Category: new year

being a teacher, new teacher, new year, parents, students, survey

3 Beginning of the Year Surveys For Students And Parents

Pernille Ripp

I believe in the power of a  great survey and have been giving them to my students ever since I started teaching.  This year, I am breaking them up for different days and will have students do them in class so I can gather them and mine them for information.  One of these is for my entire team to use as well.  Please feel free to use and adapt to fit your needs.  The three surveys are

Beginning of the Year Survey.  To see this survey, go here.

How are you as writer?  To see this survey, go here.

How are you as a reader?  To see this survey, go here.

To adapt these, simply click the link, go under “file” and then click “Make a copy.”  That way you can edit it and tweak as needed.

To see all of the other forms I use, including technology permission forms, student-led conferences, and other survey tools, go here.

As far as parents go, I have a very simple survey.  I ask them what their hopes and dreams are for their kids and then if there is anything else I should know.

(In the past, I have used a more extensive parent survey, to see that go here).

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.

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, believe, hopes, new year

You Are Not “Just” A Teacher

Pernille Ripp

“I am just a teacher.”  How many times have we said it without even realizing it?  Without realizing how much we are cutting ourselves down?  How many times have we started our retort, offered an idea, or even pushed back with these words?  I am just a teacher so no one has to listen to me.  I am just a teacher so my ideas don’t have value.  I am just a teacher so what do I know…

But here’s the thing, you are not just a teacher.  You are so much more.

You are the first line of defense for a child’s love of learning.  The original believer in all children.  The person who every day gets up and thinks that they can truly make a difference.

You are a dream-builder.  A planner. A wonder-er.

You are a compass for those who may be lost.  A map for those who need to find a way.  And a flashlight for those who have lost their vision.

You are not just a teacher, you are a pair of arms for those who feel the world is against them.  A shoulder for those who need to cry.   Ears that will listen to whose who feel no one hears their voice anymore.

You are someone who believes even when others don’t.  You are someone who fights even after all seems lost.  You are someone who never, ever gives up even when a child has given up on themselves.

You are not “just” a teacher, but instead a warrior whose urgency only grows with every child we meet.  A campaigner for others to believe in the good that you see in a child.  A window opener when all the doors have been closed.

You are the family that some children don’t get to have.  You are someone who cares with everything you do.  You are the voice of reason when others speak nonsense.

You are the last line of defense when others say no more, nothing else, we are done.

So yes, you may just be a teacher but think of what you are to all of those kids that you teach.  Think of what you can be.  And then think of what they will do knowing you were their teacher.  So the next time you find yourself saying you are just a teacher, wear that title with pride.  You are just a teacher, but teachers change the world.

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.

advice, being me, education, new year

Be Careful – My Words for the New Year

Pernille Ripp

I seem to have guiding statements every so often that come into my life and shape my future.  Shape the way I teach, shape the way I speak, shape the way I act.  In the past I have been brave.  I have been passionate.  I have been happy and I have been fearless.  But this year I feel my life taking a different turn, and while I continue to tell myself and others to be brave, to be happy, to be passionate, to be fearless, I also want to say be careful.

Be careful with your words, because what we say matters.

Be careful with your risks, take them and own them and don’t be ashamed.  Share them with the world, share them with your students, share them with people who care, you don’t have to keep wasting your time on people who don’t.

Be careful with your dreams and that you don’t extinguish them yourself out of fear.  The future may be unknown but you set the path to follow.

Be careful with your students, we get one chance to show them that we care about them, don’t waste it on minor problems.

Be careful with the way you spend your time, there is truly only so much you can do in a day.

Be careful with your small conversations, those moments in the hallways, those moments at lunch, those moments in passing, because those are the ones most people remember so make them worthwhile.

Be careful with your public statements, we jump to conclusions and social media only allows us too much of a platform.  Use it for good.  Use it to lift others up.  Use it to debate, but use it to debate kindly.

Be careful with your choices, make sure your heart is in it, don’t just say yes because you should, but say yes when you mean it and then really mean it.

Be careful with your passion.  Yes, change is great, your ideas matter, and yes, there are probably other ways something can be done, but others have passion too.  Don’t diminish theirs to highlight your own.  Build a bridge, compromise, and listen to each other.  Believe in yourself but spend just as much time believing in others.

Be careful with yourself.  Stop belittling and battling yourself.  Take care of you so that others may have the chance to care as well.  Be proud of who you are and allow yourself to change.  Allow yourself to try.  Allow yourself to pull back and heal when needed.

Be careful but don’t be so careful that you do not change.  That is my wish for 2015.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA,  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. 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.   Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being me, new year, Passion

The Posts that Spoke the Loudest Part 2

Pernille Ripp

This is it.  Final day of an incredible year and also the birthday of my oldest amazing daughter, Theadora.  So as I stated yesterday, here are the final posts of the years that I wanted to highlight as I move on to a brand new year.   So per tradition, here are the ones that came the straightest from the heart and weren’t always easy to publish.  (In no particular order)

To My Daughter on the Eve Before Kindergarten

…I hope you stay you.  That you continue to find the magic in small things.  That you continue to be proud of what you accomplish and not because someone told you too, but because you believe that what you did was worth pride.  I hope your skin gets tougher, that every perceived slight will not make scars, that you will figure out when something is worth your tears and when it is not.  That you will find your place with friends, not toss your heart so overwhelmingly at every new person you meet, and yet don’t forget to keep putting it out there, giving everybody a chance.

We Teachers, We Make Mistakes Too

…I am here to tell you to not give up on school, not that I think you would anyway.  You see, we teachers, we say a lot of things, and we sometimes don’t know how our words are taken.  I wish we always said the right thing or even did the right thing.  But we are human too, and sometimes words come out of our mouths before we have thought them through.  Maybe that teacher who told you not to read picture books just hasn’t found the right one yet?  Or maybe that teacher doesn’t know you yet.  Doesn’t know how great of a reader you are, how you love to read a variety of books.  How you love handing books to your teachers to have them read them so that you can share your favorite moments.  Maybe that teacher didn’t mean it the way it sounded.

The Downside to Being a Connected Educator

…I have written a lot about all that being a connected educator has done for me.  I have written a lot about how I would not trade it for anything and that I hope others will choose to become connected as well.  I have written about how being a connected educator has enabled me to have connected students, which has radically changed the way I teach.  And yet, I have not talked about the downfall of being connected much.  Not like this, not in this way.

A Letter to My Daughter’s Kindergarten Teacher

…Thea got off the bus today and asked if we could go back to school now.  She had not even taken off her backpack, nor had she told me about her day.  Not hello mom, not how are you, but can we go now?  Please?  When I told her we would have to wait until 5:30, when open house started, she got mad.  “But I want to go now mom, I have to go see my teacher.”

And my eyes got watery and I had to swallow for a second so she couldn’t see how I felt.

Take One and Pass It On

…In the staff bathroom at my school something like this hung on the wall.  I should have taken a picture but I was too caught up in it to think that far ahead.  It kind of looked like this except a couple of strips had already been ripped off.  So I followed the direction, ripped it off, and passed it on.  Perhaps these should be plastered all over our schools

When You Feel Misplaced

…It dawned on me today as I picked my heart up off the floor; I miss my 5th grade.  I miss teaching so many different subjects.  I miss the hugs.  I miss the stories.  I miss the parents randomly stopping by with a forgotten lunch or just because.  I miss my old team, even though my new team is incredible.  I miss knowing the kids in that way you know them when you have them all day. I miss snack time and read aloud.  Our first grade buddies.  The excitement that comes with being a 5th grader and being on the cusp of middle school, not knowing what to expect.  And did I mention, I miss the hugs?

And here are the most viewed posts, some do overlap which is nice.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA,  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. 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” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being me, new year, Passion, reflection

The Posts that Spoke the Loudest Part 1

Pernille Ripp

One day left of this year.  This glorious, life changing year that included a new baby released from the NICU, a new house, a new job in a new district, and even 2 books being published.  4 and 14 have always been my lucky numbers but even I could not have foreseen all of the awesome that happened in this year.  So while I can see which posts got the most traffic, those aren’t necessarily the ones that spoke the loudest to me even if they did to others.  So per tradition, here are the ones that came the straightest from the heart and weren’t always easy to publish.  (In no particular order)

What Becomes of the Lonely Teachers?

…I know I forget to, I know I get too busy trying to catch up with the ones I already have established routines with.  I know I forget to include, to ask, to invite, but I try.  And it is in this trying that I find my own hope, that perhaps if I try and everyone else tries, that perhaps those teachers we let slip through the cracks will be caught by someone and for once they wont be the ones shutting their door, for once they wont be the ones that no one noticed that day.

How to Unleash the Uncreative Child

…When I look back on my childhood I see that I was probably not alone.  Many of my friends weren’t explosively creative either and while these days when we have uncreative children we tend to blame our school system, I think it was just the way we were.  We didn’t know how to be creative so we weren’t.

To the Kid Who Walked Through My Door Last Night

…But the truth is you didn’t come to me last night for math help.  You came to tell me about how you are trying your best but the teachers don’t see it.  How it is hard to stay awake some times.  How it is hard to not laugh when your best friend does that funny thing again.  How the teachers don’t get you even though 2 weeks ago you decided to really try your best but now you think your best will never be good enough for those teachers.  They already give you that look, they have already given up.

When Teachers Bully Teachers

…Today I choose to reclaim my past as I leave my old district and school and venture forward, it is time to take back the power that this situation had over me.  It is time to move on and away from the past.  It is time to tell the story of what can happen when teachers bully teachers.

A Letter to Those Who are New, Myself Included…

…Don’t be ashamed of being you.  You may not always have the best advice.  You may not always be an expert.  You may not always know what you are doing, but you still have worth.  Your ideas still matter.  You still matter.  Your excitement can spread.  Your newness may be an advantage at times.  Your energy and curiosity will help you.  So don’t stand in your own way.

And here are the most viewed posts, some do overlap which is nice.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA,  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. 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” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, classroom expectations, new year, our classroom, Passion

Why Not Treat Them Like They Want to Be In Our Classrooms?

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I bartended for many years before and after I became a teacher.  Something about the hours and the people appealed to me and it is even how I met my husband; he was a bouncer and I was behind the bar.  I remember seeing the same people come in weekend after weekend.  Not because they had to.  Not because there was anything special going on.  Not because the drinks were fantastic.  Instead it was because of the people who worked there.  The people who made the place special.  The people who knew you, who knew what you liked, who asked about your family, who made you feel cared about.  They made the experience special.

Why am I bringing this up?  Because in our classrooms we make the difference of whether kids want to show up or not.  We already know they have to be there, but our relationship with them is what can determine whether they want to be a part of our classrooms or not.  It is our attitude, how we greet them, how we treat them, that will make the difference.

So when school starts again, offer them the attention they deserve.  Ask about more than homework or work habits.  About more than what is happening at school.  Look at them when you speak to them.  Seek them out for conversation.  Listen.  Remember. And share yourself.

We know it is about the relationship.  We know a successful education can hinge on personal relationships.  Why not treat the students as if they don’t have to be there but instead want to be there?  Why not treat them like we would our favorite customer?  It’s amazing how much a smile and a few lines of conversation can do, don’t forget that.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA,  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. 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” is out now from Corwin Press.  Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.