reading

My New Favorite Picture Books Part 1

July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I Yam A Donkey by the incredible CeCe Bell. Why this book? Because it is laugh out loud funny while teaching grammar.

Wall by Tom Clohosy Cole. There seems to be a surge in Berlin Wall books right now (I am currently reading Jennifer A. Nielsen’s A Night Divided which is excellent as well). I love this picture book because it provides us with a way to broach a difficult topic with students. WIth a simple story and beautiful illustrations, I am excited to share this one.

Ben Clanton’s Something Extraordinary is just that – extraordinary. Once again a simple story unfolds leading us to rich conversations about imagination and how it can color our world.

The beautiful story of Last Stop On Market Street by Matt De La Pena is one meant to spur conversation about our lives, our assumptions, and how we view the world. But the illustrations? They tell an even richer story, one that I cannot wait to discuss with my students, many of whom have never ridden a bus or even been in an urban neighborhood.

How to Read A Story by Kate Messner will be one of the first picture books I share this year because it will open us up to a great discussion. I cannot wait to see how my students read their stories.

I am always in favor of a picture book that allows us to discuss how we treat others, aprticualrly when teaching middle schoolers. I love the story in Henry Hyena, Why Won’t You Laugh by Doug Jantzen and think it will resonate with many of my students.

You and Me by Susan Verde and illustrated by the incredible Peter H. Reynolds is a story that students will want to emulate. We will use this as a way to do our sociogram exercise which will offer me insight into who is connected in our class, and who is not. We cannot change loneliness for students if we do not know who identifies as such.

I have written before about Float by Daniel Miyares because it is an incredible wordless picture book about seeing the beauty in the world around us. This is a must add among must adds.

Beastly Babies by Ellen Jackson is a simple picture book and it is not for the words but for the illustrations that I love it so much. I love how wild they are and I think it will show students that you can be an artist in many different ways.

I debated whether or not to add The Newbies by Peter Catalanotta because I find it a bit creepy, and yet it is within the creepiness that the power of it lies. I think my students will immediately gravitate toward this book and what happens when your wishful thinking comes true.

I have more picture books coming, I will share them in part 2 in a few days.