classroom management – Pernille Ripp

I have been reward and punishment free for 5 years in my classroom. I have loved it and yet rewards seem to still crop up every year, typically through school-wide initiatives or team decisions. Because I try to be a team player, I go with it as much as I can, and yet, the voice inside of me still screams that for most students, extrinsic tangible rewards do not help. Sure there are a few kids who may become more motivated because of a reward, but I have yet to see a child really change their behavior because of an extrinsic reward system. And while praise also falls into the extrinsic reward category, this post is about the “stuff” we give kids, not our words. So if you are not quite sure whether to give up rewards or not, please ask yourself the following questions.

1. Will the rewards only go to certain kids?

Rewards have always, in my opinion, been the surest way to create a divided community within a classroom. A community where there are those that get and those that don’t. I really tried to make sure that all of my students had lunch with me, which was one of the rewards they could earn, and yet there were always kids that didn’t make it, at least not legitimately. Those kids that seemed to slip through the cracks when I was handing out points, or tickets, or money or whatever it was I was handing out, and not because they weren’t well-behaved, but because they were quiet, that child that seems to slide through our day and does ok on everything, they tended to not get the rewards because of their middle of the road-ness. I tried keeping track but that created more work. And the kids that typically were misbehaved, well, I had to go out of my way to make sure they were rewarded too but they were rewarded for things like doing some work or staying in the classroom. I remember how other students felt about those types of rewards being handed out and that inherent feeling of it being unfair. In the end, handing out individual rewards did little to create a deep community and so it was easy for me to give it up.

2. Have you seen long-term changes as a result of giving extrinsic rewards?

I haven’t. I have seen students willing to do something in the short-term to earn that thing they want but I have never seen long-lasting changes, unless the reward was increased over time. So while the child’s behavior changed a small amount, the reward grew significantly until we couldn’t increase it anymore. Then the child typically reverted to their old ways or even got worse. I think when we spend more n a child earning something rather than the relationship we are building, then we are investing our time poorly.

3. Will the rewards increase or devalue the learning?

I have found that when we tie anything academically into rewards, that becomes the focus, not the learning or the growth that students have shown. When we reward students when they do their homework, do well on a test, or complete a project, we are telling them that the learning they just did is not the main focus but the completion of something is. We are also telling them that they must get something tangible whenever they finish something, which is not at all the reality of our world. When we tie in rewards with learning we can create a cycle of “Gimme” which should not be our intention as teachers.

4. Will students actually care?

Most of my students didn’t care one bit about the rewards that were handed out. They shrugged when I handed them a ticket to pick a prize, or left the prize at school, some even traded their token cash away. I remember being angry when I saw the prizes left behind, but later realized that because it was just another small thing, it didn’t mean anything to them. And why should it? Most of our students are bombarded with trinkets and disposable things wherever they go.

What did matter to my students was the time we spent together and what we did during that time. Not what reward they would get from me. So I gave up rewarding the individual students and started celebrating more with the whole class. I gave out more compliments. I had more individual conversations to talk about behavior. I started noticing more of what my kids needed and tried to give them that, rather than just dole out punishment or hand out a reward.

For me giving up tangible rewards (and punishment) was one of the best decisions I made. Students don’t expect something other than learning when we are together, they don’t have the same sense of entitlement I saw at times, and they don’t have the threat of not being rewarded hanging over their head. Bottom-line; giving up individual extrinsic rewards meant that I could focus on the child in front of me, rather than the systems I had in place. What do you think?

To read more about my journey away from awards and punishment, click here

I also highly recommend reading Alfie Kohn’s book

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, 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. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, being me, classroom management, end of year, life choices

It’s the Very Least We Can Do

June 3, 2015 Pernille Ripp

The comment keeps showing up on my end of year surveys, slipped in between suggestions, hard truths, and great advice. It makes me smile every time. It has been a comment I have heard throughout the year from students in blog posts, in small conversations, and even from parents. “Mrs. Ripp smiles a lot…” “You always have a smile on your face…” “You smile every day.” And while it is not true, I don’t think I smile every single day for every minute, this little comment means the world to me because every day I make a choice to smile. Every day, when I pull up to the parking lot, when I open the days, when the crazy noise of the students coming up our stairs reaches my door, I make sure I have a smile ready to greet them because it is the very least I can do.

As educators, we spend so much time planning meticulous lessons. We do professional development to continue to be lifelong learners. We lay awake worrying about kids, about parents, about what we said, what we asked our students to do that day. We spend so much energy on the big picture stuff that we forget about the easiest thing we can do; smile. Show all the kids of your school that you really want to be there. That it matters to you that they are there. That you are happy to see them. That their very existence makes your life better. Even if you don’t totally feel it. Even if you don’t feel like it. If you can’t do it for yourself, then do it for the kids.

Our actions speak louder than our words and you wouldn’t believe how much the sight of a smile in a busy hallway can change the mood of a day. But don’t take my word for it; try it. Make it a habit. Smile as if your life depended on it, who knows, whose life it will change?

being a teacher, classroom management, classroom setup, MIEExpert15, our classroom, Reading, writing

12 Tips for An Organized Book Loving Classroom

May 17, 2015 Pernille Ripp

Anyone who enters our classroom immediately notices all of the books we have. It’s hard not to, they seem to be everywhere. While I have always believed in having as many books as possible in the classroom, I was not always sure on how to best organize it for optimal student access and interest. Now, seven years into having a library, there are a few things that have made my life easier.

No check out system

I have tried so many different check out systems, from a catalog system, to student librarians, to an electronic version, and all of them turned out the same; a ton of work for me and I still lost a lot of books. So a few years ago I abandoned the check out system. Now students know they can grab any book as long as they promise to return it. It is amazing to see the look on a students’ face when they hear that. Yet, I am not sure this is still the best way, I do lose a lot of books but for now replacing books is easier than spending all of that time checking them out.

“Return Your Books Here” Bin

I used to have students shelve the returned books but I always ended up having to remind them and then re-teach them how to get them in the right bin even though everything was marked. I now have a plastic tub with a “Return your books here” sign taped to it right by all of our bookshelves. Once a day I take the time myself to shelve all of the returned books because it gives me a way to see what is popular, look for books other students are wanting, and check on the conditions of some of our most beloved books. It takes me less than five minutes and all the books are in the right bin.

Bins for every genre and then some

I have loved having book bins for many years. While they cost money and give you less shelf space, it has proven to be the easiest way for us to categorize books. Bins are grouped by genre and some by popular authors. Students suggest bins as well as they see a certain collection grow. Two such examples are our newly formed Cassandra Clare bins and military history bins when students pointed out that we had a collection now.

This Book Belongs to Mrs. Ripp Stamp

This inexpensive stamp purchased from Amazon several years ago has saved me so much time. All new books get stamped with “This book belongs to Mrs. Ripp. Please return when finished” on the inside cover and then the genre abbreviation (or author if they are in an author bin) is handwritten below it in black sharpie. I cannot tell you how many books are left behind in other classrooms around our school and this little inexpensive stamp means they all come back to me.

The Hardcover Post-It

The only exception I have to my no book check out system is that if a student is borrowing a hardcover book, I ask them to give me the book jacket and put their name on it with a post-it. I then save them all in a bin and ask students for them periodically. This has saved many hardcover books from disappearing as students see their name and then remember that they probably left in that one place. It also gives me a way to track a book down if someone else is looking for it.

The Gutter Picture Book Organizer

Someone long ago hung gutters all around my room under the white boards and I could not be more happy. Gutters make a perfect display rail for any amazing picture books we may have and ensure that all of the new ones get read right away as well. A very inexpensive way to get more display space indeed.

Printed and Laminated Bookmarks

We use Kylene Beers’ book Notice and Note throughout the year to give us a shared reading language, so it was natural for me to make some printed bookmarks reminding students of the strategies as they read. Bookmarks are i the same place next to post-its, which some kids prefer to use. They don’t have to ask for one, they take them as needed, and return them when they don’t if they feel like it.

“Our Favorite Books” Spinning Wire Rack

For a long time I had a wire rack where I placed all of my favorite books on for students to browse. Yet, it was not being used very much even though it was in a prime location. After inspiration by Nancie Atwell, I hung a sign above it declaring it a rack for the students to share their favorite books and then took all of my books off. I told the students its new purpose and have since watched it fill up with their favorite reads. This spinning rack has now become the first stop whenever they need a new book.

A Separate Book Case (Or Two) For Picture Books

While we have many of our favorite picture books out on display in the classroom (it’s amazing how many time students gravitate toward them in a day when they have a few minutes), I also have an entire book case just designated to picture books. I used to organize them and group them together and then realized it didn’t make the slightest difference to the students. They looked through a lot of books anyway whether they were organized or not. Since I don’t have these in bins, I gave up on organizing them and haven’t looked back since.

The Readers’ Notebook That Doesn’t Leave

I used to ask students to carry their readers’ notebook back and forth for some reason, which meant many days they left it in their locker, or at home, or didn’t know where it was. I also had to ask them to specifically leave them behind whenever I needed to assess them which meant the pressure was on to get them assessed so I could hand them back. Now I ask the students to leave all of their readers notebooks in the classroom. I have a bin for each class, I don’t care what name order they are in and at the start of each class all I have to do is grab the right bin off of my shelf and put it out for the students to grab. This is also how I do attendance these days, by seeing whose notebook has not been picked up.

Pre-printed Standard Comments Sheets

I assess my students readers notebooks every two weeks and while I often take the time to write in specific comments to them, I have also learned to pre-print address labels stickers with certain broad comments such as “Remember to use text evidence to support your thinking” or “Why do you think the author did this?.” Not only has it saved me a lot of time when I need to assess 120 readers notebooks, but it also allows me to focus on the comments they really need while covering all bases. The students do not mind (I have asked them) since they know it allows me to support them more often with my thoughts.

Learning to Let Go

This has been my biggest take away in having a classroom filled with books and readers. Sometimes you don’t have to have a perfect system for it to feel perfectly fine. The students make our book loving classroom their own so they change the organization of books, the shelving of them, and even how we read them. I don’t mind, I just have to let go sometimes and trust the students.

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, building community, classroom management, punishment, rank, Student-centered, students

Let’s Discuss Class Dojo For a Moment

April 17, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I get asked a lot about my feelings about Class Dojo and whether or not I use it. I think it has to do with my very public stance on the use of public rewards and public punishment, which can be a component of this program. So I am finally taking the plunge; let’s discuss Class Dojo for a moment.

I have never used Class Dojo, which is why I hesitate to give my opinion, yet that very opinion is why I won’t use it. My first hesitation is cemented in the public ranking system that it uses. As a parent of a child who often has more energy than her peers, I can only imagine how she would feel if her name was constantly shown to be on the bottom because she is that kid that talks out of turn or gets out of her seat. Ranking her would not help her curb those behaviors, nor make her more aware, she knows already, she works on it every single day, and yes, she feels bad. She is also 6 years old and can only focus on so much at a time. As a teacher who gave up public punishment and rewards five years ago, I don’t see the need for any child to know how another child is doing in a class. I don’t think it fosters community. I don’t think it makes kids feel good about their role in the classroom. I know that some will argue that having a visual reminder of how they are doing, much like a public behavior chart, is just fine, yet the parent heart in my breaks. Visual reminders of consequences is one thing, but having students names attached to the levels of behavior is another. Yes, kids should be held accountable for their actions, but if we use a system that often ranks children and we don’t see a change in their behavior then that ranking does not work.

My second hesitation is the time factor. I cannot imagine spending time in my day entering in behavior information for every child and handing them points for both good and bad behavior, even if there is an app for my phone. I cannot imagine trying to track student engagement through a program, I track that through my eyes and my reading of the classroom all the time. I teach 130+ students, if I had to enter points or take them away every time they did something good or bad, that is all I would do. Plus, in my own experience with point systems, I almost always forgot to award good points which meant that once again my focus was just on the negative behaviors. Praise, in my opinion, should be delivered immediately and be sincere, not entered on a computer. I have seen kids light up because I noticed something they did, and I have seen praise spread from child to child just because someone said something. While behavior is an essential part of our day it should be an undercurrent, constantly running, not a major focus all day, every day. I wonder, does this program bring behavior into the spotlight so much that it takes up more time than it needs to?

My third, and final, major hesitation is the direct communication to parents through the reports. I am a huge believer in thorough parent communication, but I wonder whether parents need to be able to check on their child’s behavior every single day, every single moment. I think back to my own school days and my “off days,” where I was glad that my mother didn’t always know. Not because she would punish me if she did, but because it gave me a chance to have an off day and still be ok. To change my behavior because I wanted to, not because I was told to do so by my mother. I also worry about those few kids that do face major consequences from parents if they are seemingly misbehaving. Those students where any small infractions causes physical harm or deprivation in their home environment. Sure, this does not happen with every child, but for some it does. Class Dojo highlights it product with this line “Get parents informed and on your side quickly and easily.” Yet, I didn’t know parents weren’t on our side, or that sides even had to be taken? If parents are on our side, who are we fighting against? The kids? Finally, as a parent, I would not want to know how my child does every single day. I trust that she is having good days unless I am told otherwise. She is often the first one to tell me if she gets in trouble, which leads to a good conversation about choices. If I knew every single day about every single thing, I wonder how hyper-focused I would become? What would my focus be when my kid came home from school?

Yet, within my doubts about the positives of this program, I have also met good teachers that have implemented it in a meaningful way, where they have not used the ranking, nor made it public, but rather used it as way to track behaviors within the classroom. I have discussed it with teachers that have made the program their own and swear by it. I am not here to judge those teachers, but instead start a discussion. So if you are one of those teachers, please add your voice, because in the end, I wonder whether a program like Class Dojo is good for students? Not for teachers or for parents because that is not who school is for, but for students? Is this program, or something similar, re-engaging students in their classrooms, creating positive learning environments for all, and creating permanent changes in behavior? Or is it one more tool to punish those kids that already have enough negativity associated with schools? What do you say? What is your experience?

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, 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. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” will be published by Routledge in the fall. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

aha moment, Be the change, behavior, being me, classroom management, control, punishment, student voice

The Story of A Poster – How Hanging a Consequence Poster Changed the Way I Taught

April 16, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I remember the poster well, I had spent more than an hour on it, I had really taken my time to make sure each letter was meticulously printed, outlined, and filled in with sharpie. In fact, I had started over several times when the result was not quite as eye catching as I wanted it to be. I remember sending the poster through the laminator holding my breath a bit, after all, sometimes that pesky laminator ate all of my hard work. Not this time though; this poster made it through and now graced the best location on my wall; right above the sink so that every single time a student washed their hands or threw something out, this poster would catch their eye. In fact, it hung in the one spot that you could see all the way from the hallway; any person who walked by the classroom would know what mattered most to us. What was this magical poster that I was so proud of, you may ask? My consequences for breaking the rules.

Yup, my first two years of teaching the one thing I was most proud off was the poster that stated what would happen if you misbehaved in my classroom. I loved it. I thought it sent a clear message to the students about the type of classroom they were in, who held the power, and just what the expectations would be every single day. I loved that it was the first thing people noticed, after all, that must have meant that others knew how serious I was about classroom management. That although I was a new teacher, I knew how to control these 4th graders.

I loved the message it sent because it certainly sent one loud and clear; every day my students knew that they could be punished. That if they screwed up there would be consequences. That the whole class would know if they had done something wrong, because the very first consequence was to write your name on the board. If you broke the rules again a check mark got added, and if you broke the rules one more time then it was an automatic phone call home, in front of the class. Infractions included talking during class, leaving the class without permission, and any kind of rude behavior. If you were a kid who had trouble sitting still, your name was almost always on the board by the end of the day. The poster ruled the day.

After two years, when I changed the way I taught, I pulled down that poster. Terrified of the future and breaking the rules, yet I knew there had to be a better way to handle misbehaviors than what the poster said. That check-marks and names on the board was not a way to build community, but instead splintered it every single day. My students didn’t need the constant reminder, they already knew that there were behavior expectations. They already knew who the teacher was. They already knew how to behave in school. What they needed to know instead was that there was also flexibility. That I saw them as a whole person and not as a person to be controlled or punished into behaving.

When I first hung the consequence poster on my wall, I thought it signaled strength, management, and someone who was on top of their teaching game. What I didn’t realize was all of the other things it signaled as well. That this was my classroom, my rules, and that they didn’t have a say in how situations would be handled because the rules were clear. It told them that every situation, no matter the back-story, would be given the same consequences no matter what. By hanging that poser on the wall, I could never make my students believe that this was our classroom because the poster would always signal otherwise. It made a liar out of me.

Five years without a consequence poster on my wall and I have no regrets. My students have shown me that they know who the teacher is, what the expectations are, and that this is a community of learners. They know if they make poor decisions there will be consequences, but more than likely those consequences will be figured out with them, not thrust upon them without hesitation. They know that the rest of the class no longer needs to know who is in trouble, because it is a private matter. I pulled down a poster so that my students would finally believe that within these four walls, we share the control. Are you able to pull down yours?

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, 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. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” will be published by Routledge in the fall. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, being me, classroom expectations, classroom management, classroom setup, new year

Modified Readers/Writers Workshop in the 7th Grade Classroom

August 15, 2014 Pernille Ripp

All summer my mind has been in high gear trying to wrap itself around what my classroom experience will be like next year. I know I will be teaching an incredible age group of students at an amazing school with a stellar team. I know I will be an English teacher and what our curriculum is. But that still left me with the big question; what will this look like in my room? 5th grade I knew what it looked like. 5th grade I had 90 leisurely minutes to get through reading and then another 75 for writing. What luxury! But 45 minutes every day for both reading and writing what does that even look like?

So I did what I always do; reach out both locally here to my awesome colleague Wendy, but also globally to amazing people who have been answering my questions. So I think I have an idea of what it will look like, a more tangible plan has been forming in my head, so now I do what I always do; share. Because I cannot be the only 7th grade English teacher wondering how to do this!

My crazy ideas include independent reading EVERY DAY. This is not a typical thing I have heard in 7th grade due to the limited time for teaching, but Jillian Heise, who I admire, gave me the perfect idea; to use it as the very first thing when students enter. That way every child has a purpose and routine as they enter the room. I am free to check in with students, gather what needs to be gathered and otherwise just observe/assess/and ask questions.

Up next will be the mini-lesson, I will be alternating days between a reading and writing focus, however, there will be both every day. This is where my skills of not blabbering will be tested. The mini-lesson needs to be short! This is where picture books come in handy, as well as using the same text for both. That way students are familiar with the text on the second day but we can change our lens with which we view it. Also, the Global Read Aloud text “One For the Murphy’s” will be used as our mentor text for the 6 weeks of the project, ensuring that we participate in the read aloud. And yes, I set up my rocking chair and easel in a corner just for this purpose, students can choose to sit on the carpet or in chairs as we listen, discuss, and reflect.

Then on to conferring and independent work time. I will be meeting with small groups and one-on-one with students for the next 15/20 minutes. During this time students will be writing or reading, whatever the focus is for the day. That does mean that some kids will get more independent reading time, and I am thankful for that. I fully believe that if we want kids to be great readers they need to read as much as possible. I am hoping to meet with 2 small groups at least every day. This may be totally unrealistic, but it will keep the pressure on me. I will also spend time popping down next to students as they read for informal check ins, cutting out time wasted of students coming to me.

We will end the 45 minutes with grammar, blogging, random mini-teaching points as well as show-and-tell. Yup how-and-tell. Thank you John T. Spencer for the idea. If we are to live a life of readers and writers, we need to build a community and show off what we hold dear. Show and tell allows us to share a slice of us, plus it can lead to deeper reflection for the audience of the reaction they have to something. This won’t be every day, probably on Friday’s, but it will happen.

This is all tentative and should really be entitled “Pernille’s crazy ideas for modified workshop.” But it is a start, a tangible start, that gives me something to work with and work on from the very first day of school. There will also be days of Mystery Skype, Skyping with authors, longer assignments, speeches, and presentations. But those will come as needed. And with my independent reading class I will get to implement 20% time every Friday! So yeah, I may not know what I am doing yet, but I have an idea, and it is making me so excited to get started!

I am a passionate teacher in Wisconsin, USA, who has taught 4, 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” can be pre-ordered from Corwin Press now. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.