new year – Page 8 – Pernille Ripp

Don't let your new ideas become forgotten plans. @pernilleripp

I had my first back to school nightmare 3 weeks ago, yes in June, not even a full month into summer vacation. It was the same standard dream that I think many teachers have as they start to look forward to the year ahead; the children hate you, you are unprepared and everything tends to just get worse from there. I was surprised at how early the dream occurred at first, yet then I remembered just how excited I am for the next year. I know it may be too early for some to think about the next school year but when we have this type of job that brings us so much joy, it is hard not to get excited, even if school does not start until September 1st.

As I have been searching for new ideas, new ways to make 7th grade English a better experience for all, I cannot help but think about all of the ideas I have had previous summers. How my head has been filled to the brim, excitement building, and then something happens between the beginning of the year and the end of the year. For some reason most of those ideas don’t happen. Most of those ideas fade away. As soon as the day-to-day routine starts, our old habits take over and we just don’t do all those things we said we would. As my colleague Reidun says, “We have all of these ideas in the summer and then we get into habits and routines because we get busy.” And that’s it isn’t it? We get so busy with all the things that teaching encompasses that we tend to not add anything else on as we paddle our way through our days. But what if we were able to sustain just a few ideas? What if we planned for the busyness and that way could find the time, break the habits, and actually do some of the things we dream about? Here are a few ideas to help.

Do things now. This may sound silly but chances are you already know what you get busy with those first few days of school. So which of those things can you get busy with right now? I know that many are on summer vacation but as we relax, what little things can be done right now so that they don’t slow us down later? I plan on spending some time in my classroom this week shelving books, creating displays, and making a few copies. Nothing exciting (well maybe making displays gets me pretty excited) but all things that need to get done.

Plan for the change. If you have a great idea that you really want to implement, then schedule it. Write it in your planner, create your lesson plan, whatever it is that you need for it to happen. This is how I go through my first days if school; with a list of things I would like to accomplish and then I plan accordingly.

Change your environment. We get stuck in the same routines because our environment doesn’t change. When we work in a space that looks like it did the year before it feels as if our brain pulls us back in the previous year’s mindset. So if you want to change things, move some furniture around, change the layout, make a physical change to inspire a curriculum change.

Plan your preps. This idea is also from Reidun, but I had to share it because it is genius. We tend to focus on planning our lessons but how about we create a plan for what we will do during our preps? I know I often end up not being quite as productive as I would like because I cannot remember all of the things I would like to accomplish to begin with. So while you plan your week, or even just your day, take time to figure out what the goals of your preps should be as well.

Purge. We get sucked into our old habits because we have all the stuff to do it. So if you really want to get rid of a lesson or change something up, purge the things that go along with it. That way you might as well plan for something new since you would have to plan anyway.

Tell someone else. I have ongoing dialogue with several other educators about what I would like to do next year. Not only is this a way to get the ideas out of my head but that way they can also check in on me. We know plans feel a lot more official when we speak them out loud, so find someone to share your ideas with.

Make it visible. At the end of a school year, where I felt like I had not done enough for my readers, I wrote a post-it to myself. It still hangs right in front of me whenever I sit down at my classroom computer. It says “Find them a book.” This small reminder is all I have needed to keep trying, to keep changing, to keep working toward a better literacy environment for all of my students. So whatever your idea is, make it visible in the form of a post-it reminder or something similar. When you look at every day, it propels you forward. The other post-it I have is a quote from Shane Koyzcan’s beautiful TED Talk, it says “If you can’t see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror.” It hangs there so I remember the good days, so I remember that I am not perfect but that I am trying.

And as always; start small. Often times our grand ideas fall away because we feel overwhelmed. So focus on the little things that will lead to those bigger things. Plan for those small things so that each day becomes a step toward the bigger change that you would like to see.

What do you do to keep your ideas alive?

PS: To make it official; some of my new ideas include incorportaing writer’s process by using The Yarn Podcast, doing a version of Penny Kittle’s multi-genre project, focusing more on micro writing, and also getting students more time to discuss. Now you can help me stay accountable.

being a teacher, new year

Ideas for Working With the January Slump

January 2, 2016January 2, 2016 Pernille Ripp

We go back to school in 2 days. Last night, I entered scores, sent a parent email and planned for the week ahead. I realized that I was excited to go back, I always am, even though leaving my own children behind is bittersweet. But I also realized that I was tired, nervous about the coming week because surely the students would be just as tired, perhaps a bit unmotivated, and maybe even unhappy to be back at school. Knowing this I always treat January much as I treat September. It is chance for us to get to know one another again, to recommit to the community we have built, to laugh, and to learn and to not just think that school is one more thing we just have to get through.

So how do we work through the January slump that sometimes happens? A few ideas to help.

Bridge the past. We will start with an honest discussion of the non-fiction picture book project they handed in before break, a reflection of some sort, and then they will get their assessments back. We will take time to celebrate their accomplishments out loud but also set new goals. Because many kids did just fine, but just fine will not change the world.

Make it special. I should be doing a million things but choose to do a Mock Caldecott unit instead as we prepare for the ALA awards January 11th. We love picture books in our classroom but have drifted away from reading them because of time constraints, so this week marks a recommitment to picture books but also to critical thinking as we try to predict who the winner and the honors books will be. The other stuff will wait until after that.

Set the expectations. On the first day of school, my students discussed their community expectations and we have since then lived by them. Now is the time to refresh them because those kids I taught in September have changed a lot. So once again, I will ask them to decide how our classroom should sound, feel and look like, give them time to discuss, and give them to time recommit.

Acknowledge the energy. Too often we get upset when students are tired and yet, who can blame them? Their bodies are in vacation mode as much as ours. So instead of getting mildly upset, I will embrace it; more time for quiet, more time for reading, while also picking up the pace ever so slightly every day. And yes, I will continue to be that annoyingly positive teacher who pretends not to be tired every day because the energy of the classroom starts with us.

Try something new. January is the perfect time to start something new, whether it is just new to these students, or new to you. You know each other, you have your routines somewhat down, and the classroom could use a boost. So do something you haven’t done before this year; we will finally start blogging in the middle of January and I cannot wait, I have missed it a lot this year.

Bring others in. January is also great for cross collaboration as it allows the students to think about your class in a different way. So reach out to someone and see if they are up for doing a project together, whether it be in your school, or outside of your district. Simply having the component of others involved is an automatic energy infuser. We will be doing the 2030 Global Schools Project with the integrated literacy class at our school. (And the rest of the world).

Clean up. I took a day this break to clean our classroom. Dust the bookshelves, declutter books, wipe off the tables and take down displays. When the students arrive on Monday they will enter a fresh and inviting classroom with books eager to be read. Our rooms get as worn down as our brains, so take the time to set up it again; note, that does not mean spending tons of time on new things or new displays. Make it feel fresh again.

Protect what you hold dear. Much like I took time to clean our classroom over break, it is time to clean up our to-dos. Dust off those things you hold dear as a class and give them more time, declutter from stuff that is unneccessary and try to work it in a new way. Look at your plans and your schedule and recommit your focus on those things that matter most to your kids. A few months in is when we often get bogged down by all of the to-dos rather than the things that really matter.

Re-ignite your own passion. A deflated January can often lead to the famous February and March slump so now is your chance to surround yourself with others who want to share ideas, try new things, and lift each other up. Join something just for you. Whether it is a class you want to take, a book you want to read, or even joining an online book club like the one we are doing for Passionate Learners on Facebook; add something that will make you fall even more in love with teaching and give you new ideas to try.

I know I am not the only one thinking of how to make January successful? What are your great ideas? What will you be trying?

If you are looking for a great book club to join to re-energize you in January, consider the Passionate Learners book club on Facebook. We kick off January 10th.

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

Do Something

December 31, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I have always loved December 31st, the last day of the year, our oldest daughter’s birthday. While the promise of a new year lies ahead, the old is not quite finished, not quite over and the wonder of it all hits me. Look at all that has happened in the past year. Look at all we have done.

And yet, there is so much still out there to accomplish. So many changes. So many choices to make. Because too often we sit back and wait for others to decide, we wait for others to fix, to mend, to invent, and to create. We wait for others to share their ideas because we are unsure of our own. We think to ourselves, “if only…” but the words never leave our mouths. And it’s a waste. It is a shame. It is our own fault that we wonder what change could really look like, what our ideas may become, when we choose to remain unsure. When we choose to remain silent.

So my wish for the new year is a simple one; do something. Something to make it better. Something to make it worth more. Don’t sit there and wait while others do, change the world yourself. Find your comfort zone and take a small step out.

Be the change. Be the voice. Be the person that does. I know I am going to try.

If you are looking for a great book club to join to re-energize you in January, consider the Passionate Learners book club on Facebook. We kick off January 10th.

aha moment, Be the change, being a teacher, new year

Purpose and Re-Purpose

December 25, 2015 Pernille Ripp

In all of our clutter and madness. In all of our piles of things. In all of our new toys, books, and unnecessary items, I seem to have found my peace. Mind you, it was not like that this morning when we left the house upside down, Christmas morning and a visit from Santa seems to do that to you. But now, after organizing, sorting, cleaning, and taking the time to appreciate all that we have, I am at peace. I am happy. Because the truth is; we really have so much. And not just in terms of gifts or newness, but in the things that still work. In the furniture we love. In the things that make this house a home.

So while this morning, I thought we needed more furniture, more bins, more things to control all of the new, I now know that it is not new that we need, it is better use of the old. It is the time to see the beauty in what we already have and find better uses for it that suits the family we are now.

And so I look to my classroom as well. How often we are enticed by all of the new and shiny. How often I assume that I need to do even more when my teachings seems off kilter, our metaphorical house a mess? That because the students surely will come back from break dragging their feet a bit, I better ready with all of the glitz. All of the glam. And in that need for reinvention is an assumption, I must throw out my ideas and replace them with something they have never tried before. Because what we are doing must be inherently broken. That what we are doing is beyond salvage simply because the components have been used before.

Today reminded me that this assumption is not true. That rather when something has been done the same way for so long, we tend to lose the purpose of it. That because it is now old, we no longer see its full potential. The wonder of it all that drew us to it in the first place.

So as I think ahead to the new year, as I contemplate ever so slowly of what my students need right now, I think of what I can re-purpose. Of what I can re-use but in a way that will make us love it again. In a way that will make us understand something deeper. Of what I can do to make it feel like a new classroom when they return, and yet also feel like theirs. Because it always has to feel like theirs or my purpose would be lost.

If you are looking for a great book club to join to re-energize you in January, consider the Passionate Learners book club on Facebook. We kick off January 10th.

being a teacher, building community, community, new year, students

They Are Not Mine…Yet

September 4, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I almost know all of their names. All 118 of them. Not because I have some magical brain penchant for memorizing names and faces. Not because they all wear name tags. No. Every night I have pored over their faces, trying to remember each one, trying to figure out who they are. Because I still teach strangers. Strangers that I am trying to establish a community with, strangers I am trying to get to trust me.

So this week has been about them. About why they love or hate reading. About how they see themselves. About how they react to picture book upon picture book as we try to weave a common thread. And it seems to be working. Slowly. The stories are gently coming, the nervous laughter disappearing. The hand raised a little faster. We have a long way to go but ever so slowly the seeds have been planted, the foundation is being laid.

So today I will do my name competition; do I really know all of their names after just 3 days? I will read another picture book as I rock in my chair and they share the tattered bean bags. I will thank them for the few days we have spent together and wish them a happy long weekend. I will hope for a smile, a high five, and a farewell, knowing that hopefully some day I will get to take these things for granted. I will hope for a hallway greeting, a quick goodbye before the bus comes. Little things that show the relationship we have built. Those things that I miss so much.

I don’t know my students. Not yet. But it will happen. Even if it feels like they will never be our kids. They will. They just don’t know it yet.

If you like what you read here, consider reading my book Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students. The 2nd edition and actual book-book (not just e-book!) comes out September 22nd from Routledge, but rumor has it that it is out on Kindle already!

being me, classroom setup, new year

Why My Classroom Has No Theme

August 28, 2015 Pernille Ripp

My first year of teaching I remember trying to create a theme for my room. What would our classroom look like? What teacher would I be known as? Would I be the ocean teacher? The movie teacher? The zombie teacher (too scary)? I asked my mentor finally for help and what she told me stuck with me throughout the years; don’t worry about a theme, worry about the kids.

And so I did. And I never did get a theme. Every year I thought that this would be the year that I would finally decorate and pull it together, but it just never happened. Instead I filled it with books. I filled it with blank walls. Empty bulletin boards and room to breathe. I thought I was a lost cause, the teacher with no theme, until I spoke about it a few weeks ago. I was wrong, I do have a theme.

My theme is students. My theme is room to invent. My theme is books as they threaten to take over every single surface available. My theme is fun. My theme is flexible. My theme is for any child that walks into our room to make this their room.

So I have no polka dots or pastel colors. I have no chevron stripes (even though I love them). I have no meaningful borders or fancy sitting areas. I have furniture we can move and the space to do it. That doesn’t mean I have a problem with those that spend so much time and so much money concocting a theme for their room. It simply means that I am on a different path. One that will never lead to my classroom being featured as something to emulate for its beautiful design. One where I will always choose to spend my money on books rather than decorations.

Yet I do write this post with a few questions in mind to those who do have a theme. Please ponder them if you will. Does your theme allow for students to take over your room? To leave their very own imprint or will their creativity only be shown in designated areas? Do students feel like this is their room or does it say your name on the wall? Does a sign above your door welcome them to your room? Will boys feel welcome in your room? Will girls? Will those who do not agree with your theme still feel welcome? Does your theme inspire all? Does your theme and decorating leave room to grow?

If yes; thank you. Thank you for creating a space that you and all of your students can breathe in, can work in, and can be themselves in. Thank you for creating a space that allows students to flourish and strengthen themselves. For creating a space where they feel welcome and that does not overwhelm their senses. If no, then I have no advice, other than to think about it. Look through the eyes of your students and see how they might feel. See how your room may inspire or stifle them.

I posted pictures of my room earlier this summer and not much has changed. I wait for my students to come in and make our room come alive. Yet, I feel the guilt tugging at me from year’s prior wondering why my room doesn’t look ready. Wondering why my room doesn’t look fancy? Or cute? Or has a theme so that students will know who I am as a teacher. I guess they will just have to find out as we grow together, much like I will.