Category: education reform

being a teacher, education reform, Student-centered

Pass the Blame

Pernille Ripp
In the education debate surrounding us a lot of blame gets passed around.  Employers blame colleges for not teaching students workable skills.  Colleges blame high schools for not preparing the students.  High school blames middle school for not setting them up to be hard workers.  Middle schools blame elementary for not setting the foundation right.  And elementary, they blame the parents for not being engaged or involved, for not setting high enough standards.

It is time we stop the blame game.  The time and energy consumed by it could be used to fix and change the system rather than just complain about it.  Our world will never be perfect and neither will our classrooms.  So let’s use that time, energy, and emotion put into playing the blame game and do something about it instead.

If you need someone to blame, blame me, I can take it.  And then move on and focus on what is most important factor here; the kids.

being a teacher, education reform

Teachers Save Lives Too – We Just Don’t Get Paid Like We Do

Pernille Ripp

As the recession rolls on and the politicians gear up for another fight on this new super committee, I drive back and forth to school getting ready for a new school year.  One politician was discussing what could be cut save our country from the brink of bankruptcy and discussed Medicaid, a favorite target.  The radio host asked whether doctors’ pay should be cut as well then.  The politician scoffed at this notion; “We should not cut the pay of doctors,” he stated, “They save lives…”
Maybe it’s the salary freeze my district has imposed on teachers.  Maybe it’s the rumors that my administration gave themselves raises.  Maybe it is the political climate in Wisconsin that means I take a 12% pay cut this year; but I am mad.  And this happy teacher often does not raise her voice, just ask my students.  But when that politician scoffed at the notion of cutting doctors pay because they are lifesavers, I just about lost it.  Let me tell you something; teachers save lives too.
Teachers are among the first to notice when a child goes hungry.  They are also among the first to give that child their own lunch and to buy them food.  Teachers are among the first who see children freezing, or wearing the same pair of holey shoes every day, rain or shine.  Teachers are the ones who get clothing and proper winter gear for those who need it.  If a child shows up with bruises or scratches, teachers are the ones who take note.  Teachers are the ones who make those phone calls and follow up with government when nothing happens.  Teachers are the ones who lie awake at night wondering what they can do to help those children.
And those are the big things.  We save lives every day by taking an interest, by being passionate, and by believing in the kids.  Sometimes these kids have no direction and we help them figure one out.  Sometimes these kids come to us ready to take the wrong path and we help them go another way.  Sometimes all a kid needs is a little attention, a little guidance, a little firmness and some love and we give that no questions asked.  We don’t just teach the curriculum, we teach life.
When a child enters our classrooms, we take them under our wings; they become our children.  When a child’s mood changes and depression looms, teachers are the ones who help get the help and assistance needed to veer off disaster.  When home life crashes and that child tells you that they are living in a car, teachers do everything in their power to help.  I have heard of and seen teachers bring in bags of clothing, food, furniture and donate money just to help.  I have heard of teachers who invited families in to live with them until they could get back on their feet.  Teachers save lives.  And they are not the only ones; many people involved in education save lives.  And yet, our pay can be cut because we only work 9 months out of the year anyway.
It is true some doctors save lives.  But not all.  A podiatrist makes on average $181,000 a year.  That is more than 6 times what I make.  They don’t save lives on a regular basis and yet they get the benefit of “being a doctor.”  And that title alone means they command a better salary.  Being a teacher means you better do it for the kids and not complain about the money that comes your way.  If you complain about the money, well then, you are obviously in it for the wrong reason.  Nobody tells doctors that they should be doing it for the patients.  Sure most of them love what they do I’m sure, but I am also sure that some get the degree for that lucrative paycheck, and that’s ok.  I wish everyone could get paid like a doctor.
So this isn’t to rip doctors’ of their pay or even of their status but rather ask why teachers can not be given that same respect  Why can someone not scoff a the notion of cutting teachers’ pay to save the economy? Why can someone not claim as well that teachers save lives and do invaluable work and therefore should be rewarded and respected?  I don’t ask for respect, I earn it.  I don’t ask for status because I don’t care.  I do ask for a decent salary, one to reflect the years of schooling that we go through and continue to pursue.  One that reflects the time that our job takes to do well.  One that reflects the work we do.  But I am not holding my breath.
So yeah teachers save lives; we just don’t get paid like we do.
being a teacher, education reform, testing

Frog and Toad Make Me Think about Our School System

Pernille Ripp
A List
By Arnold Lobel

One morning Toad sat in the bed. “I have many things to do,” he said. “I will have many things to do,” he said.  “I will write them all down on a   list  so that I can remember them.”  Toad wrote down on a piece of paper:
A List of things to do today

Then he wrote:
Wake up
“I have done that,” said Toad and he crossed out:
Wake Up
Then Toad wrote other things on the paper.

A list of things to do today
Wake Up
Eat Breakfast
Get dressed
Go to Frog’s house
Take walk with Frog
Eat lunch
Take nap
Play game with Frog
Eat supper
Go to sleep

 “There ,” said Toad. “Now my day is all written down.”  He got out of bed and had something to eat.  
Then Toad crossed out:  Eat Breakfast.
Toad took his clothes out of the closet and put them on. Then he crossed out: Get dressed.
Toad put the list in his pocket.  He opened the door and walked  out into the morning.  Soon Toad was at Frog’s  front door.   He took the list from his pocket and crossed out:
Go to Frog’s house

Toad knocked at the door. “Hello,” said Frog.  “Look at my list of things to do,” said Toad. “Oh,” said Frog, “that is very nice.”   Toad said, “My list tells me that we will go for a walk.” “All right,” said Frog.  “I am ready.” Frog and Toad went on a long walk. Then Toad took the list from his pocket again. He crossed out: Take walk with Frog.  Just then there was a strong wind.  It blew the list out of Toad’s hand.  The list blew high up into the air. “Help!” cried Toad.  “My list is blowing away.  What
will I do without my list?” “Hurry!” said Frog. “We will run and catch it.” “No!” shouted Toad. “I cannot do that.” “Why not?” asked Frog. “Because,” wailed Toad, “running after my list in not one of the things that I wrote on my list of things to do!” Frog ran after the list.  He ran over hills and swamps, but the list blew on and on.  At last Frog came back to Toad. “I am sorry,” gasped Frog, “but I could not catch your list,” “Blah,” said Toad.”I cannot remember any of the things that were on my list of things to do.  I will just have to sit here and do nothing,” said Toad. Toad sat and did nothing.  Frog sat with him.  After a long time  Frog said, “Toad, it is getting dark.  We should be going to sleep now.” “Go to sleep!” shouted Toad.  “That was the last thing on my list!” Toad wrote on the ground with a stick:  Go to sleep. Then he crossed out:  Go to sleep. “There,” said Toad.  “Now my day is all crossed out!” “I am glad,” said Frog.  
Then Frog and Toad went right to sleep.

The End

How many times do we have to stick to our list and pass by those teachable moments?
How many times do we not get to explore because that particular direction has not been dictated to us?
How many times must we take a path that does not engage the students?
How many times do we lose our list and instead just bumble along until we get to the end of the day?

How many times do we give up teaching curriculum in a meaningful way and teach to the test instead, hurrying so we may cross things off our list?
How often do we tell others that they must comply because our list says so?

being a teacher, education reform, Student-centered

What Do You Have Room For?

Pernille Ripp
With the school year upon most of us in Northern America, now is the time I start to dream.  I know I cannot change the system in which I operate, although I can make waves, but I can continue to change our classroom, the journey we are on, and the road we take.

We all have such power; but do we remember it?  Do we remember that even though much of our day is dictated by outsiders, we still have a voice?  You do.  It may seem like test prep, rules, and “routines” day in and day out but really there is room for you as well.  There is room for you to give your students a voice and let them own the journey.  There is room for you to not punish and not reward, those are choices you make.  There is room for you to engage kids, to not be the center of attention, to let them speak, hope, dream, and inspire each other.   There is room for all of that.

So although it is easier to say education is being done to us as much as it is to our students, it is not entirely true.  We still have choices in our school, even if it is only how we speak to our students.  And even that holds power within itself.  So ask yourself; what do I control?  What can I change? What do I have room for?

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education reform

Recipe for An Awful School Year

Pernille Ripp
To have an awful school year is actually quite easy – you can cement it already within the first week.  After that it is just maintenance, nothing to worry, it should take care of itself.

You want to start with the first meeting, lay down the law, make sure the kids know you are the boss and that they will follow you blindly because you are indeed the teacher and have the degree to prove it.   Make sure they know where their place is in the classroom.  Give them designated areas where they can spread out – their desk will be just fine and then mark off your own territory, labels and masking tape seem to work well.  Tell them that if they run out of school supplies it is their job to get more, you are after all not a store.  When they ask to go to the bathroom tell them no that they will have to wait until your designated bathroom time.  After all, adults have to learn how to hold it.  They may not have water because it tends to interfere with the bathroom time.  Snacks are for recess, you do not need crumbs on your floor.  Books will be selected by you and will only be a reflection of their reading level.  You do not have the time to  discuss interests with 20 some kids, after all, you are busy teaching.

Homework will be handed in before the first bell, no exceptions, and if not handed in, it will  be given a zero when it does.  There are no chances for re-dos.  After all, life doesn’t give you second chances.  Don’t even bother to ask for extra credit, opportunities for that will be decided by the teacher and will usually involve around an errand or task that the teacher needs done.  Parents should only come in when invited, which means the first day of school, conferences and the last day of school.  They really have no place in your room.  Speaking of conferences, this will be your chance to tell the parents about the awfulness of their child so make sure to tell the children that if they don’t behave you will be telling their parents and hoping they get punished.  In fact, punishment and the discussion of all of your rules will take up a good portion of that first day.  After all we have to get our routines down, our limitations set.  So that means no talking in the halls, whispering at lunch, all eyes on the teacher after I shut off the lights.  You may not sharpen your pencil except for when it is on the schedule and there will absolutely never ever be any gum in the room.  Make no mistake, those kids are merely guests passing through.

You will get started that first day with a test, after all, you need to know where these children have deficits.  Then you can place them into your groups that will not change for the year because who has time to reevaluate.  In fact, that first test will be part of their grade so that it reflects their journey.  You have heard it is good to show growth, even if they had no idea there would be a test.  Surprise!  You like surprises so those pop quizzes you pull out is sure to keep them on their toes.  They have to be alert when they never know what is going to happen and creates an aura around you of mystery.  In fact, the less they know about you, the better.  We are not there to build relationships, we are there to teach, to get them ready for the test.  Think of stories and how longwinded students can be, why would you want to spend time on that?  The children will address you properly, they should not even know your first name if you do it right or any other identifying information; after all, you don’t want them to be able to find you outside of school.

So there you go, the recipe for an awful school year.  I promise you if you do all or most of these things you will see immediate results.  The kids will fear you, hate your classroom and be terrified of school in general – mission accomplished.

education reform, testing

Creating the Anxious Child

Pernille Ripp
I never saw a multiple choice test until I decided to become a teacher in America.  Having gone through the Danish school system, of course, there were tests but they happened at the end of the year and were written and oral exams, not just fill in the bubble and the machine will take care of the rest.  The first time I took a multiple choice test was for placement exams for my education degree, at first I thought it was fun, after all, all you had to do was fill in a bubble?  I didn’t have to explain or even comprehend, I could just guess?  Breeze through and forget about it all afterwards.  Throughout college I studied, after all, I am an overachiever and yet whenever I came across the multiple choice test my spirit instantly died.  I was glad that it didn’t affect my  teacher, only myself and my grade, because I would doubt myself so much on some of the answers, meant to be tricky, that often I wouldn’t even know what to put down even though I knew the material.

We forget to think about how it must feel for kids to be solely responsible for teacher’s pay and jobs.  How must it feel for students that if they do poorly on a test it will directly affect the teacher that they love?  Kids are not stupid, they are aware of what is happening around us, how politicians and “reformers” are asking their test scores be part of something bigger.  For this text-anxious child that knowledge would have been the nail in the coffin.  People say that with this knowledge students will do even better because they will want to protect their teacher, to show off what they know.  No child goes into a test trying to deliberately fail, at least not most, and yet placing that pressure of someone else’s livelihood and dream is just too much for children to bear.

What are we doing to the children of America?  What pressure are we placing them under?  How can we force them through more rigorous assessment to get them ready for the future when that could mean that their teachers no longer get to teach.  We worry that America is too anxious, too many kids are being diagnosed with anxiety and panic attacks, depression, and other pill-needing maladies.  And then we wonder what happened?  Why are all these children feeling so pressured?  Why can they not cope with “kid stuff” – well look at our schools and what we do to them.   Education is no longer for the kids, it is for the politicians.