Passion – Page 16 – Pernille Ripp

being a teacher, difference, making a difference, Passion

What Type of Difference Do You Make?

May 15, 2011 Pernille Ripp

I have been accused of being a good teacher, something I carry with me when the days are long. I say accused because I am still looking for the proof, the evidence that indeed whatever it is I have chosen to do makes a positive difference in the lives of my students. We know we make a difference every day, however, we do not always know whether it is a good or a bad one. And as teachers we make the choice of what type of difference to make.

When I was child I was bullied by my classroom teacher. For 3 years she hated me with a passion so deep that I ended up switching schools and leaving everything behind. I was different, having been taught English at a young age, and she did not like anything about me. She stopped friendships, singled me out whenever anything went wrong, and once kept me in a closet. It was extreme, and not something many students thankfully ever have to experience, but she made a difference in my life. She taught me how exactly not to treat a child. How exactly to make a child feel unwanted, unloved, and like an overall outcast. She taught me many things.

Another teacher thought that I just wasn’t trying hard enough. Every conference, he would tell my mother that I was smart, but…obviously, I thought school was a joke. He thought my essays were too dark, too long, too sappy. He thought my witty comments in class were not so funny. No matter how hard I tried to emulate the students he did like, he did not like me much. I never got the good jokes or the extra remarks. He taught me to believe in myself even if someone didn’t get it. He taught me it it is ok to be too sappy or too dark as long as it is not all the time. He taught me that my mother believed in me no matter what he said.

And then there was my music teacher. Oh, for two years she thought I was a musical idiot. Although I asked her for help when it came time to compose, she offered me the same explanation over and over again, hoping that this time it would make sense. It didn’t and what I composed sounded crazy, yet, I had no idea, because I didn’t know how to play it. I scored high on performance but crashed in music theory and composing, leading me to abandon being a music teacher. She taught me to explain things properly to my students, and not in the same way but in a different way. She taught me to listen when someone explains why they do not get it and not just jump to conclusions and move on. She taught me that I am supposed to believe in the abilities of my students and not box them in.

There were others. Others who didn’t get me, didn’t believe in me, or lost me as a student. Thankfully there were many as well that liked me, supported me, and nourished me. All of of my teachers shaped me into the teacher I am today, however, those that harmed me somehow shaped me more. They taught me what not to be, provided the example of how not to teach, how to shut out and disillusion. So when we speak of making a difference in our students lives think of what type of difference we want to make. Do we want it to be of negative consequences or positive? Either way, we make a difference, but it is up to us to decide which type. I hope you choose wisely, after all, these are just children.

being a teacher, choices, life choices, Passion, students

Today I Choose to be Happy

May 11, 2011 Pernille Ripp

Image from I Can Read

This morning as I woke up. I chose to be happy. It was not a hard decision, the temperature has finally reached above 60, the birds were chirping, my husband was there. And yet, I made a choice to be that way. When I get to my classroom this morning, I will also choose to greet my students with a smile, give them a run-down of our day and end it with a “I am so excited for today.” I do this every day and my students crack up, after all, how can one teacher be so excited about every single day?

The attitude we bring into our classrooms is a choice, and a very important one. There has certainly been days where I have chosen to be in an awful mood, stress will do that to you, but when those kids walk in our door, then I choose differently. I don’t believe in putting on a show for the kids but I do believe in giving them my best, after all, they choose to come to school excited as well. So together we get excited, sometimes we choose to be mellow and snuggle in with books in our special reading spots, other times we meditate on the floor, whatever we do, we choose it together.

So today I choose to be happy and just a little bit goofy. The school year is winding down, my students are having harder time focusing, so together we will not just get through the day, we will experience it. Every moment is a choice we make, whether we acknowledge it or not. What do you choose?

being a teacher, Passion, students

This Year, I Was Not the Teacher

May 10, 2011 Pernille Ripp

I have written of all the things I have changed this year and how amazing the journey has been. I have written of the things I have tossed, the things I have kept, and what I never want to try again. I have argued against something and then changed my mind. I have dreamed big and I have fallen hard. But most of all I have been honest. I may have taught some things to my 23 kids, but really I am the one who has learned.

I have learned that being a teacher means every year your heart grows bigger and you arms longer. I have learned that my memory can really contain names of former students and their parents, even when I haven’t seen them in 3 years. I have learned that my students think I am funny, even though my husband would argue against that. I have learned that there is always a good reason for a dance break particularly if it involves Justin Bieber, even if only to see the boys cover their ears.

I have learned that riddles are best done when paying attention and that not all technology enhances my teaching. I have learned that I can decide to keep a clean classroom or an organized one but not necessarily both, I have also learned to be at peace with this. I have learned to correct myself when I say my things, or my classroom, this year it has truly been all ours.

This year I have learned that standing by the door in the morning means the kids see me smile right away. And that standing by the door means good morning is said and I get an instant read of their mood. I have learned that when I check for homework there will always be one students who forgot it at home or forgets to hand it in. Thankfully, I have learned that it is truly not the end of the world when homework doesn’t get handed in on time.

I have learned that when you really trust your students to learn, they will push themselves even higher than you could possibly imagine. I have learned that when you give up a little bit of control, they rise to the occasion and even the worst of days cannot make me want to bring back punishment or rewards.

This year has been a big one for me. One that will be remembered for many years as the year where I learned to trust my students, fully, completely, and passionately. So when I look back at why I became a teacher, it was not to be the teacher, but to be part of something bigger, to be part of something that I felt would change the world. I may not be perfect, lord knows, I would rather not be, but I am doing ok as a teacher. My students have taught me that.

being a teacher, change, Passion, questions, Student-centered

Would You Like Being a Student in Your Own Classroom?

May 6, 2011 Pernille Ripp

It was a simple question really, “Would I like being a student in my own classroom?” that stopped me in my tracks. Last year when the students had left, the chairs had been put up, and the exhaustion hit, I realized that no, this was not the type of classroom I would have wanted to learn in. And so began a quest of soul-searching, revising, and rethinking, in order for myself not to become a statistic; another new teacher who quits.

I don’t know where I went wrong. After all, in college, teachers loved my lesson plans and raved about my ability to connect with students. I graduated with a big heart and a big head. I was going to save the world. And yet, something didn’t click. In social studies last year I remember scolding my poor students because they were obviously uninterested. I kept telling them that this was important and they better listen, thinking that yelling at them would make them snap to attention. Or the student who once again didn’t do his homework, he got an earful as well because that would show him. Oh how off track I was.

It really hit home when I read a parent magazine last summer in which a question was posed, “My child dreads going back to school, what should I do?” The answer? “Remind them that they will see their friends and how much fun they will have during recess, art and music class.” Recess? Art? Music? What about writing, reading, math? What about the majority of the time? Would they be glassy-eyed robots just waiting for the next bubble of fun outside of my room? I had to change.

So I looked inward, reflected, and realized that i had it all wrong. School wasn’t about me, or about the knowledge I was going to impart on my students. Instead it is about them, the students Those eager kids that show up ready to learn if you let them. So I had to get out of the way while still acting as a guide. I have written many posts about my transformation and how much it has affected me as a person and as a teacher. Most importantly though it is through this transformation of my own ego that real change has happened. Now I look around my classroom and I celebrate. There is the girl who was too shy to even look at me busting out of her shell as she acts in a fractured fairy tale. There is the boy who barely could add two numbers nailing most math concepts. Or the shy and kind boy, who’s biggest wish now is to be on more committees so he can decide things. That is what it is all about. My students are ready for 5th grade, they are ready to leave me with their new knowledge, their energy, their inquisitiveness. I got out of the way and it worked. Now when I ask my kids what is the best thing about school they tell me it is all the learning, the projects, the work. Not recess, not the parties, not their friends, that is just extra. And what a victory that is.

So I will continue to change and adjust. I will continue to ask myself whether I would like to be my own student. It was not a pretty realization back then and it wont ever be but it was a necessary one. Now I am proud to say that yes, I would love to be a student in my own room, and not because of the teacher, but because of the opportunities to learn. Would you?

being a teacher, being me, life, Passion, students

I Am a Teacher

February 16, 2011 Pernille Ripp

I am a teacher. I have been ever since I realized that this was my life’s calling, my passion unfolded, my dream in life. I don’t become a teacher when I show up at school at 7 AM and then turn it off when I leave hours after my contract time ends. I am a teacher every minute of the day, every day of the year, with every breath I take.

I am passionate about teaching. I spend hours every day at home thinking of how I can reach my children better (the students are all my children), how I can make their day better, how I can enrichen their lives. I discuss, reflect, and I dream bigger, better, and more every day. I lead, I comfort, I support, and I dare to believe in all of my students and what they can offer to the world.

I love my students. I ride with them through their journeys in life; when they celebrate I cheer with them, when they grieve, I cry with them. But more importantly, I teach them. Every day they show up to school and even if they don’t, I always continue teaching. I see my job as an honor, as something only a select few do really well. My job is not just a job, it is who I am.

Teachers are not made in college, they become them in the classroom. Teachers reach out to anyone that enters their worlds, and they impact every single aspect of this American life. Support them, cherish them, and right now, fight for them and their rights. We are here to help America succeed and grow, not to take the blame.