Category: help

being me, help

It Is Those Little Things

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I wake up and spot it right away; my phone plugged in charging next to the bed.  Not a big thing, just one of those little things.  I get downstairs, which takes a while this pregnant, and again; a cup of tea sitting there.  My husband may have left for the day but the reminders of his presence stays.  It’s those little things that make me smile.  Those things that take maybe 30 seconds or a few minutes but that carry me through the day; I am loved.

At school, I fill the copier with paper.  I sort the recycled paper and bring scraps back for the kids.  I clean the sink, turn off the lights, change a dried out printer cartridge.  None of it is in my job description but it is those little things that make others have an easier day.  I greet everyone I meet with a smile, I stand and listen while looking someone in the eye.  I email out a website that another grade may be able to use.  Those little things that help, those little things that show others concern.  I don’t make it a priority, I have enough of those, but I make it a part of my day, i take the time, invest it and move on.

Imagine if we all did little things every day.  If instead of hurrying through the day, concerned only about the happenings within our walls, within our brain, we took those seconds and did a little thing?  Imagine the example it would set for the kids, for each other, imagine what school would feel like?  

family, help

Remember the Wish for My Brother

Pernille Ripp
In November, I wrote a post asking for help in giving my brother Paul a very special Christmas.  He was at the time deployed to Afghanistan and expected to come home before Christmas.  Besides being an incredible trauma nurse and studying to be a doctor, he is also the biggest Maple Leafs fan I have ever seen. So in my post I asked if anyone could help me get a shirt for him and lo and behold it all happened due to the power of Twitter.  Watch the video below how it all went down and thank you again if you were part of the journey in getting the word out.

help, students

For the Kids Who Struggle with Division

Pernille Ripp

I need help; Some of my students struggle so with division. They get that division means to divide into equal parts, they get the concept, and we practice, practice, and practice long division until our eyes are weary. And yet,I can see their despair, they do not understand why we are doing the steps we do. So I need a different approach before we move on and put them further behind.

What can I do to make them see the light? I have them explain it to each other but even doing that doesn’t seem to change their understanding. We practice but that is not enough either. There are many smarter people out there, please lend me your ideas.

help

Can You Help – Fulfilling my Brother’s Wish

Pernille Ripp
My brother, Paul, is returning from Afghanistan this month where he has been stationed in the middle of absolute nowhere for the past year.  Paul is a trauma nurse, one of those guys that are on the front lines working in a tent with no running water saving the lives of soldiers.  To say that having him in Afghanistan has been hard for my family would be an understatement but now with the count down finally happening we are hoping to see him by Christmas.  This is where I need someone’s help and I figured this would be the easiest way to do since it seems I have many connected people in my personal learning network.  Paul  is a massive Maple Leafs fan, in fact, I have not encountered many people who are more loyal to their team.  So I would love to get him a signed Maple Leaf shirt for Christmas.  It is a small gift but it would be the biggest surprise for him in the world.  This would be a way for my family to celebrate that he is around to watch another season of hockey…

So can anyone out there help me get a signed shirt for him?  I would pay for everything, he is a size large, but it is the signatures that would make the whole world of difference.  I would appreciate it if you would pass this on to anyone who could possibly help.  I hope you don’t mind me asking.

Update:  2 days after posting this I was contacted by both Dallas Eakins, Head Coach of the Toronto Marlies and Jon Sinden A social media marketer for the Maple Leafs.  They have promised to help me fulfill this wish.  This could not have been done without the massive power of my PLN, there was no official route to do this through since I am not a charity.  I cannot tell you how absolutely thankful I am to all the people who have helped. 

I will update more when I know more.  This again shows how we must all pay it forward.  I look forward to helping someone else out.