Category: new year

being a teacher, being me, new year

Pity Party in 7th Grade

Pernille Ripp
image from dajon smiles

I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.  That tends to happen when no one comes to your classroom and you see them run to others.  I can hear the shouts, the excitement the tales of summer being unwound.  I feel lonely, jealous even, knowing I used to be one of the rooms that kids would flock to.  Shouts of “Mrs. Ripp!!!!” would fill my ears, hugs and stories of books read, summer adventures, and hopes and dreams for the new year would surround me.  New students (finally mine), old students (still my kids), and parents would all stop by when they could, chat for a moment, just to check in.  But when you move schools, move districts, you lose that and you don’t know how much you will miss it until no one comes to your room, no one shouts your name.  So yeah, pity party in 7th grade English this afternoon.

But then; one kid entered, then a parent followed, unsure of who I was but assuming I was the English teacher.  Hasty introductions, more glances around the room and I could see the boy honing in on all of  the books on the book tree behind me.  His mom tells me he has read them all; Maze Runner, Divergent, Lightning Thief and the list goes on.  I ask if he has read The Testing, walk over to the library and hand it to him.  Tell him to see if he likes it, bring it back on Tuesday if he doesn’t.

“Should he check it out?”  Is there a system?” his mom asks.

“Nah, I trust him, just bring it back.”

She looks at me and smiles, turns to him.  “Look at all those books, there are many you haven’t read.”  And they leave, book in hand, smiles on their faces.

Being new is lonely, being new is scary, being new makes you realize how amazing it was being old.  But being new just means new beginnings, new connections, new parents, and new kids.

Being new may seem lonely, but really it is just waiting for the first kid to walk in to tell them your name.  Or that first kid to find something to connect with you through.  For that first kid to take a chance on you and let you in just a little so on Tuesday you may heare “Hey, Mrs. Ripp, I really loved that book., do you have another?”

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.

Be the change, new year

Don’t Throw Out the Old

Pernille Ripp

I have been waking up at 5:30 so that I can be to my new school by 7 every morning, drinking in the newness, as the school slowly wakes up.  I have plans and papers piled around me.  Ideas bouncing through my head, waking me up at night.  I have dreams, so many, and yet, I have to remember to keep the old.  To keep the tried an d true.  To keep the “me” in the new.  To keep what has worked as well.  That although new ideas seem like they will fix everything, or at the very least make it all even better, that our old ideas also still have value.  That although new is shiny, exciting, and oh so tantalizing, some of our old thoughts still works.

This is not to say that new is bad, but I think we get caught up in wanting to change everything at the start of every year, rather than focusing on a few things.  That we make these new year resolutions about how this will be the year we will be “that ” teacher, and then forget to give ourselves a break.  That to create new habits take a lot of work, take a lot of energy, and that we have to also preserve ourselves in the crazy life as educators.  

So while I stand in a new position; 7th grade English teacher (who would have thought) I know there are some of my old ideas that will work.  They will get tweaked, of course, they always do.  But the backbone of them, the seed, is still great.  The idea when it was first new was amazing, and that idea still has merit. 

So go ahead; get excited, dream up the new, but don’t forget about the old things that worked.  About the old ideas that were new once.  Some will still work.  Parts of you will still work, even as we start on a whole new year.

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.

Be the change, being a teacher, new year, parents, reflection, students

Have You Included Parent Voice in Back to School Planning?

Pernille Ripp
image from alexandremdesigns

On Wednesday, Theadora gets to meet her kindergarten teacher.  We get to show up, me with all 4 of the kids, drop off her supplies and asnwer any questions the teacher may have.  You would think I have a mile-long list of questions, but I don’t.  I don’t know what to as at this point, that will come later, once school has started.  And yet,  I do have hopes and dreams for Thea and I hope I get to express that to her teacher.

This realization made me remember that I need to include my 7th grade parents’ voice in my back to school preparation.  That yes, I may be planning awesome things for my first days of schools, and that yes I may be teaching students at an age of more independence from parents.  But parents still need to have a voice in our classroom.

So I created my hopes and dreams survey.  One simple question to get their feedback, to guide me as I prepare.  Don’t forget to tap into parent knowledge.  Don’t forget to reach out, even if you think their child is too old for you to ask.  I don’t think any parent ever stops dreaming for their child, don’t forget to ask.

PS: In 5th grade, I used this

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.

Be the change, being me, new year

Need Some Ideas For Back to School? Win A Copy of My Book

Pernille Ripp

I have done a giveaway at the beginning of summer for my first book and thought I should end this glorious summer with one as well.  So if you feel like you need some ideas for back to school.  If you feel like you know what you are doing but are ready to make some changes.  If you feel like there are things you want to do to give students more voice but not quite sure where to start, then here is the e-book for you.

My first book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” has been helping new and veteran teachers this summer come up with ideas for change.  It has helped give some the push they needed to give the classroom back to students, or helped them with new ideas for what they were already doing.  I have been excited and humbled by the reviews on Goodreads from educators that are taking the time to read the book such as this one:

In a time when much of education is dictated by curriculum standards and mandated behavior management programs, Pernille offers a fresh perspective on what learning is like from the student perspective. From her asking the question, “would you like being a student in your own classroom?” to her ideas about grading and homework, she offers a vision of truly student-centered education. She does not offer a method or a step-by-step guide to changing one’s teaching. Instead, she empowers teachers to reflect on their experiences, on research, and on their current level of comfort with innovation. After this reflection, teachers are ready to use Pernille’s ideas as a springboard to transform their own classrooms into ones that are truly student-centered.

So what do you have to do to win?  Simple, leave a comment, please leave your email, and let me know what you would like to change this year.  I will only run this contest to Monday night, August 24th at 8 PM CST so that the winner has a chance to read the book soon.

And if you don’t win, consider reading the book anyway.  Wherever you are on your journey, I hope it helps move you forward.

This contest has closed – the winner was….Erin Petley – thank you so much everyone for entering!

being a teacher, being me, new year

Don’t Forget It’s About the Kids

Pernille Ripp

The excitement is palpable.  The rush is on.  Meetings, freshly copied stacks of paper, and endless to-do lists lead to sleepless nights.  North America is headed back to school.  All around our country superintendents, principals, and keynotes speakers are getting ready to deliver words of wisdom, words to start the school year off right.  There is much to cover, much new to unveil, there always is, and yet, I have a plea for you.

Don’t forget to inspire.

Don’t forget to keep it about the kids.

That we are here faced with so many new things, but if we don’t love what we do, and if we don’t love those kids, then new initiatives don’t matter.  Then new ideas will not take off right.  Then a new vision will never take root.

Don’t forget that we have dreams too.  That numbers and data and stacks of information is important but so is the need to dream.  We want to be told that we matter, that our ideas matter, and that we are in it together.

You don’t have to speak for long.  You don’t have to say anything fancy.  But start out with the most important message of them all; we are here for the kids.  And then end with it too.  Sure, show us the data, share the new things, but the kids?  That’s where we need to focus.  Not the new, not the clever, not the vision even, but them.  They are the reason we are here.

H/T to my administration who did just that.

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.

being a teacher, being me, ideas, Literacy, new year, Reading

Small Ideas for Better Readers Workshop

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I have been discussing reading and writing almost every day these past few weeks preparing for my new job as a 7th grade English teacher.  I haven’t minded one bit either.  It seems if I am not discussing it, I am thinking about it, and that tends to lead to a blog post or five to get my own thoughts straight.  I started to realize that there are little tweaks that I have been using the past few years to make our conversations deeper and to make it run a bit smoother, couple that with new ideas thanks to my amazing PLN, and I am feeling pretty good about the start of school September 2nd.

So if you want students to actually read…

  • Give them reading time in class, even in middle and high school.  We cannot control what students do outside of our rooms but we can give them the gift of time in our rooms.  So even if you only have 10 minutes like me to give in a 45 minute block, give it to students for independent reading.  Make it sacred and believe in it by not infringing in it.
  • Set up reading routines and expectations from day one.  The students will be coming up with how to get settled into independent reading right away as they come to class, as well as what that looks like/sounds like/feels like.  I am taking the time to build a proper foundation because this is so important for the entire year.  Yes, there is curriculum to cover but it will not be covered well if our routines aren’t in place.
  • Have incredible books.  Don’t just rely on your school library, have an actual library in your classroom.  No, it is not cheap, but the investment we put into getting great books pays off when it hooks a reader.   I also use sites like Donorschoose and Books4Schools to get more books.  And yes, this goes even for middle school and high school.
  • Let students choose their books.  We do book clubs later in the year, but overall books are self-selected, with help when needed.  Students need to develop their own taste in books and need to develop deep reading habits, they have a hard time doing that if we are constantly telling them what to read.  I do not have a leveled library because of this, I don’t want students to feel defined by their level, but rather figure out who they are as readers.  I do whole class books as a read aloud to have a shred experience and a shared text to discuss lessons within.
  • Read yourself.  A very simple idea that pays off tenfold.  If you read and can hand books to students, you set an expectation for continual reading.  It also creates a better reading community because you can really discuss books with your students.
  • Do a challenge of some sort.  I have done my own version of the 40 book challenge with a lot of success; every student read more books than the year before because they were trying to get to 40 books.  This year it will be a 25 book challenge instead, due to the limited independent reading time I can offer students.  There is no prize, nor any competition, but rather an awareness of trying to beat one’s own number of books read.  And no, it is not a public challenge.

So if you want them to develop deeper ideas…

  • Use post-its to mark text and jot down ideas.  Teach students to look for things they want to discuss, not just connections, questions, or unfamiliar words.  Those tend to not to lead to deeper discussion, but rather dead end ones.  
  • Discuss what creates a highway conversation vs a dead-end one.  This is a simple analogy that works well; think of your reading thoughts as a highway.  You are trying to create one where there are many places to go, not on that stops abruptly.  Having students act this out on pre-written post-its can get the point across really well.
  • Re-visit post-its.  This is a great strategy for those students that cannot get past their initial idea.  Have them jot something down and then have them continue reading, at the end of their reading time, have them return to an older post-it and add thoughts to it now.
  • Give students a warning before reading time is over.  I do a 2 minute warning reminding them that they need to take time to think and jot something down for them to discuss with their partner or group.  Everyone knows there is no reason to not have anything written down.
  • Give them cheat sheets.  I am all about scaffolding because asking probing reading questions can be hard eve for teachers.  So we brainstorm cheat sheets that students keep on small rings, these rings also have their monthly reading goals on them (one quantity goal and the other two skills goals) that they write.  
  • Model partner conversations.  Have students guide each other on what they can say or how they can push someone’s thinking.  It is often much more powerful coming from peers than a teacher.
  • Create huge goals for reading.  In our classroom, we don’t read to be better readers, we read to be better people that can carry on conversations by being interested and active listeners and speakers.  Yup, my 5th graders could discuss more than just a book by the end of the year, I was so incredibly proud of them.

So if you want it to be better because something isn’t working…

  • Ask the students their opinion.  I survey them at the beginning of the year for their reading habits, but I also ask them throughout the year what is working for them and what it isn’t.  Sometimes really small things can be the cause of distractions and can be easily fixed but we won’t know that unless we ask.
  • Videotape yourself.  I found out I talk too much and don’t see kids lose interest through video tape.  Film yourself teaching and then watch it with an open mind.  No one is perfect and there is always room for improvement.
  • Ask a colleague to watch you teach.  This can be one of the hardest things for us to do and yet it can be one of the most powerful.  I have an open door policy in my classroom at all times and if people happen to wander in during a reading lesson, I always ask for their opinion.  They always have something valuable to teach me but you won’t know it if you don’t invite people in.

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.