being me – Page 21 – Pernille Ripp

Be the change, being a teacher, being me

29,015 Reasons Why My Ego May Get Too Big

January 30, 2016January 30, 2016 Pernille Ripp

29,015

My Twitter follower number as of this morning at 5 AM.

29,015 people around the world who are not all people I know. Who are not all my mother. I have not paid for those followers. I have not asked people to follow me. I have not used a service nor any strategies to get that many. I have, however, been tweeting for 6 years.

29,015 people read what I tweet. That is a good sized town.

29,015 people care about me and my words. Or so it seems from the number.

29,015 people and I know why it is easy to get a big head. My students tell me I am famous. I laugh and tell them I am “Googleable” and that there is a big difference. And yet, in their eyes I carry power. In some other people’s eyes, my words seem to matter more because look at how many people follow me. Surely they cannot be wrong.

Yet, that number does not tell the whole truth. That number easily inflates an ego, makes you think somehow that your words or ideas are more important than someone who does not have as big of a reach. That you cannot make mistakes. That the world is indeed a stage and all of those others are an audience waiting for your wisdom.

That little number, or likes, or favorites, or shares or whichever tool that can now seemingly measure our influence can really mess with our own sense of self importance. And I see it happen, I see people create a divide of those who have many followers and those who have not. As if a large number of followers somehow makes you a better human being. A better educator. As if your words should carry more power because they have a larger audience. That because you are connected and people respond to you, you are better than the teacher who is not connected, or who is not at your level of reach.

It is so easy to lose sight of what it really means. I see people use their platform to promote themselves rather than keep it about the kids. I see lines of popularity drawn in the sand, conversations not being had because we do not want to bother someone who seems more important. I see hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and completely forgetting why we got on Twitter in the first place; the kids. The chance to make the world better. The chance to become better. As if once you reach a certain follower count, you have somehow figured it all out.

But the truth is, we are not as important as our follower count can make us feel.

We are not better. We are not perfect, nor are we always right. We do not know all of the answers on how to solve education. On how to be the best teachers. We have ideas, yes, we have thoughts, yes, but we also need to remember that our words only matter if they help kids.

29,015 – writing the number makes me cringe. Because it is not about that but others may say it is. That I am important, because all of those followers cannot be wrong. I am humbled by the trust that others put in me and reminded of why I tweet. It is not to get a book deal, a speaking gig, a trending hashtag, or anything else that may be bestowed upon some with large follower counts. I tweet, write, connect because I realized that I could not keep on teaching the way I had and I needed to find others who could hep me. And I found them and I am finding them as I grow.

I wish our counts were private, then perhaps we would all go back to feeling equal. Then perhaps we wouldn’t think that we somehow deserved more attention than others. Perhaps we can pretend and remember that we are all just educators trying to make a difference for the very children we teach. And that is the real reason I connect.

aha moment, Be the change, being a student, being a teacher, being me, student voice

Enough with the Teacher Talk- Ideas for Getting More Student Talk

January 29, 2016 Pernille Ripp

“I wish you would talk less…”

The comment smacks me in the face over and over as I read my 6th hour students’ feedback for the semester.. At first, I think they must be forgetting how little I speak. How much work time I give them. How they clearly must be wrong, because I am the queen of not speaking much.

Yet, that very next day I realize that they are right. As I teach my 6th hour, the one right after lunch, I see how much longer I take to get directions. How much more information I give them. How my brain seems to work a little slower right after lunch and I am talking myself back into the lesson. At the expense of their time. At the expense of their attention span. And their eyes glaze over so I speak more to get them excited It’s a vicious cycle.

And I am not the only one speaking too much. As I do workshops on student engagement, I keep adding m0re and more research on teacher talk versus student talk. The research is startling; according to John Hattie teachers ask between 200 and 300 questions a day, whereas most students ask 2. 2...And those questions are typically clarification questions.

Teachers dominate classroom talk speaking anywhere between 60% to 75% of the time. That means in an average 45 minute English class, the teacher may lead the conversation an average of 27 to 33 minutes, leaving little time for most students to speak. And while I know I do not speak that much in any class, unless we are learning an entirely new concept, I also know that most of us think we speak a lot less than we actually do. And I also know that the more my students seem disengaged, the louder I speak.

So what can be done to limit teacher talk. To create an environment where students have a much bigger chance to discuss and explore? Where every child has a voice and someone to hear it?

Own your talking. Like I said, I thought I was quick to get to the point, apparently not. If we won’t acknowledge that we talk too much we won’t see an impetus for change. And if you are not sure, ask your students.

Set a timer. I generally allow myself 10 minutes to teach a concept leaving 25 minutes for the students to work and me to do one-to-one or small group instruction (25 minutes because we start with 10 minutes of independent reading). I thought I was pretty good at keeping it to 10 minutes but my surveys are telling me otherwise. Time to pull the timer out again.

Have students answer in a group. Too often, we rely on the call out question and answer, which is not the type of talk we should be trying to generate since it only allows one student to speak. I often have students give their answers in their table groups instead and then have them share out. I find that it opens up the classroom for much deeper discussions since many students become invested in the conversation, and it also means that students who may have been confused get a chance to try out some ideas or unscramble their thoughts. Turn and talk also works for this. Circulate instead and pick up on their answers that way.

Avoid the echo. The best advice I received my first year as a teacher was to stop echoing student answers back to them and yet, I still catch myself doing it every now and again. Our job is not to be the voice of the classroom, it is to give students a way to be the voice. So when a child gives an answer do not repeat it, if the class did not hear it then have them ask for it to be repeated.

Change your questions. No more call and response, instead have open-ended questions that will lead to a discussion. I know this, yet I forget at times, I will therefore be writing some big questions down on a post-it to remind me.

Just ask the question. Too often when we ask a question, it becomes a long rambling sentence filled with anecdotes and extra information. Yet this ends up confusing students more and we then have to repeat the question. So get to the point and then add afterwards for those students who need it.

Stop the unnecessary repetitions. How often do we teach to the students who do not get it rather than assume that most will? So rather than over-explain, state the instructions and then head over and check in with those students who may not have understood. Think of how often we explain more than necessary because we are worried that a few students may not get it while the others have? Stop explaining so much and teach instead to those that do need it.

Stop interrupting. How many read alouds have we interrupted to ask just one more question? How many times have students been in the zone working and we have borken their concentration to do a quick check-in. I think I do it because that looks like teaching to me; a busy teacher asking lots of questions. Find the right time to interrupt, enjoy your read aloud rather than constantly model what you are thinking. Limit it to the very best things so that students can reach a state of flow more often.

Be mentally ready after a break. The hour that told me I spoke the most is the one right after lunch, where my brain has had a nice break and I feel more relaxed. Yet, I often enter the classroom right when my students enter and then launch into class. Get your brain woken up by revisiting (mentally or on paper) your main points of instructions. Take a few minutes to wake yourself up so that you are back in teaching mode, because when we don’t we end up rambling.

Encourage student talk. By emphasizing the importance of students speaking up, asking questions, discussing and dissecting, we can create communities where all students are heard, where all voices are part of the learning. My amazing principal, Shannon Anderson, gave me the idea of giving each child two markers that they use when they want to speak. All students need to have used a marker in the group before they can use their second one. While I have not tried this yet, I want to try it for book club discussions to make sure all students feel they can speak and that not one voice dominates the conversations.

As little as we think we speak, I think it is vital to take the pulse of our classrooms every now and again. We would all like to think that our words are dripping wisdom, but how often do we ramble on when students are ready to work? So check yourself and your talk, ask your students, and then change your ways. I never want to be main voice of the classroom, none of us do, but it takes changing our deep-seated ways to truly change it. We can create classrooms filled with passionate learners but to do it, students have to have a voice.

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

A Simple Choice Really

January 27, 2016 Pernille Ripp

For the past three nights, our 3 year old twins have been sick. Between runny noses, fevers, coughs and the inevitable lost teddy bears, my nights have been punctuated by short bursts of sleep and morning has been oh so heavy. It is often when we are physically drained that we find we have no reserves for anything else. That we become robots simply trying to get through our days. No wonder sleep deprivation is a known torture method.

For the past three days, it seems school has also been filled with turmoil. With major decisions and discussions. With emotions and low points. With short tempers and misunderstandings, all minor but when looked upon as a whole, the weight can seem unbearable.

And yet, every day has been a good one. Every day has been filled with more good than bad, more positive than otherwise. And it is not by happenstance or blissful ignorance, but by choice. Pure and simple.

Because we are all busy.

Because we are all faced with hardship.

Because we are all tired or sick or just a little bit emotional.

And we all have a choice to make.

Do we choose to spend our time wallowing in our low points or do we look for the good to carry us through?

I could have raged more.

I could have cried more.

I could have had my feelings more hurt, but in the end, I chose to get over it. To not make the bad the focal point but rather just a small point in my day long journey. To not forget, because we know we wont, but to move past it and find other things to spend my limited energy on.

As educators we have more good days than bad, but we also have a choice to make. Do we continue to look for the good? To care about the things we can change? Or do we focus on all the negative, on all the things out of our hands? Because there are plenty of things we could let tear us apart.

So tonight as I write this through my muddled thoughts; it is as a reminder to myself; the road will always be rocky. The day will always be filled with emotions. But the choice to stay positive and look for solutions rather than problems is one I can make. Is one I can take. And that’s what I intend to keep doing, how about you?

being a teacher, being me, books, Literacy, Reading

How We Created A Community of Readers

January 23, 2016January 23, 2016 Pernille Ripp

We are a community of readers. It snuck up on us as it usually does. Last week, as my students sat with their chosen reading adventures and I tried to figure out who to confer with, I noticed the silence. That beautiful silence that comes from a large group of kids totally immersed in the task they are doing. The concentration only broken by the quiet ding of the timer. And they came back up for air and I wished that I could give them more than the lousy ten minutes we start with every day.

I know the research and what is says about independent reading. That students, no matter the age, need time every single day to sink into a self-chosen book that will hold their attention and propel them toward better reading. That reading more will make them read more. But I also know that giving them time is not enough.

That all students will not just fall in love with reading simply by someone saying “Read.” That we must be intentional when it comes to building our community of readers in such a way that it does not feel contrived, but will grow on its own.

Many of us who love reading know this, but there are so many more that do not as Donalyn Miller so eloquently writes here. So what is it we need beyond the time? Because the time to read is really just the first step, what else is there to creating a community of readers?

There is a passionate teacher. We must love our books. We must love the act of reading. Students look to us for the passion they may lack and we must live it. We must be the reading role model that some students have never had. And not just the English teachers, but as many adults in a building as possible. Celebrate a culture of reading to show students how reading can enrich all of our lives.

There are high quality books. There is no magic number to how many books a library must have to be considered great, but there is a level of quality that needs to be present. Yes, weeding books can be painful but if students cannot see the books they want to read they will not dig through the piles to find them. Display books like they do in the book store, be mindful of the books that call out to students and change it up.

There must be books in many places. Every classroom should have a classroom library. It does not matter how well-stocked the school library is; students need immediate access to great books so that when their mind wanders and they abandon a book they can get another one right away. Partner with your school librarian; together we are stronger and spread the books out. Put rain gutters up with books for students to grab throughout the school, hold a school wide book drive to get more books in the hands of students, set up a Little Free Library. Make books a presence not an afterthought.

The books are accessible. Too often the systems we put in place, such as the way students check out books, stand in the way of reading. Find out what works for you and make sure it is easy for students. I gave up my checkout system several years ago and now function on trust, I have not regretted it.

There must be choice. And not just choice in what they read, but also choice in where they read and how they read. Audio books have made the biggest difference from some of our most adamant non-readers; they finally have a chance of having rich book conversations like their peers. Allowing students to lie on the floor or get comfortable while reading has helped as well. How many of us choose to read behind a desk when we are at home.

There should be picture books. Picture books are one of the biggest gateways to sustained reading progress in our classroom. Every child can read a picture book, even the ones that say they hate reading.

There should be trust. No more reading logs for all kids to prove that they are reading. No more parent signatures that probably are not truthful anyway.

Reading should be its own reward. No more trinkets, toys, or stickers. No more stars, points, or yo-yos. When a child finishes a book, hand them another book or even better; have them find one on their own.

There should be student talk. Students should have the opportunity to discuss the books they love so much, to hand favorites books to others, to explain why they abandoned a book, to discuss why they may not be reading.

There should be room for all readers. Our emphasis for celebration should be on all of our readers, not just the ones that read the most books or pages. We need to reclaim the term “slow reader” and help students realize that being slow also means that you are careful and that is thing to be proud of.

There should be uninterrupted time to read. Not continual interruptions by the teacher to ask questions or teach another lesson, not a continued quest to get as many post-it notes in our pages read. Let students read and then think. Let students read and then jot if they want. If they do not have anything to write, let them have a conversation instead.

There should be goal setting. True reflection where the students can see what they are strong in and how they need to grow. Where they have the time to ponder their own reading habits and figure out what else they need. And it does not have to be on paper or be silent; built in time to discuss with others should be a part of it as well, and that includes conferring with the teacher.

Creating a reading community; one that allows students to fall in love or stay in love with books should be a priority for us all. And it truly starts with us; we can give them the time, but we must give them so much more. What else do we need to do?

PS: To see our favorite books, and there are a lot, go here.

PPS: I get to present at WSRA in a few weeks on creating passionate reading environments as well as a few other conferences. To see where I will be, please go here.

aha moment, balance, Be the change, being a teacher, being me

12 Ways I Got My Life Back in Balance as a Teacher

January 18, 2016 Pernille Ripp

I get asked often how I do it all. How do I teach full-time, have 4 children, a happy marriage, and also write, speak, and all of those other things that I am so lucky to do without losing my mind. And the truth is; I don’t know. There are good days where I feel like I have succeeded in most things and there are days where I feel woefully overworked. There is definitely a chase of balance always going on. Yet, there are some things that have simplified my teaching life that I now take for granted. Things that used to take up a lot of time that I no longer do or have changed to allow me to not work as much as I used to. Because the truth is; being a teacher is a never-ending job. Your to-do list is never done. There will always be one more thing that should get done, one more idea to try. Knowing that, I knew I needed to change a few things, in and out of the classroom in order to save my sanity and have a life.

I stopped grading everything. Or at the very least I stopped grading every single thing that my students created. Kelly Gallagher inspired me to do this specifically with what they wrote but Alfie Kohn inspired me to really think about what grades communicated to my students. The thing is when students expect a grade/score/comment on everything they do, they will never learn to create for the sake of growth (rather than a grade) and they will not become students who can actively reflect on their own learning. When we teach in a way where the teacher has the final word on assessment we cannot create conditions for students to take ownership of their learning. That means that students will continue to look at us to see how they did, rather than realize where on their learning journey they are. (To see more on my moving away from grades journey, go here.)

I stopped decorating the room. I used to spend an inordinate amount of time refreshing the room with great new bulletin board displays, changing out student work, and lining up new visuals for the students. Yet my students never seemed to appreciate it much or even notice it. So by student request we formed a student bulletin board committee who took charge of what they wanted to display. Student work is no longer displayed by me, but instead shared with classrooms around the world for feedback through Google and Skype. Anchor charts are made with the students and then removed when we do not need them. We now relish the bare walls that surround us as we try to create an oasis of calm in the classroom. And the time I spent on setting up the classroom to look cute is now spent on other things.

I shut the door. At school, we have an unspoken rule that if someone’s classroom door is shut, they are busy working. Seldom do we interrupt them during that time. While I adore my colleagues (I work at an amazing school with an amazing team), I also know that once we get started on stories, most of my prep will be gone and that is not fair to my own kids at home. So whenever I have a lot to do, I shut the door and get to work. This way the time we are actually given at school is used better.

I wrote down 3 things. My to-do list is usually about 10/15 items long for various things at school and home, yet when I looked at it, I always gravitated toward the easiest things to check off, leaving the longer tasks for “later.” Now I prioritize 3 things that must get done that day and one of them has to be a “harder” task. Once those 3 things are done for the day I can focus on anything else I can do that day. As for the to do lists, I keep a bullet journal that I absolutely treasure. This method of keeping track of my life has worked well for me and has also been a great way to keep memories fresh. I no longer feel like the to-do list in itself is another to-do.

I stopped multi-tasking. I thought I was the queen of successful multi-tasking until I realized how little I got done. Research has shown that our adult attention span is now 8.25 seconds ( a goldfish has 9 seconds) and I wanted to combat that with setting better work habits. So now when I work I close all of my tabs on the computer, turn off the TV or music, and actually focus on getting to work.

I set a timer. I seem to have two ways of doing work; right away or a very long time from now. And yet, I am under deadlines for writing two new books, I have projects to look at and also lessons to plan. So now when I dread a task or feel like I am in a writing slump, I set a timer for 30 minutes. During that entire 30 minutes I am not allowed to do anything but work, this ties in with the no multi-tasking. The thing is with 30 minutes that anyone can spend 30 minutes on something without losing an entire evening. That is not very long and so it tricks my brain into thinking it is manageable. I often find when the time is up I continue working simply because I am now in a groove.

I cut down my email replies. In these days of instant communication, we all seem to get a lot of email. I can only imagine what administrators must get, and I often felt the need to write lengthy replies back typically with various niceties interjected. Yet that is not efficient, to say the least, so I now go by the two-line reply rule. If a matter needs more than 2 lines to be addressed then I either propose a phone call or a meeting. If it is someone I can speak to at school, I try to find them at some point to discuss, and if it does need a lengthier reply then I wait until I have the time to write it well. I also try to be cognizant of how many emails I send in a day; are they really needed or can a quick phone call or face to face conversation handle it instead?

I stopped planning the whole lesson. Now when I plan, I plan the initial steps and then discuss with my students as we flesh out the plan for the long run. This means that they have input, leading to better buy in, and it also means that it becomes more personalized. Planning with my students means that I do not have to have every single little thing figured out, leaving me more time to focus on the big picture.

I got rid of my book check-out system. Even with the advent of electronic check out systems, it was simply one more thing to manage. Now when students want to borrow a book, they simply borrow it. They do not have to ask, nor do they have to write it down somewhere. The only exception is if they borrow a hard cover book, then they write their name on a post-it and stick it on the dustcover which they then hand to me. I keep track of them until the book is handed back and the dustcover is put back on.

I stopped committing right away. I am very good at saying yes; if you email me a request, chances are that my instant reply would be a yes. A yes means that I can delete the email, a yes means I know what to do. Yet a yes also meant that I now had one more thing to do. Now instead of answering right away, I spend time mulling it over and really think about something before I commit to it. This may seem simple but it has been incredible for me. By not rushing to make a decision, I preserve my energy for the things that matter the most to me. I do not feel guilty when I have to say no because that means I get more time with my own kids. And when I do actually say yes to something, it means I am excited to do it. I use this approach for almost all requests that come to me, big or small.

I stopped trying every new idea. I used to think that to be an innovative teacher I had to try every new big idea that was presented to me. Yet, that just means that you work a lot more on things that may not fit into the vision you have. Now, I pick and choose, I do not feel guilty that I have not gamified our classroom or created a makerspace. We do things in a way that works for us. That doesn’t mean I am apposed to new ideas just that I know to only pick a few and to try them out when I can. The same goes for technology; I would rather pick a few tools to use a year and use them well then try many new ones and not know them.

I removed apps from my phone. I removed email notifications and certain apps like Facebook and Twitter off of my phone last tear and I have not missed them. I did not realize how much time I was spending checking in mindlessly. I felt like I was always on, because I was. Now when I check my email I am cognizant of the time I am using, the same goes for anythig with social media. My own children and those I teach deserve me to be present, and I cannot be if I am constantly drawn to the ding of my phone.

Awhile ago, I wrote a post on how balance is much like a unicorn; wonderful to imagine even though it doesn’t exist. And while I still believe that to be true, I do know that there are better ways to balance being a teacher and everything else. So what have you done to reclaim your life from your constant to-do?

PS: My friend Angela Watson is a master at reclaiming work time, I have much to learn from her.

being a student, being a teacher, being me, questions, student choice, Student dreams, student driven, student voice, Student-centered

A Most Important Question

January 15, 2016 Pernille Ripp

Asking my students to reflect, to give feedback, to set goals and try to peek into their minds has been a mission of mine for the last many years. The questions I ask change, but the purpose does not; to create a better educational experience for them. To create a classroom they actually want to be a part of. To find out how I can change so that I can be a better teacher.

For all of the questions I have asked, and it has been a lot so far, there is one that stands out. One that has given me the most significant answers. One that has led me to question myself and what I focus on in the classroom, day after day, student upon student.

And it is one of the simplest ones indeed.

What do you wish I would notice?

Tucked at the end of the survey, when they are already thinking, when they have already shared.

Some write nothing, some say I am noticing what I need to. But then there are the others, those whose answers always stop me, change me, and sometimes even keep me up at night.

I wish Mrs. Ripp would notice how hard I am trying.

I wish she would notice that I am funny.

I wish she would notice how tired I a.

How I need help.

How I don’t know what to say.

How shy I am.

And I am grateful for their answers, for their faith in me to now begin to notice so that I can be better. So that we can be better. So that school can be about them again, just the way it was meant to be.