being me – Page 28 – Pernille Ripp

advice, being a teacher, being me, Passion, student driven, students

These Three Areas May Be the Root of Student Disengagement

September 7, 2015September 6, 2015 Pernille Ripp

tumblr_nu3wgu161v1qzr04eo1_1280 — image from icanread

Yesterday, I shared my students’ reasons for why they become disengaged, yet sometimes it is hard to figure out the why for longterm change. It is easy for us to blame curriculum or things outside of our control, yet often, disengagement is happening because of a few simple things in our classrooms. Therefore, I offer you up the three areas to evaluate as you try to engage your students.

Evaluate yourself. Are you the reason they are off-task? Did you speak too long or did you not make sense? Do they like you? This is huge. If students do not like you, they are much more likely to be off task and the more we hammer down our authority, the more they will battle us. So if you are not creating real relationships with students, then off task behavior will often turn into disruptive behavior.

Evaluate the content. Does it make sense? Is it engaging? If it is something that you need to “get through” then students will treat it as such. I often tell students that we are working on creating a foundation of knowledge that we can use to try new things, I try to steer clear of saying we have to just “get through” anything. Also, does the content allow for them to speak to others, to move around, to use the information or are they listening to you deliver the content and then working silently with it? Try to think about how much we ask students to work in silence all day, and then we wonder why students lose their voice? Student choice and voice is a huge part of this.

Evaluate the time and place. My third hour class (after study hall) and my sixth hour class (after lunch) are loud and take a lot more to become engaged. They are wired with energy and need ways to work that off. Their work often looks different that that of other classes because I need to tap into their energy. I may play soft music when they come in, speak in a calm tone, and also have them reflect quietly for a few minutes after their independent reading time, all so they can get back in the zone of what we need to do. My first class and my last class of the day needs energy. They are tired. They have either just woken up or have been sitting most of the day. So I play fast music, get very animated and I create opportunities for them to get up and move around the room focusing more on group learning to get their energy up. Are you adapting your teaching style to the time and place of the day?

While there are many sub areas we should also be evaluating, I have found that most of the time the answers lies within one of these. And if in doubt, ask your students. I know I sound like a broken record but sometimes I spend hours thinking about why something is happening where I should have just asked the people it involved. Yes, some times students will tell us things that are hard to hear, but I would rather hear the truth so that I may change, than pretend that I have it all figured out.

PS: Stay tuned for part 3 of this series, the final part is all about the small changes we can make.

If you like what you read here, consider reading my book Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. The 2nd edition and actual book-book (not just e-book!) comes out September 22nd from Routledge, but rumor has it that it is out on Kindle already!

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

Why Are They Disengaged? My Students Told Me Why

September 6, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I used to think that when students were disengaged it was their own fault, and while sometimes that is still true, I have found in my years of teaching that a lot of the fault lies with me as the teacher. Yet, realizing that I may be the cause of my students disengagement is hard to swallow. It certainly has not done wonders to my self-esteem, and yet, there is something liberating about realizing that while I am a part of the problem, that also means that I can fix it. Or at the very least fix the things I control. Student disengagement is something I can do something about.

But why are students so disengaged? What lies behind the restlessness, the misbehavior, the bored stares? Every year I survey my students throughout the year, and particularly on those days where nothing seems to be working. I ask them simply to explain what is going on and they share their truths with me. So here are their truths on student disengagement.

Students become disengaged, because..

They feel no connection to you. I often notice that students are much more off task in the beginning of the year when we don’t know each other, right after the honeymoon is over. This is when we seem to be in limbo and so I spend a lot of time having a lot of conversations with my students, I share stories from my life, and I speak to them in the hallways. Students will work for you if they like you, so I try to be likable. It may seem simple but it is repeated so often by my students.

They feel no urgency. I have 45 minutes per class so the urgency is always there. It is not the threat of a deadline that makes my students work at a faster pace, it is the promise of the next adventure that lies ahead. My students and I make a deal that if they work hard and stay focused then I do not give them homework. They know that they are given as much time in class as I can give them so they know to use that time well. The students that don’t; they have to do the work outside of school.

They feel there is no purpose. I use to assume that students knew what the greater purpose of something was, but they don’t. So now we spend time deconstructing our standards and we speak about the connections between things. We speak of why we are learning something and how it fits into our lives, not just how it is preparing us for the next year or for college. We speak about how the learning we do right now allows us to become better human beings.

They feel they have no power. When students feel powerless in our rooms, most become disengaged. Particularly those kids who have often had behavior issues in the past. Those are the kids, in particular, that need to feel like they have more control over their day. This is why I proselytize about student choice. Give them choice, even if just in a minor way like telling them they can sit wherever they want. Give them power over their day so that they feel like who they are matters.

When the teacher talks too much. We do. We need to stop. We need to set a timer or whatever will stop us from going on and on. Give them knowledge then let them work with it. Give them a chance to speak as well, after all, they are the ones that should be doing the learning.

When the teacher does not personalize. How often do we know whether a child already knows something? How often do we plan to find out so that we can create new learning experiences for them? If a child has already mastered something, then let them work on something else, something more challenging. But to do that, you have to find out what your students know. Ask them whether through a survey, an informal pre-test, or a conversation. Not everyone comes to us as a blank canvas.

When they do mostly worksheets. I have moved far away from worksheets over the past few years, but that does not mean all worksheets are bad. If a worksheet gives foundational knowledge that will be used for further learning then it can be ok. However, if using a worksheet is part of the routine every day, or is not used for anything more, then there seems to be no deeper learning purpose behind it. Students have told me they feel like when most teachers give them a worksheet it is because we are too lazy to teach them.

When the learning becomes something to just get through. I have done this, said that we just need to get through this to get to fun thing. Yikes. When we say this, students automatically disengage from the task, after all, if teachers see no value in it, why should they? Yes, there are things that we don’t love to teach as much so then make it better. If it is boring or a struggle for us, then think of how it feels for the students. We are in charge of bringing the passion into our rooms. Not just the students.

While there are still days in our classroom where I know that students were not as engaged as I hoped, there are more great days than bad. There are more days where students stay on-task, where they get involved, and where meaningful learning occurs. Every year, I start over with my students and how to best engage them. Every year I learn a new way to keep them on-task. Yet I have learned that the biggest thing for me is to keep the above list in mind at all times. Even if I feel like I have planned the very best lesson. Even if the day before went really well. I do not take my students’ engagement for granted, instead it is something I work for. Do you?

PS: For ideas on how to evaluate why students are becoming disengaged tune in tomorrow.

being me, classroom setup, new year

Why My Classroom Has No Theme

August 28, 2015 Pernille Ripp

My first year of teaching I remember trying to create a theme for my room. What would our classroom look like? What teacher would I be known as? Would I be the ocean teacher? The movie teacher? The zombie teacher (too scary)? I asked my mentor finally for help and what she told me stuck with me throughout the years; don’t worry about a theme, worry about the kids.

And so I did. And I never did get a theme. Every year I thought that this would be the year that I would finally decorate and pull it together, but it just never happened. Instead I filled it with books. I filled it with blank walls. Empty bulletin boards and room to breathe. I thought I was a lost cause, the teacher with no theme, until I spoke about it a few weeks ago. I was wrong, I do have a theme.

My theme is students. My theme is room to invent. My theme is books as they threaten to take over every single surface available. My theme is fun. My theme is flexible. My theme is for any child that walks into our room to make this their room.

So I have no polka dots or pastel colors. I have no chevron stripes (even though I love them). I have no meaningful borders or fancy sitting areas. I have furniture we can move and the space to do it. That doesn’t mean I have a problem with those that spend so much time and so much money concocting a theme for their room. It simply means that I am on a different path. One that will never lead to my classroom being featured as something to emulate for its beautiful design. One where I will always choose to spend my money on books rather than decorations.

Yet I do write this post with a few questions in mind to those who do have a theme. Please ponder them if you will. Does your theme allow for students to take over your room? To leave their very own imprint or will their creativity only be shown in designated areas? Do students feel like this is their room or does it say your name on the wall? Does a sign above your door welcome them to your room? Will boys feel welcome in your room? Will girls? Will those who do not agree with your theme still feel welcome? Does your theme inspire all? Does your theme and decorating leave room to grow?

If yes; thank you. Thank you for creating a space that you and all of your students can breathe in, can work in, and can be themselves in. Thank you for creating a space that allows students to flourish and strengthen themselves. For creating a space where they feel welcome and that does not overwhelm their senses. If no, then I have no advice, other than to think about it. Look through the eyes of your students and see how they might feel. See how your room may inspire or stifle them.

I posted pictures of my room earlier this summer and not much has changed. I wait for my students to come in and make our room come alive. Yet, I feel the guilt tugging at me from year’s prior wondering why my room doesn’t look ready. Wondering why my room doesn’t look fancy? Or cute? Or has a theme so that students will know who I am as a teacher. I guess they will just have to find out as we grow together, much like I will.

being a teacher, being me, hopes, new year, Student, teaching

What We Need to Remember

August 26, 2015 Pernille Ripp

The words seem to fall off the pages as I scroll through their answers. The beginning seeds to what will become the kids that we will get to teach. They speak of hope, of dreams, and wishes. They speak of failures in the past, of words beyond their control, and actions they wish they could have protected their child from. Some merely say they hope for a good year, while others ask us to please love their child, that they could really use someone more who cares.

We take these children for granted. We take their dreams for granted. Their hopes. Their wishes. We have them speak but then do not always listen. We hurry so much at times in our urge to get to everything that we forget that we are not here to teach content, but here to teach children.

Yet the parents. The guardians. The ones that sit at home. They tell us to please remember. To please not forget, that that child we spoke of today in our meetings, that the child we mentioned to our families, that the child that kept us up thinking late last night, that child belongs to someone. That at one point that child was so loved that the world seemed to stop for a moment and everything else fell away. Even if life has changed by now.

So as we get ready for another year, please remember that we do not teach products. We do not teach neat little boxes that will follow our every direction. That we do not teach robots who will comply with our every whim. We teach human beings, with all of their laughter, with all of their joy, but also with all of their anger, their confusion, their restlessness, and their dreams of something better. Please don’t forget that.

Because from one parent to another. From one teacher to another. Sending your child to school and hoping that someone else will get them is one of the hardest things to do. It’s one of the biggest leaps we take. We hope with every inch of us that on that first day of school our child will come home with a smile on their face and not just talk about all of the great things they did but about how much they love their teacher. How much they cannot wait to go back.

We hold the power to the future, we cannot forget that. Even on our toughest day that child is someone else’s. That child has dreams. And that child needs us to love them. Even when they don’t love themselves.

being a teacher, being me, choices, new year

6 Simple Things We Can Do to Make This A Better Year

August 24, 2015August 24, 2015 Pernille Ripp

8 days. 8 days and I get to do what I love the most outside of being with my own kids. 8 days and I get to finally meet those kids that will become “my” kids as the year progresses. 8 days and school starts again, and yes summer has been incredible, but the school year beckons and I cannot wait.

We get to teach the future of the world.

We get to protect the dreams of our students.

We are awash in positive thought as we start and there are a few things we can do stay that way.

Choose positive. I start every morning by plastering the biggest smile on my face. Every child (or adult) that I see deserves a smile and a greeting. Yes, it is exhausting at times, and yes, sometimes it is a fake smile, but you know what? Fake smiles still spread, and they are free, so if you want to be surrounded by positivity; smile.

Seek out new people. This is my second year in my building so I know a few people, but I also know there are new people joining us, so why not seek them out? We have all been the newbie wondering where we fit in and who we would get to know. Rather than wait for them to come to you, go to them and invite them to sit with you at lunch or meetings. Trust me, it makes a huge difference.

Try one new thing. Notice I didn’t say every day. Try one new thing, perhaps for a day, perhaps for a week, perhaps for a month, but push yourself intentionally. Find something new to try that makes you ever so slightly uncomfortable so that you do not become stagnant in your own professional development. Do something that makes you a little bit nervous so you can remember how it felt when you first started and everything felt like a risk.

Plan for fun. Plan for movement. Plan for speaking. Plan for listening. Plan for writing. All classes should have all of these every day, well almost all classes anyway. We cannot expect students to be enthusiastic about what we teach if we do not offer them chances to move, to speak, to listen, to write, and to have fun. And yes, having fun in school is not just something reserved for special days.

Stay realistic, not pessimistic. Yes, there will be days where everything goes wrong. There will be days where new ideas are introduced that seem to make no sense. There will be days where it feels as if the whole world is against you, we all have those days. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and focus on what went well. Allow yourself to dissect a situation and then move on. We are so quick to let outside factors determine how we feel, why give something like that any power. If you can’t control it, then focus on the things you can.

Do small acts of kindness. There are so many small things we can do that makes someone else’s lives easier and happier. I start the year by buying flowers for our secretaries and bringing donuts to our custodian. Thea’s teacher and busdriver get a small gift. I fill the copy paper (and clear the paper jams), hold doors, bring up mail to my teammates, and anything else that seems like it is no big deal to me, but it may be to others. I offer to cover classes when I can and I support when I have something valuable to give. That doesn’t mean I have less time to do my own things, it simply means that I care about other people. It is not hard to do either, but the payoff is amazing.

These ideas may not seem like much, but the intentionality with which we can go through our day is what makes a difference. Every day we make a choice of whether we want to make others have a great day or not. I know what I choose every single day, what do you choose?

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, books, Passion

It Soon Becomes A Reality

August 24, 2015 Pernille Ripp

Yesterday was the 22nd of August, to us a rather milestone moment, but to the rest of the world probably not so much. You see yesterday marked the 1 month countdown to the publication of the 2nd edition of my first book Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. And while I tend to not use this blog for self promotion, I am so proud of this book and what it might offer for others, that I am breaking my own rule today.

It seems weird to think that a book is a 2nd edition, but there is a very simple reason for it. The book is no longer owned by its original publishing company due to differing visions and Routledge purchased the rights. They saw something in the book that made them want to print it as an actual book, release it on Amazon, and market it to the world. Humbling…

But I didn’t want to just re-package it. I saw this as a chance to re-write it, to add my students voices even more, and to add what I had learned now being a middle school teacher. So it is not the same book any more, it is so much better.

This book is for those who need inspiration to change the way they teach. This book is for those who wonder whether you can really limit homework, limit grades, and get rid of punishment and rewards within our school system. This book is for those that feel they are doing pretty good as teachers but really need a boost, really need to bring the classroom back to the students again. This book is for those who like me were just fine teachers but knew there had to be a better way.

So in 1 month, I will get to hold my own book in my hands. I will get to give it to the world and hope the world responds. My greatest hope is that one person will read it and it will help them, that my words can make someone else’s life better. After all, isn’t that what we hope for in our classrooms every day?

PS: If you would like to preorder the book, please use this link.