being me – Page 60 – Pernille Ripp

being a teacher, being me, Reading, reflection

My Students Hate Our Read Aloud

March 3, 2014March 4, 2014 Pernille Schmidt 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…

being a teacher, being me, reflection

I Don’t Know What It Means to Be My Student

March 1, 2014March 2, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

I grew up in a small town in Denmark, population 7,509. There was a handful of minority students at my school, all adopted with little knowledge of their old culture. I didn’t grow up in diversity, I didn’t grow up in poverty, I didn’t grow up in instability or transitional homes. I didn’t grow up in anger or uncertainty. I grew up surrounded by the love of my family and kids that looked just like me.

I teach in a school with a diverse population, yet you would not know it looking at our teacher population. Mostly white, mostly female. Much like many elementary schools across the United States. I am asked to relate to my students, to be sensitive to their needs, their background. To be aware of how their situation, their family life, their culture affects their entire being. And yet…

I don’t know what it means to be a minority. I don’t know what it means to come from poverty. Or a broken home. I don’t know what it feels like to be in a classroom where no one looks like you or to be judged because of the way one speaks. I don’t know what it feels like to be homeless or angry at the world. I can pretend I do, but I don’t.

But there are things I can understand.

I can understand what it means to be the new kid. To not speak a language. To not have 2 parents. I can understand what it means to feel the like the world is against you and there is no one that cares. I can understand what it feels like to think that not a single person cares about you in the whole world and that you will always be alone.

I cannot connect to my students using experiences we have not shared and I will not pretend that I can. Yet that doesn’t mean I cannot be a great teacher to them. That doesn’t mean we cannot forge a deep relationship. I can connect with my kids through listening. Through caring. I can connect through the love of a book ,a song, a class or a laugh. I can connect with my students by acknowledging that we are different and that I will never know what their lives are truly like but I will try. I can connect not through their background but what we create together. I can connect with them based on the now, while still acknowledging the before. Together we can try to understand, together we can make a new connection.

I don’t know what it means to be them but that’s ok. I know what it means to be here, now, in our classroom. And that’s a start at least….

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” will be released this April from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being me, Reading, reflection

I Am a Reader

February 25, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

I have always been a reader but I was never a proud reader in my classroom until a year ago. I realized then that to inspire deep passion in my readers I had to share my own. I realized then that to inspire my students to keep reaching for books I had to show my own hunger for more. Now I am reader because I know it matters. I am reader because it teaches me more.

I am a reader because I can hand books to students knowing that they will love them.

I am a reader because I need to get lost in books as much as my students do.

I am a reader because I want to live a thousand lives and travel to a million places.

I am a reader because my life would be gray without all of my books.

I am a reader because I cannot pretend that reading is important, I have to live it.

I am a reader because it allows me to connect with any child I meet.

I am a reader because of the memories it creates.

I am a reader because of the moments I share with others.

I am a reader because my students need me to be.

I am a reader because my soul requires it.

Are you a reader? Why?

being me, reflection

My Daughter Doesn’t Care About Gender Stereotypes – Should I?

February 17, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

I was a girl who loved to climb trees. A girl who wore pants every day. A girl who played with Barbies and GI Joe’s. My best friend was a boy for many years and I didn’t care about pink, glitter, or rainbows. I don’t know if I was a tomboy – don’t you have to be good at sports for that designation? – but I was not a girly girl by any means. I was just me.

Thea, my 5 year-old-daughter is a glitter queen. Her life cannot contain enough pink or rainbows. Life is better if she is wearing a tutu skirt, her hair done, and preferably a snazzy shoe. This is the kid that refused to wear jeans for 2 years because “Girls don’t wear jeans, mom!” We didn’t make her this way, she just is her.

Thea has been fully living the girly girl stereotype since she started talking. Throwing fits when she didn’t like her clothes, telling me how she wanted her hair done. Playing princess, rockstar, and fairy. Wishing for a pink bedroom when she had the choice and picking out a Barbie backpack for 4K. There was one Halloween when she picked a Buzz Lightyear costume, but otherwise it has been anything cute and maybe even pink. And I feel so guilty. After all, according to experts I am enabling her to think that this is how girls should act, that they should be cute, that they should be giggly, that they should love pink above all else. That they can’t be tough or fighters in life. I should be introducing gender neutral toys, clothing in all colors, and emphasizing her toughness and her smarts, not her cuteness. And I have and she laughs and refuses to play with the toys, refuses to wear the clothes, and tells me she looks cute.

Yet, I am not worried. Thea may be the living embodiment of gender stereotyping in girls, but she is also tough, she also loves to run and play Ninja Turtles, she wants to be a Power Ranger when she grows up (the pink one of course), and she doesn’t see her girlyness as limiting herself in any way. In her eyes she can be a “karate girl” while wearing a pink tutu. In her eyes she can conquer the world wearing sparkly shoes. I may be worried about the stereotype she embodies, but Thea? She doesn’t have a care in the world about it, she is just being her, and she is happy with that. So I should be too. Perhaps wearing a rainbow hat is not a way of showing you are the weaker sex but rather that the world needs more color. Perhaps insisting on a tutu skirt is not saying you want to be a princess but rather that life is an occasion to celebrate. Perhaps we shouldn’t read as much into what our children do and instead just embrace who they are. I know I will.

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” will be released this March from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

advice, being a teacher, being me, Mentor, new teacher

Lessons From My Mentors

February 16, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

I didn’t know how lucky I was in the beginning. Surrounded by phenomenal teachers that quickly became my mentors, I assumed every teacher had the same experience as me; people reaching out and guiding me whenever I needed it. Now 6 years into my teaching journey, I see how wrong I was. Many teachers have few people to reach out to in the beginning, sure they may have a mentor on paper, but that is where the relationship stays, never fully blossoming into what I still have to this day – a true give and take with some incredible teachers, Kathy and Melanie.

So why are mentors so important? Some of my biggest lessons have come straight from my mentors.

Be prepared to eat a little crow. Meaning be prepared to eat your words and swallow your pride. I cannot tell you how many times these words have helped me through difficult situations. Whether I was in the wrong or not, sometimes the best for a heated situation is to simply apologize and look for a solution rather than continue fighting. It shows grace and humility and can often forge much stronger relationships than existed before.
Stay connected. While my mentors never dreamed I would be connected globally, they both believe in the power of relationship and that being connected can only benefit you in the long run. So reach out to those around you and believe in the power of team, we are stronger together.
You can learn from anyone. They have modeled this to me through all the years I have known them. When I walked in through their doors, they both assumed that I had something to offer, not that I was an empty vessel. This approach not only boosted my esteem but has set the stage for how I treat my students.
You can create a relationship with any student. While we seem to easily connect with some kids, there are others that take hard work. Tenacity and genuine interest have taken me a long way in figuring out how to connect with all of my kids, not just the easy ones.
Those that fight you the hardest are often the ones that need you the most. Those students that seem hellbent on making our lives miserable are often the ones that need us the most, whether they even know it or not. So don’t give up on them, don’t fight back in anger, but keep trying.
Keep changing and innovating. You are never done growing as a teacher, so keep changing the way you teach to fit the students in front of you right now, not those you had the year before.
Kids can always do more than we think is possible. The power of expectations and continually pushing students to do more and better is something that inspires my classroom every single day.
Start out positive. There have been many times that I wanted to condemn a new initiative before it has started, but these words have stayed with me. Give it a chance and withhold judgment until you know more.
Be kind. Nowhere have I seen better modeling of being kind to anyone. As teachers we spend a lot of time being kind to our students, but what about the adults we encounter every day? Do you stop and take an extra moment with those that surround you? Do you take a genuine interest in the people you see? There is so much power in being a model of kindness, we can make a difference with our actions every day.

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” will be released this March from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

aha moment, being me, reflection

10 + 1 Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

January 14, 2014 Pernille Schmidt Ripp

When I moved my blog from Blogger to WordPress last summer I mistakenly assumed that all posts would seamlessly transfer. I have since found the error in my thinking and have decided to re-post some of my more discussed posts. This post first appeared in October of 2011 but still rings true to me, in fact, I think this list could be much longer now so I have updated the post a little.

Sometimes life smacks you in the face and makes you change your ways for the better. Fortunately in education, this happens quite a bit, unfortunately it is not always in the most pleasant way. I present a list of my lessons I learned the hard way.

You may be really excited about something but that does not mean anyone else will be. I joined Twitter more than 3 years ago and I have yet to convince anyone close to me of its value. It is not that they don’t want to understand, they do, but they just don’t have the time or see the need to join. I remain undeterred in my plug for Twitter but at the same time also realize that perhaps they just don’t want to join, and I am ok with that. I then just find other ways to share all of the amazing things I learn via Twitter.
When you make a lot of changes, not everyone will think they are great. I have changed many things in my classroom and while I see all of the amazing benefits, not everyone does. I have many critics and my skin has grown a lot thicker, and yet, ouch.
Not everyone wants to hear your opinion, even if you think it s a good one. Enough said.
Not all parents want less homework. I thought every parent would stand up and cheer at my decision to nearly eliminate homework, but no, some want a lot of homework for their children for various reasons. I now encourage open dialogue on it and help out where I can.
Lecturing does not engage – and neither does raising your voice and scolding the kids when they tune out. I figured this one out after 2 years of teaching with glazed over eyes and less than enthusiastic students. Now I look back at those two first years and shudder.
Rewards diminish the learning. I used to be a rewards fanatic but realized that kids focused more on which sticker they got then the feedback I gave them. I also created a class divide in my room with the have’s and the have not’s. If only I could tell all of those kids that I am sorry for what I did.
When you think everything is going great, you are about to crash. I don’t know how many times I have been on a teaching high only to crash and burn wickedly. Life changes quickly, so enjoy the “high” while you can.
Putting your thoughts on a blog means many people know how you feel. Some will cheer, some will challenge, and some will just downright criticize. Either way, you have to take the good with the bad; it is all part of developing your voice.
Even the best classroom can have a bad day. I used to beat myself up wondering what went wrong when the day fell apart. Then I realized that sometimes there is just nothing to do it about it that day, what matters is that you start over the next day.
I am not always right, even if I really, really want to be. I have some pretty strong opinions and fortunately for me, sometimes they change. That means I have had to apologize to people, publicly state the change and eat crow in a number of ways. This is a not a bad thing, but a human thing.
I am not the only teacher in the room. I thought I was the ultimate authority on everything in my room, and loved to share my vast knowledge with those empty vessels that were my kids. What a rude awakening when I realized that my students are not blank slates. Now I remind myself daily to step aside and let them explore and teach each other and me.