new year – Page 9 – Pernille Ripp

being a teacher, being me, hopes, new year, Student, teaching

What We Need to Remember

August 26, 2015 Pernille Ripp

The words seem to fall off the pages as I scroll through their answers. The beginning seeds to what will become the kids that we will get to teach. They speak of hope, of dreams, and wishes. They speak of failures in the past, of words beyond their control, and actions they wish they could have protected their child from. Some merely say they hope for a good year, while others ask us to please love their child, that they could really use someone more who cares.

We take these children for granted. We take their dreams for granted. Their hopes. Their wishes. We have them speak but then do not always listen. We hurry so much at times in our urge to get to everything that we forget that we are not here to teach content, but here to teach children.

Yet the parents. The guardians. The ones that sit at home. They tell us to please remember. To please not forget, that that child we spoke of today in our meetings, that the child we mentioned to our families, that the child that kept us up thinking late last night, that child belongs to someone. That at one point that child was so loved that the world seemed to stop for a moment and everything else fell away. Even if life has changed by now.

So as we get ready for another year, please remember that we do not teach products. We do not teach neat little boxes that will follow our every direction. That we do not teach robots who will comply with our every whim. We teach human beings, with all of their laughter, with all of their joy, but also with all of their anger, their confusion, their restlessness, and their dreams of something better. Please don’t forget that.

Because from one parent to another. From one teacher to another. Sending your child to school and hoping that someone else will get them is one of the hardest things to do. It’s one of the biggest leaps we take. We hope with every inch of us that on that first day of school our child will come home with a smile on their face and not just talk about all of the great things they did but about how much they love their teacher. How much they cannot wait to go back.

We hold the power to the future, we cannot forget that. Even on our toughest day that child is someone else’s. That child has dreams. And that child needs us to love them. Even when they don’t love themselves.

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.

being a teacher, being me, choices, new year

6 Simple Things We Can Do to Make This A Better Year

August 24, 2015August 24, 2015 Pernille Ripp

8 days. 8 days and I get to do what I love the most outside of being with my own kids. 8 days and I get to finally meet those kids that will become “my” kids as the year progresses. 8 days and school starts again, and yes summer has been incredible, but the school year beckons and I cannot wait.

We get to teach the future of the world.

We get to protect the dreams of our students.

We are awash in positive thought as we start and there are a few things we can do stay that way.

Choose positive. I start every morning by plastering the biggest smile on my face. Every child (or adult) that I see deserves a smile and a greeting. Yes, it is exhausting at times, and yes, sometimes it is a fake smile, but you know what? Fake smiles still spread, and they are free, so if you want to be surrounded by positivity; smile.

Seek out new people. This is my second year in my building so I know a few people, but I also know there are new people joining us, so why not seek them out? We have all been the newbie wondering where we fit in and who we would get to know. Rather than wait for them to come to you, go to them and invite them to sit with you at lunch or meetings. Trust me, it makes a huge difference.

Try one new thing. Notice I didn’t say every day. Try one new thing, perhaps for a day, perhaps for a week, perhaps for a month, but push yourself intentionally. Find something new to try that makes you ever so slightly uncomfortable so that you do not become stagnant in your own professional development. Do something that makes you a little bit nervous so you can remember how it felt when you first started and everything felt like a risk.

Plan for fun. Plan for movement. Plan for speaking. Plan for listening. Plan for writing. All classes should have all of these every day, well almost all classes anyway. We cannot expect students to be enthusiastic about what we teach if we do not offer them chances to move, to speak, to listen, to write, and to have fun. And yes, having fun in school is not just something reserved for special days.

Stay realistic, not pessimistic. Yes, there will be days where everything goes wrong. There will be days where new ideas are introduced that seem to make no sense. There will be days where it feels as if the whole world is against you, we all have those days. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and focus on what went well. Allow yourself to dissect a situation and then move on. We are so quick to let outside factors determine how we feel, why give something like that any power. If you can’t control it, then focus on the things you can.

Do small acts of kindness. There are so many small things we can do that makes someone else’s lives easier and happier. I start the year by buying flowers for our secretaries and bringing donuts to our custodian. Thea’s teacher and busdriver get a small gift. I fill the copy paper (and clear the paper jams), hold doors, bring up mail to my teammates, and anything else that seems like it is no big deal to me, but it may be to others. I offer to cover classes when I can and I support when I have something valuable to give. That doesn’t mean I have less time to do my own things, it simply means that I care about other people. It is not hard to do either, but the payoff is amazing.

These ideas may not seem like much, but the intentionality with which we can go through our day is what makes a difference. Every day we make a choice of whether we want to make others have a great day or not. I know what I choose every single day, what do you choose?

being a teacher, being me, community, new year, Passion

Confessions of a Dream Crusher

August 21, 2015 Pernille Ripp

We call ourselves the dream makers, the curiosity protectors, the people who will change education from within. We see ourselves as open-minded, always willing to change, and always looking to do what is best for students. We come to school on those first few days with dreams spilling out of our arms. New ideas floating around our heads as we dream of the possibilities. As we eagerly embark on a new journey.

Yet a few weeks in and our arms seem to be empty. The dreams gone, reality set in, and we think, “Well, maybe next year will be the year we change education, maybe next year these dreams will work.”

We can blame politicians for crushing our dreams. Sometimes we can even blame administration. But more often than not the blame lies within our own communities, our own teams, and ourselves. After all, how quick are we to dismiss the dreams of others before we even hear them out? How often do we think that we know better than someone else? How often do we make it a point to share just why something will not work. Yet, we get upset when someone dares to tell us that our dream is impossible, that our idea will never work, but forget that we say those some words to others.

We are so quick to tsk tsk other people’s new ideas. We are so quick to jump in with our own opinions, to share our own better ideas. To not truly listen because in our minds we have already decided that that idea will never work. We are so quick to burst the fragile bubbles of hope that we all bring back at the beginning of a new year. As if bringing someone down to Earth is a good thing.

And we can blame society. We can blame standardized testing. We can blame the Common Core. Or we can take responsibility for how we speak to others. For how we judge. For how quickly we dismiss. We can stop crushing the dreams of others.

Schools starts in 10 days. I will not be a dream crusher anymore. I will not be the one that says that something cannot work. I will not be the one that discourages others. Instead, I will be the one that says, “How can I help?” What will you be?

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

The Small Changes I Can Make

August 16, 2015 Pernille Ripp

Sometimes our students come to us with stories that we could never imagine. Sometimes we are their refuge. Sometimes, we don’t even know what part we play until years later, and sometimes we will never know. The barriers that sometimes surround our students can be brutal, and yet, the students show up. They try to learn. They try to do their very best. And we need to be the ones that welcome them.

So this will be the year that I try not to create more barriers for my students. This will be the year where I try to make it as easy as possible for them to access the learning . While I cannot control everything, particularly what goes on outside of our classroom, there are so many small things I can control that will make their day easier.

I can hand them pencils. I used to be a tentative pencil-hander-outer. There was usually a lecture involved, a smirk, and some sort of thinly veiled threat as to what would happen if they didn’t get more pencils by the very next day. And I get it. Pencils cost money and we don’t have a lot of that in education. But still, a pencil is the most basic tool that our students need. And yes, they need to bring their supplies. Yes, they need to be responsible. Yes, they need to come prepared. But we all have days where we need a pencil. Not a lecture, not a glare. Just a pencil so we can get to work. If you want it back, write your name on a piece of paper and tape it to it.

I can withhold judgment. Yes, I know better than most of my students. I better, after all, I am more than 20 years older than them. So when they make “stupid” mistakes, when they make a poor decision, I can withhold my own judgment. I can help them find a solution, help them find the light, or even find the humor in a situation. Most students face enough judgment in day, they don’t need more from me.

I can let them leave. There are days when all we need is a walk. A quick two minutes to resettle, to find room to breathe, to calm down even if we seem very calm on the outside. Teaching students to recognize when they need a break is something we should all be doing. If we teach younger students then finding a way for them to take a break safely is also important, even if they cannot leave the classroom on their own.

I can make it easy for them. I can write the date, I can write out homework, I can post my email address on the wall. I can make as many visual reminders as I can fit onto a board so that they can access it without asking. I can also create a website with all of the handouts, resources, and information they need to stay organized outside of school. That doesn’t mean they won’t pay attention in class.

I can welcome them. Even when it is inconvenient, even when I am busy. Just because a child seeks us out does not mean they need us to speak with them. On our team we often have students ask if they can simply work in our room. Yes! Please do, let me know if you need anything. Sometimes all a child needs to be successful is a safe place to work. If we cannot offer up our rooms, we often find another place.

I can ask a follow up question. On our team, we teach more than 120 students. Every day, we stand outside our doors and ask students how they are, how their evening was, how they are feeling. When a child answers, we ask a follow up question because it’s the second question that matters. That’s the one that shows we care, that’s the one that shows we are paying attention. Anyone can ask “How are you?,” but it takes time to say more.

The barriers we create in our rooms are often ones that we don’t even notice, yet it is within the smallest details of our days that students learn the most about us as people. It is when we take time to do the little things that we can make a huge difference. What are the small changes you will make?

aha moment, being a teacher, being me, ideas, new teacher, new year

The One Great Idea Promise

August 13, 2015 Pernille Ripp

School is nearly starting here in Wisconsin. Less than three weeks until we say hello. For some of my friends, it has already started and for others this is not the beginning of a new year. We are surrounded by the buzz of excitement that comes from starting anew. We are surrounded by the energy that will lift us up and carry us forward, led by dreams. We are surrounded by the myriad of ideas we have concocted, come across, and considered as we inch nearer to that first magical day.

But what do you do with an idea? to quote one of my favorite picture books. Because we have all of these ideas that we cannot wait to try. We have all of these ideas that will change the way we teach, change our students’ lives, and hopefully inspire change overall. We have so many ideas that we often overwhelm ourselves before we even begin.

So I give you the one great idea promise; promise yourself that you will hold on to just one idea and pursue it with every thing you’ve got. Find your essence, find your core, and hold on to that with every planning step you take. Write it out, hang it up, and keep it in the forefront whenever you plan. This is where your energy should go. That doesn’t mean to dismiss all of the other ideas you have, but to let them slide in when they fit. Write them down because you will forget them, but circle the one that will set apart this year from last. Find your one great idea and love it with all of your might.

We say we want to change the world, but sometimes we need to just change one thing. So find your thing and do it. Don’t give up because you didn’t do them all. The students don’t need you to do all things, they need you to do just one; love them and your job. The students await.

advice, aha moment, being a teacher, new teacher, new year

6 Things New Teachers Remind Me to Do Every Year

August 6, 2015 Pernille Ripp

You can usually spot a new teacher a mile away. There is just something about the way they talk about the upcoming year, how they hold themselves, and even the very air that surrounds them. So much joy, so much enthusiasm, mixed with a certain air of fear. Right now seems to be the time where people start talking about all the mistakes new teachers make their first year and pass on advice to them whether they need it or not. Yet, every year I learn so much from the new teachers I meet. Every year they teach lessons to me.

Be enthusiastic. The joy that comes with teaching your very first year is one we should chase after every year. We should love teaching, not take it for granted, not get caught up in the misery of all of the outside things that make teaching difficult. Let’s all be excited that we have a job and that we will get to do what we love so much for another year.
Ask questions. New teachers know that they don’t have all of the answers so they ask a lot of questions. As a veteran teacher, I sometimes think that I should know all of the answer so I feel stupid asking many questions. Yet teaching is about learning and we stop learning when we stop asking questions. Ask away and don’t be embarresed if you don’t know something, embrace that you are learning.
Know their students names. My first year of teaching I spent hours memorizing names with faces so that on the first day of school I knew all of my students by name. This small gesture of respect went a long way in building classroom community. As a middle school teacher, I have a lot more names to memorize – I think I am up to 136 students this year – and yet I have started looking at their pictures already. I want to know all of their names by the end of the first week, no later.
Say”Why not?” a lot. First year teachers tend to question many things we see as established norms, and sometimes I think veteran teachers, myself included, can get a little bit offended when something we hold near and dear is questioned. Yet it is in this questioning that we start to discuss new ideas, we find inspiration, and we change the way we teach. we should all be asking “Why not?” a lot more than we are.
Stay true to our noble intentions. I became a teacher to help students become better people, yet within my first few years, I lost sight of that. New teachers joining our profession may seem idealistic or delusional to some, yet within their dreams is something we should all be chasing; the belief that what we do matters. The belief that we can make a difference. That we can create schools that students actually want to be a part of.
Make connections. As a new teacher you don’t know that many people so all year you are trying to find your tribe. yet, often, we settle into our patterns of who we speak to and shut ourselves off from the rest of our community when instead we should be continuing to make connections as often as possible. why can’t you know all of the people in your school? Why not reach out across your district? While it is nice to have people that know you well, make sure you make connections with new people as well. You never know who will become a part of your tribe.

If you are a new teacher reading this, welcome, this is truly the best job in the world. May you love it this much or more each year you teach. And if you are a veteran like me; I hope your year is filled with wonder, with laughs, and with joy. We are lucky to be teachers, even if the world sometimes seems to be against us.