Category: end of year

end of year, reflection, students

And So It Was Goodbye

Pernille Ripp


Friday marked the end of an incredible year with my 5th graders.  They were ready to go on to summer, they were ready to go to middle school.  So we had a small and perfect graduation and these were my parting words to them…


Dear 5th graders,
I walked into your classroom on November 5th hoping that you would like me.  Hoping that we could build a community, hoping that you would be up for some of my craziness.  I had heard that you were an incredible class, I had heard that you were as sweet as can be, perhaps a little rambunctious, but definitely with your heart in the right place.  Little did I know just how quickly you would become my kids, part of my family, and how quickly the end of the year would come.


We have read many incredible books this year, we have laughed about them, cried about them (well I have any way), and definitely rushed to each other and said “You have to read this book!”  And think of everything we have learned…


Ivan taught us that words are to be treasured and used to make a difference in the world.


Harry taught us that friendships can make the difference between life and death.


Auggie taught us “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.“


Chu taught us that even the smallest gestures can have the biggest outcomes


Coraline taught us that even though we may think our parents are the most boring parents in the world, they are still the best parents for us.


Carly Rae Jepsen taught us that it’s always a good time.


But it was Jack’s words in Miss Stretchberry’s room 105 that left us with the biggest lesson of the year
Jack writes;  
September 13th
I don’t want to
because boys
don’t write poetry


Girls do.


September 21
I tried.
Can’t do it.
Brain’s empty.


September 27th
I don’t understand
the poem about
the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
and why so much
depends upon them.


If that is a poem
about the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
then any words
can be a poem.
You’ve just got to
make
short
lines.


Jack was right – any words can be poetry.  So I hope you leave 5th grade painting with your words, not shying away from stating your opinion, and above all choosing kind.


You have made me so proud, thank you for letting me be a part of your life, and remember; represent.

end of year, reflection, students

What My Students Taught Me This Year

Pernille Ripp
This year was one of those years that I will always smile about.  This year with these kids is one of those years that went just a little too fast.  Where the kids grew a little too quick and our final days together came a little too soon (9 days left).  Being out the first two months with the twins didn’t help this year either.  I learned so many lessons this year all because of these kids.  So what these kids taught me was

That to create passionate readers you must be a passionate reader yourself.

That to get kids to read you have to give them time to read.

That to get kids to open up in their writing you have to do the piece yourself and then share it when it is your turn.

That poetry is best done without thinking about rules or rhyming, at least most of the time.

That it is ok to cry in front of the kids when you read that part in “Love that Dog” or that part in “The One and Only Ivan” or that part in “Wonder.”

That when the world stands still because your read aloud is so good that you should really just keep reading.

That when an author tweets you back it is something to scream aloud about.

That when a kid thrusts a book into your hands urging you to read it, you should read it as soon as possible.

That when a kid asks you a question you cannot answer take the time to try to figure it out.

That when a kid asks for a break right after recess they really need a break.

That when a really good song comes on your ipod during math it is ok to turn it up and have a little dance break.

That is ok to admit when you bungled a math concept and then figure it out together.

That it is never too late to ask why, never too late to change your plans, never too late to ask the kids what they think.

That often silence is the best way to start a conversation.

What did your kids teach you this year?

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end of year, projects, students

The Learning Doesn’t Stop – Ideas for Maximizing Those Last Few Weeks of School

Pernille Ripp
I don’t do end of year countdowns, I actually dread the last day of school because it means these amazing kids are not going to be mine any longer.  And yet, being in 5th grade means that graduation is near, middle school looms, and the kids know that our time is limited.  So they started asking me what we would be doing these last few weeks after math is done, memoir is done, all that stuff we had to get through is done (I never tell them that we are never done even if we aren’t).  And voila; a list of ideas for the remaining weeks.

  • The teapot project.  After we finish our math journals I don’t want math to end, so thank you Aviva for choosing us to receive your teapot.  This means that the last two weeks of school we will be busy researching, designing  and building our own packing material for the teapot that will go back to another classroom in Canada.  Math journals may have stopped  but the math certainly doesn’t
  • Our reading recommendation list.  My students love to read; they breathe books and many kids have already expressed fear that they will not know what to read over the summer.  We therefore decided to ask strangers for recommendations and will also be compiling our own.  In the end we will create Animotos showcasing our favorites reads, a list for students to access for recommendations, and probably a massive wish list of books for me for next year.
  • Book bins of our favorite books.  This was a great idea from a teacher at my school; have your students create personalized book bins for the incoming class.  My students will each create one with a favorite 5th grade book, a favorite series book, a book they never thought they would like, and a book that was too hard for them to read at the beginning of the year but now they have mastered.  What a wonderful way to get the next set of students ready to read.
  • Our favorite memories.  Students become movie producers as they sort of how to film students favorite memories of 5th grade.  This is a great extension of our memoir unit and also allows the kids to tell me what they loved.  A committee usually takes care of the actual filming and producing.
  • What I like about….I love this simple video project where every student is tasked with complimenting three other students.  Again a committee takes care of the filming and editing.
  • A thank you letter for all those other people.  I try to teach my students the power of a thank you letter and so we end the year compiling letters to all of those people that have made the school year wonderful; our specials teachers, our custodians, our lunch ladies and anyone else the students want to thank.  Since they are 5th graders they often ask if they can write thank you notes to their old teachers as well.  A committee take scare of the binding of the books but this is a great way to once again discuss letter writing.
  • Precepts for the new 5th grade students.  Anyone who has read Wonder knows what I mean by precepts but in essence they are words to live by.  I will therefore be asking my students to write precepts for my new students that I can use for my welcome display.  This is their chance to give them words to live by in 5th grade and it will be nice to have these reminders on the first day of school where I tend to miss those old students a lot.
  • Innovation Day.  We just had Innovation Day as a whole grade level on Wednesday and I cannot tell you how incredible it is for 60 students to just engage in their very own project for a whole day.  If you don’t know what Innovation Day it is not too late to do it at your school.
  • Dear Future Mrs. Ripp’s Kids.  Letters from my old students to the new ones offering them tips, getting them excited about the year to come, and of course trying to answer any questions they may have.  I hand these to my new students to read and discuss and then I take them back after that.  I save every year’s letters as a reminder of just how many kids I have been privileged to teach.
  • We also blog up until the last few days, do a government simulation, read one more book aloud, do an end of the year survey, present our biome projects, weed through our library, figure out how the classroom should be set up next year and just have a really great time with each other.  So yeah, I don’t do a countdown – we simply have too much to still do!
end of year, feedback, principals, reflection

Principals; Please Let Your Teachers Evaluate You

Pernille Ripp
I am here today to really ask one thing; principals, please let your teachers evaluate you.  And although it may not be my place and you may find it odd that I dare say it, I will tell you why I ask.

Please let us evaluate you so that we can tell you all of the great things you have done for our school.  So that we can tell you where we have grown as teachers and how you have helped foster that growth.

Please let us evaluate you so that we can tell you our vision for our learning environment and we can figure out how it fits into a whole school vision.

Please let us evaluate you so that we can tell you how the school’s climate is doing from an individual classroom standpoint.  We know you have the overall feel, but let us fill in the gaps.

Please let us evaluate you so that we can help you grow like you help us grow.  We are all human, we all have areas we need to focus on, yet sometimes our own judgment or priorities cloud what is most pressing.  Sometimes teachers or even students are the ones that can keep or put a whole school on track.

Please let us evaluate you so that we know that how we feel matters.  So that we know that much as we should be listening to our students and to you, you will also listen to us.

Don’t make it anonymous; people need to stand behind their words.  But please give us the chance to speak those words to you.

We know time is of the essence, and we all know how much there is still to do, but please let us evaluate you so that we can continue to grow together.

PS:  I let parents and students evaluate me every year, and every year, I grow from it, even if some evaluations are not as positive as I could hope.  We will not grow if we do not ask the people who we effect how we are doing.