Category: being me

being a teacher, being me, Lesson Planning, Student-centered, teaching

Simplify

Pernille Schmidt Ripp
As I prep for the upcoming week of lessons, I find myself cutting ideas out and slimming things down.  I am simplifying my lessons.  And not because I am “dumbing” them down, not at all, instead I am offering my students the luxury of only having to focus on key concepts rather than overwhelming them with all the bells and whistles.

In order for my students to take ownership of the learning they have to understand what they are owning.  They have to be able to take an idea, make it their own and then push it through.  if I add too many components to something, they will end up confused, bogged down, or just plain bored.

In college I was taught to make it exciting, to add visuals, support, brainstorming sheets and even hand signals.  I now rebel against that notion of having to add more every time. Perhaps that is why I am no longer a supporter of IWB’s in every classroom.  I don’t need to be more interactive, my students do.

So this week, I am cutting back all the extras.  I am focusing on what the goal is and letting students add their distinctive spins on it.  I will have supports ready if needed but I will not assume they need them.  I will speak less and engage more.  Simplify my teaching = expand their learning.  I am excited.

This post was partially inspired by this excellent post written Josh Stumpenhorst @stumpteacher.

being a teacher, being me, students

When the Day is Tough

Pernille Schmidt Ripp

No matter the noise, no matter the distractions, no matter how perhaps one lesson didn’t go quite as expected. There is always something good to see, something wonderful to praise, and something that deserves to be recognized.

When the day has been rough and the kids have been tough, take the time to huddle. Take the time to relish the good moments because no matter what, they are there, waiting to be discovered, waiting to be remembered and shared.

So take a deep breath, gather them on the carpet, and ask them to share that one good thing from the day. Go around the circle, come back to those that need extra time, and then smile. Twenty-three golden moments all out in the open; the day couldn’t have been that bad after all.

aha moment, being me, blogging, mistakes

When You Lose Your Voice

Pernille Schmidt Ripp
I lost my voice.  No, not my speaking voice but the one that writes, that blogs, that sometimes even inspires others.  It wasn’t something that I noticed happening, it just slipped away until I realized that I was in drastic need of something to regain it.  I didn’t set out to lose it, it just merely happened as life got a little too busy and the rhetoric a little too heavy.  As criticism got to my head and my own self-importance whittled, as did my voice diminish.

I am not that important, in fact, not being important is what makes this journey so incredible.  Being able to reach out to others through this blog and listen to their ideas, their creativity, their passions.  So I knew something needed to change when I started to over-think my writing, limiting myself and my reflections based on what “people” might think.

But I cannot write for an audience, I can only write for myself.  I started this journey to reflect so that is where my focus must remain.  To put it all out there, the good and the bad, the inspired and the embarrassing, because that is what makes life’s journey so interesting.  I didn’t come here to inspire or to engage, only to be me.  So with this; I reclaim my voice, unfurl it and uncover it.  Hopefully this time, I will remember to stay true to myself.