Category: being me

aha moment, being a teacher, being me

When Was the Last Time You Stopped Talking?

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I didn’t know how much expertise I needed to stop talking until I switched districts.  Having to start over again, being brand new and friendless, I started listening better, quieting myself, and tuning in.  I started asking for help, recognizing that not only was I in a new district, but also in a new school, in a new grade level, on a new team.  Amazing what changes does to your listening skills.

What I heard was astounding; it is quite remarkable when you stop talking about your own ideas and listening to those of others, what you learn.  I couldn’t believe the varied experience of people, the things they knew, the ideas they had.   Sure, I knew I had been surrounded by greatness before but I hadn’t paid much attention to it, I was usually too busy forging my own path, sharing my own thoughts, touting my own expertise, when I should have been listening.

In fact, now that I think about it, I wonder when I stopped listening to others as much.  When did I become the supposed veteran or expert in the room?  When did I start to feel that I had more to teach than to learn?   I feel like all of those labels that people so graciously bestow upon me due to this blog has sometimes plugged my ears.  But not anymore.  Thank you 7th grade!

So my challenge this year is to stop talking so much.  To start listening more.  To actively learn from others.  Not just those that I adore online, but those I get to call colleagues every day.  Teaching shouldn’t just be about teaching others, it should be about our own learning journeys.  hOw we are listening to the genius that surrounds us.  I know we all have amazing things to share, but for a moment, allow others in so they can share.  So ask yourself; who are you learning from tomorrow?  Who are you listening to?  If it is yourself, then you’re probably doing it wrong, just like I was.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA,  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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day.  First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being me, Passion, student voice

How Dare You Tell Me You’re Bored?

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I remember the first time a student told me that they were bored.  Not with school. Not with life. But with me.  I remember the anger.  I remember the disbelief.  “How dare they tell me I’m boring?  How dare they be bored?  Don’t they know how important this is?  Don’t they know that I am the teacher?  Don’t they know that it is not my job to entertain, but to teach?”

There was no moment of clarity.  There was no moment of thankfulness.  Instead I got upset at the child.  I carried my resentment with me, and it tainted our relationship.  I didn’t grow, I didn’t reflect, I didn’t push my teaching to realize what a gift that was.  Those moments would come much later, two years to be exact when enough students had told me they were bored that I realized that something had to change.  And it wasn’t them, they kept changing, it was me, and I needed to grow some thicker skin.

We tell our students that we want to help them become lifelong learners.  That they should learn how to advocate for themselves.  That they should try to change the world by adding their voice.  And yet, we get angry, defensive, upset when students tell us that the way we are teaching does not work for them.  We don’t want to hear their opinion often.  We don’t want to hear their thought about us.  Sure, they may not always phrase it well.  Sure, they may tell us at a really bad time.  Still, when they tell us, we should listen.  Even if we can’t change at that very moment, we should listen.  Even if we are not sure how to even change, we should listen.

If we truly want empowered students who take control of their own learning journey then we have to grow thicker skin.  Then we have to grow.  Period.  We have to be able tot take the criticism we so effectively dole out.  We have to learn our own lessons of seeing every moment as a chance for growth, as taking every chance we have to be better.

So the next time a student tells you that there has to be a better way.  The next time a student asks you to change.  The next time a students asks why they have to learn this, don’t get mad like I did.  Don’t waste those learning moments.  Reflect instead.  Ask questions,  search for change.  Yes, being told you are boring hurts, take it from someone who was, but I wouldn’t change the past.  I would rather have students who speak their mind in a thoughtful way, than students who are afraid to speak.  Wouldn’t you?

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA,  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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day.  First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

aha moment, assumptions, Be the change, being me, Passion

5 Things I Learned to Say That Changed the Way I Taught

Pernille Ripp

I-no-longer-strive-for

There are many things that we can change as educators.  We can all embark on major journeys toward bettering our lives, the lives of our students, and the effect we have on others.  Often those big journeys start when we hit frustration, mine certainly did.  And yet those big journey of change are not the only journeys we can take.  Every day we make a choice as to how we effect those that surround us.  We make a choice as to how we will teach, how we will react.  There are many changes that will change our lives, these are some of my simplest and most important.

I learned to say, “I’m sorry.”  Apologizing to students, and not just for the big things changed my relationship with them.  Now when I accidentally call out a wrong kid, I apologize rather than make an excuse.  When I screw up, I admit it.  When I inadvertently hurt a child’s feeling, which does happen, I apologize.  I don’t try to explain my way out of it, a quick statement is all it takes, but the power of “I’m sorry” cannot be underestimated.  Those words share the story of how we view our students.  They are human beings that deserve respect.

I learned to say, “Let me check.”  I used to know I was right.  I used to know that whatever a child said about already turned in homework, sent emails, or other obligations was a lie.  Until I realized that I was in the wrong and that even if I think I am right, it is better to check first.  Check the pile of paper.  Check my email.  Check my file.  Whatever it may, they check and I check, no lost pride, no hurt relationship.

I learned to laugh at myself.  When you teach you will make stupid mistakes that make you look like a fool.  You are bound to trip and fall, you are bound to  say things that can be misunderstood, you are bound to do something that you would giggle at if it happened to others.  Laughing at yourself with the students is powerful.  Showing students my inner dork, which I tried to suppress at all cost for so many years, has allowed them to fly their flags.  They know when I am serious, but they also know how much I love to laugh, even at myself.

I learned to say, “Ok.”  Ok to sit there, ok to turn it in that way, ok to explore this, ok to read that book, ok to have that conversation.  OK to try, ok to fail.  I learned to say ok to new adventures and epic attempts.  I learned to say when I realized I couldn’t say yes to anything more, and ok when I could.  I learned to say ok when a lesson failed, I learned to say ok when a child told me they tried.  This simple word, these two letters, have allowed me to let go of so much.  I no longer strive for perfection, but for authenticity.  The latter is so much more interesting.  “Ok” taught me that.

I learned to say, “You matter,” but more importantly I learned to show it.  I learned to look at my students when they speak to me, to stop what I am doing and listen.  I learned to read between the lines, to dig a little deeper.  I learned to say yes to lunch, to stop and talk, I learned to tell stupid jokes to break the ice.  I learned the language of my students, whether spoken or unspoken, and I learned to teach with my whole heart, with all of me.

What have you learned to say that changed you?

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA,  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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day.  First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being me, reflection, students

A Simple Lesson

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

Their words echo across the pages; see me, notice me.  Post upon post the kids’ voices rise off the pages; like us, love us.  Altogether they tell me again and again; what we love about school is not just our friends but the teachers that actually like to teach.  The teachers that have a little fun.  The teachers that seem to care that we showed up that day.

So why do we forget this when we plan?  Why do we forget to take time to notice kids?  For small conversation?  I look at my lesson plans and nowhere does it say; walk around and speak to students, smile at them, laugh with them, find out more about them.  Instead the standards are aligned with all of my goals.  This is what we must cover, this is what we must do.

Those who wrote the Common Core, those who write the standards, seem to have forgotten one small thing; without relationships none of it matters.  Without relationships all our fancy lesson plans will be are words floating through air, no anchor to bind them to the minds of our students.

So this week, I am planning for time.  I am planning for them.  Notice me, like me, laugh with me, show me.  Those are the goals of my lessons.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA,  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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day.  First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being me, ideas, student voice

Unleash the Power of Post-Its

Pernille Ripp

The students would always show up with them; stacks and stack of yellow post-its.  My pile in the cabinet would grow year after year with graduated student names, not quite collecting dust, but definitely not being utilized.  We used them for reading sure, after all, how else would we mark all of our thoughts, but other than that, I had not understood the power of the post-its quite yet.  That changed a few years, when after an aha moment prompted by a student, I finally realized just how much power a small post-it can really hold.

So what can you use them for beside the obvious?

Give your reluctant speakers a voice.  Every year I have a few students that have so much in their heads but seemingly few ways to express it.  Whether it be due to shyness, self-doubt, or any other barrier, these students would rather the teacher think they don’t know an answer than share it with the class.  Behold the mighty post-it!  I speak to my students beforehand, hand them some, and ask them to write down their thoughts, their comments and questions as the discussion progresses.  At the end, they hand them in to me so that I can see their thinking.  Often I use them as a way to affirm their thoughts as well, hoping to build their self-confidence.

Level the playing field.  Some of my students are really quick thinkers that usually get it right the first time, others are more meticulous, sifting through various opportunities, possibilities, and methods before finding an answer.  Rather than make our sharing times a race for who is the fastest thinker, I have students write down their thoughts.  If a child is done, I ask them to add more while we wait for others to think through their answers.  I can walk around and see their thinking without them feeling the pressure to come up with something brilliant on the spot.

Creates visual thinking maps.  This goes hand-in-hand with having them write thoughts down as a class; if students continue to add their thoughts, they can lay them out in front of themselves as their thinking hopefully deepens.  They can also all add more thoughts to something they had previously written and see their thinking grow.  It is quite powerful for a child to see how much they have to offer to the world in terms of their ideas.

As a quick assessment.  I always have small groups created for possible re-teaching but nothing beats my post-it groups.  Once we have done our mini-lesson, I ask students to apply it right then on a post-it and hand it to me.  I can quick flip through them and immediately see who needs to be re-taught or just needs a check-in.

A story starter.  Sometimes I have students brainstorm possible topics for a new writing assignments and then lay them out on a table.  Everyone can then shop for ideas for stories and borrow others by simply taking them.  For students who have no idea what to write about, this can be an easy way to get started.

As surprise book recommendations.  If a student loves a book, I ask them to place a post-it in it with their thoughts or recommendation right in the book.  That way when the next student open it up, they get to see another child’s thought, whether it is from someone they know or someone they don’t.  The power of a student recommendation cannot be replicated.

An affirmation.  I have been doing the “I have noticed…” post-its for two years and I cannot tell you how fun it is to hand to students.  All it is is a post-it starting out “I have noticed…” and then whatever great thing I have seen.  Sure, they take time to write but the students take them to heart.  Every year, I have a few students leave them on my table as well on their own accord, I keep them all.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA,  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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day.  First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being me

Hello October – What I Have Been Doing

Pernille Ripp

Hmm…October has been a lot busier than I expected, I have been involved in a lot of great things and thought I would share it all here.  Peruse at your pleasure. (And no this is not a typical month for me at all!)

I started out the month in San Francisco at the incredible ISF conference.  Seriously if you want to experience an amazing hands-on, workshop based conference, you need to check one of these out.  I hear the Portland one is amazing!  Here I got to discuss global collaboration as well as how to empower your school.  I cannot wait to go back next year hopefully.

I go to speak about the Global Read Aloud and what it means for community and collaboration at this webinar by #OCLMooc.  The link will open the Blackboard archive.

Then I was lucky enough to be a featured as a Bullying Prevention Difference Maker by CPI due to these posts where I share my own experience being bullied.

I had an older article on Mystery Skype re-published by ISTE at their new EdTekHub.

My second Book, Empowered School, Empowered Students was reviewed by Starr Sackstein, which was really kind of her.

I also got to do a really fun podcast with Jason Bodnar from Principally Speaking where we discuss what it means to empower staff and students, the Global Read Aloud, Mystery Skype and creating passionate learning environments.

Augustine slept through the night (hallelujah!) so I started my third book, hopefully to come out in the spring!

Finally, this weekend I get to go to the School Library Journal Leadership Summit to present on the Global Read Aloud.  I am terribly excited and nervous to be a part of this incredible event.

I am a passionate  teacher in Wisconsin, USA,  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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day.  First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.