being me – Page 59 – Pernille Ripp

being a teacher, being me, reflection, students

We Carry It With Us

April 2, 2014April 2, 2014 Pernille Ripp

There are moments in teaching that makes my heart heavy.

Whether it is the disappointment faced by a student rejected. Or the sorrow that weighs down some of my students as they come through my doors. The uncertainty some face. The anxiousness that travels with others. The sadness, the lost joy. They bring this along, into our rooms, and it becomes one more thing we have to address and work around. One more thing to add to our day and to our hearts.

We don’t leave those worries or fears of our students behind when we close our door. They travel with us in the car. They walk in through our front door, trailing us into our homes as we worry whether that child will ever be okay. Worry whether that child will have something to eat or will be back the next day. Worry about what that child may do that night. We push them aside and focus on our own lives but they stay in our hearts as the hours go by.

Sometimes those worries wake us up at night and we remember to hug our own kids a little more, tell them they matter a little louder.

So we return the next day with our hearts still heavy, not sure what to do other than to love those kids as if they were our own. When a new worry shows up we make room for that one as well. We carry it with us because we are stronger than the children we support. We carry it with us so that they are not alone. We carry it with us so that maybe, just maybe, they will find a moment of relief.

I may not be a superhero but when it comes to the children in my life, I have super hero strength. No child should have to carry their worries alone, that’s why I am there. And that’s why I teach.

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, 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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being me, Student-centered

Pre-Buy Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom back to Our Students

March 31, 2014April 3, 2014 Pernille Ripp

The day has finally arrived! My first book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom back to Our Students” is available for pre-buy starting today! This book has been wonderful to write and I am so excited to finally have it ready. I hope you will consider reading it if you like reading my blog. Here is a little more information about it:

From Powerful Learning Press – my incredible publisher

Breaking the rules is scary within the public school system, no matter how few or many years you have taught. We are indoctrinated about how a traditional classroom should look, starting with our own school days and then on through college classes and early professional careers. When we bring new ideas, or even just trust our instincts, we often think that what we want to try will never really work.

Pressure from schools and districts to conform — from the government and the tests — and sometimes even from colleagues who want us all to just stay the same — none of that helps as we think about changing our practice. Sometimes we give up before we even make the attempt, because we are pretty sure the barriers and pushback will be insurmountable.

In Pernille Ripp’s own teaching practice, what she discovered was this: Even the smallest changes can make monumental differences. And then you keep on until you create something new. Trusting yourself and your students and sharing the power of the classroom with them can lead to great teaching and learning even within the boundaries of our confining standards, testing obsessions and mandatory curriculums.

In Passionate Learners: Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students, Pernille shares what and how she changed—and how her students changed with her. We learn about the little and not-so-little things she did over the course of a transformational year, so that she could shift the responsibility for learning – the joy and wonder of it – to the kids themselves.

“I believed that I knew exactly what the students needed, if only they would listen. Now I know that a classroom has to be vibrant for students to invest their time and effort. We cannot force children to learn. They have to discover things and be teachers too.” -Pernille Ripp

Whether you are just beginning or well on your way in your teaching career, this book can inspire you to break rules, take risks, and eagerly pursue your journey toward a classroom filled with passionate learners.

At the very least, it will let you know that you are not alone when you think your secret thoughts—that there really are better ways to teach, and that others who believe the same thing want to connect with you to make it happen.

Save with this coupon code

To celebrate the pre-launch of this exciting book for educators, Powerful Learning Press is offering a $3 discount through April 7. Use our coupon code PREBUY at checkout to save $3. One week only, beginning March 31! Go to the PLPress online store to buy now.

Be the change, being me, happiness, reflection, Student-centered

How I Brought Back Joy in My Classroom

March 28, 2014April 1, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I continue to ponder the concept of joy in schools and more so the seeming lack of it. Yet, I look at my own classroom and I know that we have a lot of joy. Not all the time, not in everything we do, but there is a lot of joy in what we do. It wasn’t always like that, when I taught traditionally, joy was not on my priority list when I planned. If something happened to be fun I felt rather guilty since it probably meant I wasn’t getting the educational value across to my students. Now I know better.

Joy is something I try to create, as funny as that sounds. Yet by now I know what makes my students happy and I try to incorporate it as much as possible. So what are some of the things that bring us joy?

Picture books. Many 5th graders think picture books are for little kids but not in this room. We cherish the arrival of new ones and laugh outloud whenever we can. Taking 5 minutes to share a great one can boost us all.
Making mistakes. I make the stupidest mistakes at times but I laugh outloud about it too and make sure the kids know. We have to be able to giggle about ourselves for others to realize it is okay to laugh with us.
Challenges. I try to concoct bi-weekly challenges for my students that focus on community and perseverance. Often they are inane and I make them hard, not to test my kids but to push them further. Our latest boat challenge was a blast and I am already rummaging through my closets trying to think up the next one.
Meditation. After being inspired to bring back more mindfulness we have been doing 3 minute meditation sessions after math to center us for the rest of the day. I know it is supposed to be quiet breathing but we have hard time not cracking up at some of the instructions. Why shush them when laughter also centers them?
Dance breaks. Singing and dancing are something I relish as an adult so if we are feeling down or extra restless I know what we need.

These things may seem like extra things and you are right, what about my core instruction, what’s so joyful about that?

The one thing that has brought more joy into our classroom is simply giving shared control to the students. These few changes have had an incredible impact in our room:

Student voice. Meaning that students have the right to an opinion in everything we do.
Student choice. Whether it is what they are creating, how they are creating it, or who they are creating it with – student choice is essential in my room.
No punishment. My students don’t get punished, I tend not to take things away such as recess, field trips or special moments. It’s not that they are angels, we just figure out a way to work through bad moments.
No grades. My students don’t work for grades, they work for understanding. There is a big difference and it is something we cultivate throughout the year.
Lack of knowledge. I don’t know everything and I tell my students that so we have to figure it out together.
Curiosity. I am very curios as are my students so we have to take time to explore some of the things we are curious about. Whether it is through genius hour, project time or simply stopping what we are doing to veer off the path, we allow it and we embrace it.
Global connections. My students reaching out to teach others or ask others is a big part of our room and something that brings us happiness. We try to incorporate some sort of global connection in most things we do, as long as it makes sense.

Yet I am not there yet. There are still moments of dreadfulness in my classroom. Spelling used to be one of them, and because of that I have completely revamped the program starting Monday, I will let you know if it makes a difference. So while not everything is joyful yet, I feel like we are on the right path. Are you? Is there room for joy in your classroom? How do you teach for it?

The student who memorized the most numbers of pi got to throw a pie in my face on my birthday

being me, reflection, Student-centered, students

Is it Okay That 5% Don’t Get It?

March 20, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“…I wish I could do 5th grade over again…” the student looks at me sadness in his eyes.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because then maybe I would have a chance at getting it.”

My heart breaks. This kid has tried so hard but the holes in knowledge just seem to grow as our curriculum picks up speed and we are asking them to do more, figure out more, understand deeper. The math test he holds in his hands with all of the circled problems, asking to be fixed, seems to be insurmountable at the moment. So I rack my brain, what else can we do? My team and I try so hard to reach every kid, to fill in the holes, to help them understand not just regurgitate and yet it is not enough. Some of our kids still don’t get math, some of our kids still don’t grow in areas where we have tried so hard.

And this isn’t the first year, every year we have these kids. These kids that show up with gaps already. These kids that work hard, even if they get a bit distracted, and yet what we are doing is simply not enough. The language we speak in math is above them and no matter how much we try with smaller groups and remediation it doesn’t catch them up. So we keep on pushing, hoping that something clicks and then pass them on to the next year’s teachers hoping that perhaps they have the solution.

We tend to feel successful in our math instruction because most of our kids get it. Most of our kids do well on tests. Most of our kids grow a lot. But is “most” enough anymore? Can we really say we are successful if all the kids are not getting it? Is it okay to base success on the 95% that do and just live with the 5% that don’t. I don’t think it is anymore, but I don’t know how to help them. Yet. How do we reach those kids with their gaping holes in a day that is already chock full of new? How do we build up their confidence? How do we make the curriculum accessible?

I hope you have some ideas to share.

So we can do two things. We can say that is just how it is. That every year some kids will not grow as much as they should. That we tried our hardest and hopefully some of it stuck even though we know it was not enough. After all, most of our kids do just fine with the curriculum, so what are a few loses? Or we can do as my team does. Get to gether and try to come up with a new plan. Try again. Try to reach every kid.

being me, reflection

To the Kid Who Walked Through My Door Last Night

March 7, 2014December 29, 2014 Pernille Ripp

Dear Kid ,

There you were, shuffling your feet, looking at the floor, cautiously approaching me as I sat on my computer after an afternoon of conferences. “Hey Mrs. Ripp – do you still teach math?” I turned around, surprised to see you. “Of course…” I say. You look up, smile, “I think I need some help…middle school is kind of hard.”

But the truth is you didn’t come to me last night for math help. You came to tell me about how you are trying your best but the teachers don’t see it. How it is hard to stay awake some times. How it is hard to not laugh when your best friend does that funny thing again. How the teachers don’t get you even though 2 weeks ago you decided to really try your best but now you think your best will never be good enough for those teachers. They already give you that look, they have already given up.

My heart sank a little. I heard what you said but also thought about the teachers, thought about what it must feel like from their side. Thought about the disruptions, the laughter, the trying to reach you but you’re not listening. Thought about how even though we try to start each day with a fresh new chance for each student that sometimes students push us so far that it gets harder and harder to forget. That we try to see the good every day but that we are human too and sometimes our emotions get involved.

So I told you to prove them wrong. To not fall into your old self, to not let your silliness, your anger, get the better of you. To buckle down not for the sake of the teachers but for yourself. For your future. Yeah, middle school grades may not determine your future but they set the habits that will. To show them what we saw last year. That kid with the infectious smile. That kid that got so excited when something went right. That kid with dreams and plans that were bigger than where they came from or what others believed they could do.

It was time for me to leave. To go home to my own kids that need me. I told you to stop by anytime. That even if I’m teaching my door is always open. That I miss you and I believe in you. You finally smiled, started to turn away then came back and said, “You know, we were your family. We were like your kids last year. We felt that. Are we still?”

I had to take a deep breath, I get emotional really easily right now, “Yes, you are. All my kids are. Doesn’t matter how old you get or what you do. You are still my kids even when you’re not kids anymore.”

He left, waved. I gathered my things and drove home.

I know now that I can’t quit teaching. That is why I do it. For those kids that need us so ferociously to believe in them even when they screw up. For those kids to feel part of our family. For those kids to always stay our kids no matter how old they get. That’s what I teach. That’s why I’m a teacher.

Thank you for coming to my room. Thank you for walking through my door.

Love,

Mrs. Ripp

being a teacher, being me, Reading, reflection

My Students Hate Our Read Aloud

March 3, 2014March 4, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I could tell they were falling asleep. Drowning in their disinterest, faking it just for me. So I tried to make the voices like they like, I tried to quicken the pace. I emphasized the action that happened. Nothing… The read aloud had started 2 minutes ago yet it felt like an hour.

I closed the book. Asked what was the matter.

“It’s so boring, Mrs. Ripp,” whined a student (yes really, whined).

“There’s no action…”chimed another.

“Remember how with “The False Prince” we asked you to keep reading? That hasn’t happened once here!” exclaimed a third. Heads nodding all around.

So I did what most teachers normally do when their meticulously chosen read aloud is torn apart, I got defensive.

“What do you mean there is no action? Didn’t you just read this part? And also, you have to give it a chance, not everything can happen all at once…” I could hear my own sales pitch but I couldn’t stop it. “Trust me, I picked this book and it is phenomenal, it gets so good.” I was starting to sound desperate. I shut the book, sent them off to read, and sat n the rocking chair licking my wounds. How could they question what I had chosen? Didn’t they trust in my opinion?

Now, looking back on it I see what I should have done. I should have listened. Asked more questions, taken their notion to heart and opened it up for a classroom discussion. I shouldn’t have gotten defensive, I shouldn’t have shut it down. I shouldn’t have taken it personally. It is not me, nor the book that is the problem. It is the choice of the book right now that isn’t working, that’s all.

So tonight I realize that perhaps we need to just abandon the book. That it is not a case of me being wrong on my selection; the book is one of my all time favorite books, but that it may just not be the right fit for us right now. That it may not be the best read aloud. That doesn’t make it a bad book, far from it. It just means that kids should discover it on their own, at their own pace, much like I did when I first read it.

Tomorrow when I am with my students again, I will ask them their thoughts. Should we abandon or should we continue forward? I will not be offended, I will not become defensive. I will instead take it as yet another learning moment just like I should have done from the start. Although we try so hard to find the perfect read alouds for our class, they don’t always work. And that’s ok. It is when the students have the courage to speak up against our choice that we must listen the hardest. After all, as teachers isn’t that we strive for them to gain? The courage and independence to form an opinion about something?

My students didn’t set out to upset me, nor to disappoint me. They spoke up so that we could be saved 200 pages more worth of bored read aloud time. I am not mad, nor upset anymore, but instead renewed by the challenge of finding the perfect read aloud. The one that will have the students begging for just one more page. The one that they will clamor to read themselves once I am done. That’s the one I need to find. And the best part, I know it is out there.

Post Script:

Today we talked about the book, I shared with them the new book that they could switch to and then we did a secret vote. In the end, I was surprised. The majority decided to stay with our current read aloud, however, I struck a deal with the other disappointed kids. We will revote in 50 pages and see if we want to continue with it then or not.

I then discovered something important as I read aloud. While I hate to stop a read aloud, I asked them if they knew what a passage meant. They had no idea. Between my sub and I, we had not discovered that the students were not catching a lot of the meanings in the text or even some of the context! I had miscalculated their background knowledge as well as their vocabulary. No wonder they dislike the book so much, they were missing half of the action. As I finished our read aloud telling them a little bit about WWI, I could see I was re-hooking them into the book. While it may not be everybody’s favorite book still, I think it still has a chance…