Category: being me

being me, classroom expectations, homework, talking

Flipping for the Flipped Classroom Seems To Be the Trend but Not for Me

Pernille Ripp
from icanread

Hey Pernille, we watched a video on the Khan and the flipped classroom model today.  I think you would love it!

Oh, yes I am already familiar with it, why do you think I would love it?

Well, you love technology….

It’s true, I love technology for what it does for my students and I.  I love that we can grab cameras and document our learning.  I love that we can blog and start conversations with others.  I love that I send my students out the door with tools that others may not know about in middle school, thus spreading their knowledge and giving them options.  But I don’t love the flipped classroom, it’s not for me, sorry.

Sure, it is a cool concept.  Videotape your lecture so that it can be accessed anywhere and then use the class time to discuss and investigate and really learn more.  I love the classroom part.  I love the idea of not standing in front of students talking and instead getting to the actual work stage, the exploration, the stage that the kids so desperately want to get to anyway.  But the lecturing is not for me.  Sure, there are times when I have to provide background for my students, in fact, every day that happens, but the idea of taping a lecture and then forcing them to watch it on their own time upsets me.

When I do my background providing, or “teaching” in class, we have discussions.  The students ask questions, clear up misconceptions, and sometimes we end up in a totally different arena then we intended.  I know I need to keep it short, I know I need to keep it relevant so that we can do the work, so that the kids can have time to explore.  I know I could talk a lot longer if I had the opportunity.  Being on live in front of the kids mean I have to be a story teller, I have to be at my best so that they stay with me and stay engaged.  Sure, there are times I wish I had it recorded so that they could watch it again because they didn’t get it the first time, but then I realize that they didn’t get it because I didn’t do a good enough job explaining it.  And having a recording of me explaining it poorly is not going to do them any favors.

Then there is the homework aspect of the flipped classroom.  We expect students to use their time outside of school to watch all of these videos. Can you imagine how much time that would be if every class in a high school setting required this?  My teenage rebel self rolls her eyes.  I would never have been into that as a teen and in college I did my homework on my breaks at work, my breaks between school and work and wherever I could.  I didn’t sit in front of a screen, nor did I have access to it.  I worked full-time while going to school full-time and did much of my reading in my car.  Flipping my classes would have meant that was not an option.  Sure, times have changed since I graduated 5 years ago, students have more access to portable computers, yet we are still asking them to take their outside time and do the work in a matter determined by us.  We are still taking their time.

So I leave you with this simple question, why not skip the lecture altogether?  Perhaps we wouldn’t need the concept of the flipped classroom if we just stopped talking and got to the point?  Perhaps if we actually honed our craft as story tellers, not as lecturers, students would have the opportunity to get the teaching and the exploration all at once?  I know it sounds crazy but I think it can be done, we just need to stop talking so much.

being me, learning, PD

So You Say You Don’t Have the Time – PD for Busy People

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

One thing I know we all face in this multi-tasking world is the concept of not having enough time.  Even when we save time, there still isn’t enough left over for us to feel like we are caught up, like we relaxed, like we actually had time to spare.  We just add more things to our day and then hope that by the end of the day we will feel fulfilled, we will feel in satisfied, we will feel time balanced.

When I speak to people about Twitter and having a PLN, they never get where I find the time.  Besides the fact that I make both of those things a priority, I am always trying to explain that being part of both actually save me time in the long run.  Time I then get to spend somewhere else, while still growing as an educator.

So when someone says they don’t have the time to get inspired or that PD is too time consuming, how about trying this…

  • Set up a reader with people that inspire you.  I access my reader in the morning when I have my cup of tea.  I read those that I feel like, share others that inspire me, and sometimes even leave a comment.  It all depends on how much time I want to spend.  And sometimes I just mark all as read because I just didn’t get to them and that’s ok too.
  • Take 5 minutes on Twitter.  I don’t spend a whole lot of time on Twitter interacting, it is hard for me to focus on it with a 3 year old at home but every day I tune in for at least just 5 minutes and try to reach out to someone, to have a human connection, rather than just share my ideas.  
  • Listen to a Ted talk.  I know people think they have to watch all videos, but the truth is I find it much easier to just listen to most of the.  that way, while I am cleaning or playing, I at least can hear some of the great things being said by others much smarter than me.
  • Subscribe to the most emailed stories on NPR.  I love this podcast and listen to it in the car.  we run a lot of errands in the summer and the radio drives me nuts after a while.  NPR continues to be my favorite for staying on top of news, but how about subscribing to other podcasts.  NerdyCast is another favorite of mine or even Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me.
  • Ask someone a question.  I have learned so much about myself as a teacher or even my teaching style from asking my husband questions abut his experience as a student.  When I was just in the hospital many of the nurses told me about their children’s schools, their own schooling, and their expectations.  The point is, ask someone about school and you will probably learn something, I know I do.
  • Read something non-educational, like a really great book, a magazine, or whatever floats your boat.  I just finished The Strain trilogy and found myself wanting to blog about several sections in it even though those vampire books have nothing to do with education.  That’s the beauty of inspiration, it doesn’t have to come from somewhere scholarly but just from somewhere.
  • Pay attention to your surroundings.  Do you know how often I come up with a blog post from reading a sign, seeing a bumper-sticker or even overhearing a snippet of conversation?  When we pay attention to the world around us, we can learn a lot.

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being me, inspiration, mistakes

What My Dreams Tell Me Is Not Pretty

Pernille Ripp
Image from icanread

“Peter, Peter…”  I wait until that child, and the whole class, is staring at me…”Get to work!”  I am 10 feet from the child and he just shakes his head.  I keep on doing what I was doing, satisfied that I have set him back on his path.  Except I have done more than that, I have also pointed out to the whole class that Peter (all names changed for obvious reasons) is once again not doing what he is supposed to and now they can follow along in his progress as well.  Yikes.

“George, you didn’t blog, what are you going to do about it?”  I am once again asking George to stay in for recess, except I am clever, I am not telling him he has to, he has to come to that conclusion himself.  I know he doesn’t have the time at home and he doesn’t spend time very effectively in class, so recess it has to be, in fact, I point that out to him when his first answer is hat he will do it when he gets home.  Yikes.

“Thomas, sit up and start participating…” Once again I am on the warpath because that child has decided that math is too hard and has therefore put his head down refusing to participate.  I’ve seen it before, all they need is a stern talking to and their math confidence will come right back, right?  Yikes.

My dreams have been kind enough to point out all of the mistakes I made in the past year.  Those missed moments of communication, those missed opportunities for leaving a kid be, giving them some space and then reaching out when they are ready.    Now those moments show up at night, except they are exaggerated versions, all to show me just what I did wrong.  And I am grateful because although I cringe and get mad at myself, I see where I diverged from my road.  Where it went wrong.  My patience was stretched more, my mind was always too busy.  So as I think of next year I reclaim my focus, my inner peace and remind myself to bring it into school.  To slow down and evaluate the situation, not just shoot my mouth.  I learn from my mistakes just as I ask my students to do.

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being a teacher, being me, communication, contest

We Are Only Human, Why Do We Forget That?

Pernille Ripp
Being a blogger, a teacher, a person who exposes themselves to the world through their words and actions, our personalities sometimes get distorted.  We get boxed in, labeled, or categorized in some way, all so that others can get a better handle on who we are and what we stand for.

Strangers decide whether they like us or not on small acts, on assumptions that they create, on things we say, write, do and then spread that like or dislike to others, forever judging us based on perhaps one blog post, one idea of what we are, or some distorted image.  And sometimes others forget that we are humans too.  Parents send angry emails based on an assumption, anonymous commenters attack rather than discuss, and sometimes people you consider to be part of your support network drop you like you were yesterday’s news.  And it hurts, and our blogging, or our teaching interferes with the emotions we bring home and into our homes.  Our personal relationships suffer because of what happens outside of us, outside of our own realm of control, and we wonder why we put ourselves out there?

This school year, I was a top 10 finalist in a contest for good teachers.  While I had nothing to do with my own nomination, I used it as a way to show that having a non-traditional classroom in a public school setting was indeed possible.  And yet, no matter how noble my intentions,  the contest proved to be detrimental to me as an educator and as a person.  I said yes to continue on in the contest because if I won, I could get $10,000 and use it for something at my school; a new gym floor, working computers, more books.  And that was something bigger than me.  I knew there would be backlash but the magnitude of it still astounded me.  People who I thought would understand, perhaps not support, but understand, berated and tore me to shreds.  Educators whom I admire in my PLN decided that they would no longer follow me or have conversations with me, teachers whom I admire thought I did it as a way to show off, to elevate myself above the rest.  And it hurt.  And it confounded.  And even though you try not to take it personal, you do, because it is.  And even though you try to pick up the pieces, they just never fit back together the same way.  The people are gone, the communication is gone, the care is gone.

So I learned my lesson, don’t think you are anything special – perfect for a product of Janteloven – because others will disagree.  Others will tear you down.  How sad, how utterly contrary to what we stand for as educators, how eye opening.  And yet, I continue to congratulate others, to be excited about their success and I remind myself whenever I see someone within my realm of the world; whether global PLN or local community, that is being recognized that I should cheer for them.  That I should be happy whenever an educator is recognized for something good rather than some evil they have done.We are all just human, and words hurt more than we know, we should be each others biggest cheerleaders, there are enough people trying to tear us all down.

being me, students

It’s Time to Appreciate the Teacher

Pernille Ripp
Next week marks a curious phenomena in America; Teacher Appreciation Week.  The one week where we are are supposed to sit back and bask in all of the adulation and admiration that the word appreciation entails.  And yet, I can’t help but think, why the need for a holiday?  Shouldn’t we be appreciating teachers all of the time?  And while many will simply say, “…But of course,” think about how teachers have been portrayed as of late in the media and in general conversations.  Our every move is scrutinized, our student test scores are used as measures to assess us, we are told we are overpaid, and should consider ourselves lucky to even have a job.  Gulp.  Not much appreciation there.

And yet, when I turn to look at my classroom, I see the appreciation.  The kind gestures from parents who support all of the ideas we have.  The students who so eagerly jump into projects and just in general are unafraid to try something new.  Administration that gives us enough leeway to try something new, knowing that it will probably benefit our kids, and husbands that are willing to listen to every single inane idea I have and flesh out the meat from them.  Yes, I am appreciated.

So while the extra attention next week certainly will be appreciated, I don’t know if it is even necessary.  I feel appreciated every single day by those kids that come into our room and hand over their hopes their fears, and dreams.  By those kids that entrust me with their secrets, with their inner most thoughts, and that even share some of them on our blog.  By those kids that believe in what we have built, in what we have yet to accomplish, and in what they can be, who have let me be a part of their journey.  Those kids appreciate me and they show it every day, perhaps it is time we have a student appreciation week?

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