Category: new year

Be the change, being me, new year, reflection

The Promises I Make for the New Year

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread
image from icanread

2014 has already become a year we will never forget.  Between Augustine’s battles, the arctic winter we are surrounded by, and the incredible love that surrounds us, this year will be the year that follows us.

Whenever life gets crowded I think of my classroom and how closely connected my life is to it.  I stopped doing resolutions years ago, after all, I had to write them down to even remember them and then never followed through on them.  This year, though, begs for resolutions or rather promises I would like to make.  So this year I promise 3 simple things.

  1. To be kind.  The mask I wear most days does not show how much turmoil there is in my heart at the moment.  I am a fighter, as is my whole family, but I admit that it does not take much to crack my surface right now and tears come easily.  We never know what other people are holding inside, we never know why a child acts out or acts indifferent.  We never know why a parent does not respond to our contacts, or another teacher gets upset.  So this year I promise to approach everyone and every situation with kindness.  I will think of the human being first and the task at hand second.
  2. To be present.  Taken from John T. Spencer’s post, this promise continues to be at the forefront of my mind.  I want to be present for the ups and downs that life throws at us.  I want to be present at the small moments that truly shape our lives that my own children and my students have.  I want to notice.  I want to think about what I see.  I want to slow down and take it in.  To be present does not require much, in fact, it is done best by turning everything else off and giving someone the gift of you.  So that is what I will do.
  3. To celebrate the small things.  Too often we wait until momentous occasions to celebrate in style.  Life is too short, life is too complicated to hold your breath and wait for those few moments where everything lines up.  This year I will celebrate as much as I can.  Thea learning a new letter, Ida and Oskar learning new words, Augustine gaining even the smallest amount of weight.  My students conquering a task for the day, fellow colleagues trying small new things, and yes, my husband and all of the small things he does to keep our marriage strong every day.  Those are the things I will celebrate.

While I cannot control some of the things that I wish I could, I can control myself and my reaction to life.  I can make promises and keep them, so that is what I intend on doing, how about you?

Be the change, being me, new year, reflection

Facebook – The Great Disconnector?

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I remember thinking Facebook was lame as I resisted joining in the spring of 2006.  Then I joined, urgen on by a college friend, and I continued to think it was lame until I realized that here was something that I could finally use to keep in touch with friends and family that lived far away.  This tool would get me more connected rather than having to wait for letters or emails to show up on a whim.  This tool would make sure my friendships stayed strong, my connections meaningful, and my life full of love.  Yet 7 years into my relationship with Facebook I know see how wrong I was.

This post is not to vilify Facebook or social media.  After all, Twitter, Facebook and other tools have brought so much to my life: new friends, a book deal, babysitters, pictures of moments I wouldn’t get to see.  And yet, Facebook does not make me feel more connected.  Not in a deep way.  Instead I stand like a lurker peeking in at people’s lives.  Seeing moments that sure I might not see otherwise but that I have little context of, little story behind, so all they are are moments.

I miss the deep connections.  The letters I used to receive from my friends.  The phone calls to set times up or just catch up.  The ability to tell a story that they have not seen pictures of or heard of before.  When we say we have the world at our fingertips, it is true, but it seems to be a shallow one, one that consists mostly of hitting “like” and feeling like you took an interest.  You really extend yourself if you leave a comment and you feel like you did yours to keep friendships going.  Sure Facebook has brought much to my life, but it has also taken away.

So rather than complain and blame Facebook, because it is not the tools fault I misuse it, in 2014 I want to reach out more.  I want to write more letters, call more people, and see more moments in real life rather than through shared snapshots.  I want to invite more people into our crazy lives and post less about it.  I want to further the connections that I have in my life and deepen them into what they used to be.  Less like, more action.

Facebook was meant to connect us all, and it has done so for many.  But in the urgency to connect we seem to have lost the slow pace that is required to nurture friendships and create bonds between us all.  Facebook may have made the world smaller, but it has also shrunk our own lives into a circle that people stand outside of, casually interacting but never staying for long.  I am ready to break down the walls and bring people in.

Be the change, new year, parents, reflection

Parents: Help Your Child Get Excited for Back to School

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I have been thinking a lot about back to school.  This break for me will have lasted over 3 weeks by the time I get back and so I wonder what I am stepping back into.  As anyone who has ever had a longish break knows, often the kids are hard to get motivated again.  I blogged about what I would do as a teacher, but now is the time to go into parent mode and think of what I can do as a parent to get Thea excited about school.  After all, January doesn’t seem to instill much excitement in many people, students included, so I am here to help change that.  A few ideas to get your child excited about back to school, please add your own in the comments.

  • Get your child a new book.  There is something magical about a brand new never-been-read book  being placed into your hands.  I have expected my students to read over break and I hope they come back with great new book tales to share and discuss, so why not load them up with books either from a store or the library.  Help them take control of their reading and get them stocked up at the same time.
  • Ask the teacher about events coming up.  I know January can be a bit of a humdrum month so I make sure we have a lot of exciting things coming our way.   We have an author Skype visit, Mystery Skype, and a reading challenge to look forward to amongst many other things.  Why not reach out to the teacher to see what cool things will garner some fun in the coming month.
  • Set goals with your child.  My students set a lot of goals with me because they need to be the masters of their own learning journeys, so why not set some together?  Students get to slowly get back in academic mode and you get a window into their world.  Plus it is such a great experience hearing your child talk about their own learning.
  • Look ahead.  I am very transparent in what we will be learning so it would be great if you as a parent shared some of your own knowledge (if you know some stuff) or just what you would hope to learn about a concept.  Again, starting a meaningful and excited dialogue about the great learning that will happen is always a great way to ease back into school.
  • Ask about changes.  I know a lot of this is conversation based, but I find that often it is through conversation that we can get kids excited rather than bribery.  Ask your child what they hope to change in the next few months, whether it be with themselves or in the classroom and then come up with a plan to make it happen.  I practice student ownership at every opportunity and so this is something I will be asking students to do anyway.
  • Look forward.  I tell the kids we have a lot to do before they leave me and in January that seems to set in.  They know that as the days get lighter they are one step closer to middle school and I want our time together to count.  As a parent it is okay to acknowledge and celebrate the fact that a new grade is coming up.  Kids know it is too early to dismiss the current one but that there is a goal to work toward.  I celebrate the fact that all of my students are headed toward middle school and they know it.
  • Embrace the slowness.  January seems to slow us all down as we wind down after the craziness of December and winter in general.  Instead of fighting it, I tend to embrace it at home with my own kids.  We read more, we light more candles, and we do more family things in a small way.  I don’t expect my kids to go a mile a minute because that’s what they did in December.  Instead we cherish the quiet times in the house and we encourage more creative play.  Out with the noise and in with drawing, art projects, and many, many books read aloud or shared.
  • Highlight the social aspect.  I know school shouldn’t be about seeing your friends, but let’s face it, it is one of the benefits of going to school.  So instead of battling it or ignoring it, why not relish in the fact that your child will get so see all of their friends again every day?  As a teacher I know this is a major selling point of school, so I also work it into our day.  We come back with a little more time to talk, a little more time to catch up, and a lot more opportunity to do group projects if need be.  Make the social aspect work for your child rather than create more tension.
  • Get new school supplies.  I know this is a staple of the true back to school time – August – but most people get excited over new supplies.  New pencils seem to beckon to be written with, journals to be filled out, and erasers used.  Perfect time to get a few new things since most of my students have used up all of their pencils and erasers by now anyway.
Related articles
Be the change, new year

Pick One Thing to Try – An Idea from Tom Whitby

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

I always struggle with New Years Resolutions. I want to change a lot of things but as a mom of 4 now and a wife to an incredibly patient man, I need to make sure my need for change doesn’t overwhelm everybody else.  Last year I therefore decided to focus on the things I would keep rather than change, which led to a year with much more laughter, appreciation, and patience all around – you should try it.  This year, I love this notion from Tom Whitby of picking one thing to change in the new year, rather than many.  Therefore, I present you with a list of ideas; why don’t you

  • Try Genius hour?  This one hour project time for students where they get to explore whatever they want under a chosen theme is a must for any classroom.  I do this with my 5th graders in social studies and science and the exploration of knowledge that comes  from it is unbeatable.
  • Try a Mystery Skype?  If you want an easy way to connect students with others, work on geography skills, as well as how to function as a team under pressure, this is the thing to try.  Easy to set up and do but the learnign that comesfrom it is incredible.
  • Student blogging? I wanted to give my students a voice for me to hear, little did I know I would be connecting them with the world. Now anyone can see what is happening in the minds of my students simply by asking them.
  • Start A classroom website?  Sick of sending home paper copies of everything and not feeling like I communicated well with parents, I started a classroom website 3 years ago.  This little hub of information allows parents and students (and strangers!) to see exactly what we are up to through pictures, videos, and blog posts.  We also have an updated calendar for any classroom events.
  • Give Choice in learning?   How about asking students how they want to learn something?  You can start small with one idea and then grow from there.  You would be amazed at what the students come up with for their learning journey and the excitement they bring to the projects, all because their voice was added.
  • Read more books?  I started to get serious about my young adult and middle grade reading last year and I cannot tell you the benefits it has reaped.  I now excitedly pass out books to students, they recommend books to me, our classroom library is bursting at the seams and there is a genuine excitement for reading.  Now reading books I can pass on to my students is one of the top priorities of my time.
  • Get rid of grades?  No really.  I did and I have loved it.  Now the focus is not on the mark on the paper as much as it is on the learning that occurs.  While I have to still do report cards, the students are much more aware of where they are and where they need to go simply because we discuss it.
  • Get rid of homework or reduce it?  Now would be a great time to take stock of how much homework you are assigning and whether or not it is worth it.  I have been on a conscious path to reduce homework in every class as much as I possible can and the end result has been happier students, that actually come to me when needed and who want to use their time well.
  • Join the Global Read Aloud?  While we will not start the project until October 6th, 2014, that doesn’t mean it is too early to join.  This global reading project picks a book to be read aloud to students across the world during a 6 week period and then asks students to connect using technology to discuss the book.  All you need to join is the book (to be chosen in late spring) and a little bit of courage, I will help with the rest.
being a teacher, building community, classroom expectations, classroom setup, new year, Student-centered, Uncategorized

Back to School – January Edition

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

January comes at us like a lion it seems bringing students who were just getting used to being on break, miserably cold winter days where no sledding is allowed at school, and more assessments. Every year January always reminds me of the beginning of the year and last year I started to treat it as such.  Goodbye January humdrum, welcome January excitement.  So what will we be doing to battle the January blues?

  • Reassess our classroom rules.  Students get a little tired and a little more restless so it is the perfect opportunity for them to set new rules for the classroom.  They also know each other a lot better, particularly each others’ quirks, and so I find the conversation tends to go much deeper then it did in September.
  • Set up the classroom.  While I think our work space works really well, I am not the one constantly using it. Time to ask the students if things need to be moved around and then do it.  Also time for me to re-evaluate the room.
  • A heart to heart on work habits. While I ask the students to self-assess constantly throughout the year, we need to have some honest reflection on how they have been working independently.  I like to think of it as new year’s resolutions set with an eye on middle school.
  • Take stock of projects.  How have they been doing on projects, are they pushing themselves into new venues or are they sticking to much of the same old same old?  What are new ideas they can’t wait to try and how will they try them?
  • Re-introduce genius hour.  We took a break from genius hour in the last month or so because we have been too busy, but January is the perfect time to refocus on it, this time in science rather than social studies.  Students have been busy at work learning about landforms, now is the time for them to take charge of what they want to learn.
  • Have a classroom reading challenge.  The students have been excited about reading but January is typically the time they start to feel overwhelmed or bogged down.  Last year we did the classroom reading challenge and it really brought in a lot of excitement.  It is quite simple:  Every child sets a secret goal (they only share it with me) for how many books they will read in the month of January, the goal can include picture books, graphic novels, or chapter books.  We then reveal the total number of books we pledge to read on a bulletin board.  They then read as much as they can and report to me whenever they finish a book (paper on my desk), I print out a picture of the cover and add it to our huge bulletin board.  Nobody knows who read what or how many books they have each read but everybody is reading and if we meet our goal, we have a huge read-in party as a celebration with an author Skype call.  I cannot wait!
  • Re-do routines.  We have great routines but now is the time to re-assess, what do we still need to work on, what is no longer needed, what should we streamline?  Again, this discussion is student-led with input from me.
  • Throw some surprise challenges their way.  They have been working hard on our team challenges  throughout the year and now is the time to give them even more.  I am thinking the boat building challenge, as well as marshmallow catapults.  Oh, and I do believe we have to build some vinegar rockets as well.
  • Re-assess my own opinions.  Have I labeled students unknowingly, do I really know the child in front of me?  What are the priorities we need to have for their learning journey and what will I do to help them accomplish their goals?  Now is the time to reflect about each child.

What will you be doing to re-energize the classroom?