Category: students

being me, reflection, Student-centered, students, Uncategorized

How Blogging Has Enhanced My Parent Connection

Pernille Ripp

I didn’t think parents of my students would ever read my blog.  Why would they?  And yet, now that I have been blogging for four years I am often amazed at how often the parents of my students actually read what I write.  Not just on our classroom blog, but also on this blog; my personal one.  While there are many small benefits to this, it has also brought on a sense of responsibility to them.  I blog about my thoughts on their children, it is their children who inspire me, it is their children that urge me to change, reflect, and grow.  That heightened responsibility of how I represent our classroom and myself is only one of the things that has urged me to continue blogging and sharing.  With each of the blogs, there have been many other benefits.

Benefits of a Classroom Blog:

  • Parents know what is going on.  This is huge!  I update regularly with what we are doing, showcasing work through text, photos or video.  it gives parents (and the world) a direct view into our classroom.
  • Parents know where to find information.  Having a child in school can mean a lot of different papers coming home.  Now I post everything on our blog for easy reference (even for myself) so it is easy to find.
  • Parents know what is coming up.  I have a calendar embedded on the side of our blog, this is always updated with deadlines, event information, and if I am out of the room.  All parents need to do is look at our calendar to see what is happening.
  • Parents can easily ask questions.  No longer reliant on a sometimes vague recollection of what actually happened through a tired child, they can see what is happening and then ask about it.  Thea, my 5 year old, sometimes has a hazy memory of what she did at school so I love that I know what is happening in her classroom to help me facilitate a conversation.
  • Parents know us as a community.  Because I get to highlight all of the amazing things we do, parents get a feel for what type of classroom we are.  They don’t have to trust me, they can draw their own conclusion.
  • Parents can comment.  I love when our parents, or others, comment on our classroom website.  It makes us excited to see that people are paying attention to the wonderful things happening.
  • New parents know what we are about before their children become part of our class.  When they google me, my classroom website comes up, what greater peace of mind to a nervous new student(and parents)  than seeing some cool things that are happening in the classroom?
  • Finally, it becomes one more portal for my students to connect with the world.  My students use our blog to post surveys, show off their learning, and connect with others.

Benefit of a Professional Blog:

  • Parents know my values.  I try to stay nuanced but this blog is my platform for trying to abolish grades, homework, and punishment in the classroom.  Parents can read my thoughts behind it and know that they can always start  a conversation about it as well.  They don’t have to ask my educational philosophy, it is all right here.
  • Parents know me personally.  I blog very personal stories, such as the premature birth of our daughter or the passing of my grandfather.  I put it all out there because it affects the way  I teach, parents get to know me in more personal manner than just being a classroom teacher would allow me too.
  • Parents feel respected (I hope!).  I blog extensively on the importance of bringing parents into the decision making process, as well as listening to them as experts.  I hope this gives parents the courage (sometimes) needed to broach even difficult subjects with me.
  • Parents see how I represent their children.  I try my hardest to represent my students in the most meaningful and real way as possible.  When I mess up, I blog about it.  When we fail as a class, I blog about it.  When we have incredible moments, I blog about it.  Parents don’t have to wonder how I feel about their kids or my job, I write about it extensively.

I didn’t set out to blog to create deeper connections, but it happened.  When we let parents, and the world in, we show we are unafraid of showing what is happening in our worlds.  We show that the time we spend teaching and the time we spend learning is worthwhile.  We show the world that what we think and do matters.  We give a voice to our students, but also to ourselves.  but most importantly, we let parents know that what they think matters too.

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, 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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being a teacher, end of year, students

Stop the Hurry

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

“Look at this, mom!”

Thea is jumping from stone to stone on the pavement next to me as I am walking in my straight line sticking to the sidewalk like a proper adult trying to get where we are going as fast as possible.  Never mind that it is a Saturday, never mind that it is beautiful weather, never mind that we have the time.  I want to get there fast just because we can.

At first, I think to tell her to hurry up, to come walk by me so we can get there faster.  I go to reach for her, but her expressions stops me; pure joy.  She is not just getting somewhere, she is exploring, balancing, laughing  – she is on an adventure.  And the extra  2 minutes it takes us to get to our destination are quickly forgotten as I watch her leap.

How often do we tell students to hurry up in our rooms?  How often do we tell them to stick to the path, to get to the destination with an eye on the end and never taking the time to expand the journey?  How often do we stop to explore, to “jump from rock to rock” within a topic simply because we are curious?  Simply because it might be an adventure?

Every year I try to find time for the self-driven exploration within my room but every year by about April I feel like we have to quicken the pace.  Like we need to walk faster to get to our end destination.  But not this year.  This year I want to enjoy my final weeks with my kids, my final weeks as a 5th grade teacher.  I want to not just watch the kids explore, but explore right along with them.  We will still get to our destination, we always do, but we will take the path they want as much as possible.  We will find the time to try, we will make the time to laugh.   I want to see them love learning as much as I do.  And that won’t happen if I keep telling them to hurry up.

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, 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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, Reading, reflection, students

Why It Matters to Be Passionate About Reading

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

“…I used to hate reading, it wasn’t cool, you know?  But then when I heard you were my teacher, I was kinda excited because in your room it was ok to like reading.”

He speaks these words to me as if they are no big deal.  To him they probably aren’t, just another conversation with his teacher.  But in my heart and mind, these words mean everything.  These words are why I am so passionate about books and about kids loving books.

I chose to finally unleash my passionate reader last year, thinking it might make a difference in my classroom. Little did I know just how much of a difference it would make.  We are a reading classroom now.  Not that we weren’t before, but not like this.  Not this excited, not this engaged, not this immersed.  Reading is cool in my room, something that matters to 5th graders.  Reading is what we do.

When I pull out a new picture book, the kids cheer.  They laugh, they comment, they re-read.  When I bring in a pile of books, I have to step out of the way while my students grab the one they have to read now and others scramble to make signup sheets so they can read it next.  All it took was for me to be passionate.  All it took was for me to share that passion.  (And of course, incredible books).

We wonder whether passion matters in education and in reading in particular.  Do teachers really need to be readers themselves to teach reading?  I am here to tell you it makes the biggest difference.  Children who have long given up on school can find solace in books.  Books build connections.  Books build memories.  When we are passionate readers ourselves we are actively sharing our lives, our connections, our feelings, with the kids that we hand books to.  When we go all out in our love of reading, we show kids that it is okay to be a reader.  That it is not something to be ashamed of.  Not something to hide.  But rather something that should be embraced and shouted from the rooftops.

So when students come to me and tell me reading sucks, or reading is uncool, I am not afraid.  Nor am I upset.  They just haven’t found the right book, they just haven’t laughed at the right read aloud.  They haven’t experienced the magic of reading a picture book as a big kid.  They just haven’t had that moment where everything disappears and all that matters is the book.  And that’s ok, hopefully, this year will be the year.  Hopefully this year they will find their passion.  Because I am not giving up on them.

PS:  Have you heard about the Global Read Aloud?  The books for 2014 were just chosen and I promise this year will be amazing.  Connect your students to the world through a shared read aloud, after all it only takes one book to connect the world.

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, 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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

being a teacher, being me, reflection, students

We Carry It With Us

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

There are moments in teaching that makes my heart heavy.

Whether it is the disappointment faced by a student rejected.  Or the sorrow that weighs down some of my students as they come through my doors.  The uncertainty some face.  The anxiousness that travels with others.  The sadness, the lost joy.  They bring this along, into our rooms, and it becomes one more thing we have to address and work around.  One more thing to add to our day and to our hearts.

We don’t leave those worries or fears of our students behind when we close our door.  They travel with us in the car.  They walk in through our front door, trailing us into our homes as we worry whether that child will ever be okay.  Worry whether that child will have something to eat or will be back the next day.  Worry about what that child may do that night.  We push them aside and focus on our own lives but they stay in our hearts as the hours go by.

Sometimes those worries wake us up at night and we remember to  hug our own kids a little more, tell them they matter a little louder.

So we return the next day with our hearts still heavy, not sure what to do other than to love those kids as if they were our own.   When a new worry shows up we make room for that one as well.  We carry it with us because we are stronger than the children we support.  We carry it with us so that they are not alone.  We carry it with us so that maybe, just maybe, they will find a moment of relief.

I may not be a superhero but when it comes to the children in my life, I have super hero strength.  No child should have to carry their worries alone, that’s why I am there.  And that’s why I teach.

 I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, 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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press.   Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

ideas, students

After Spring Break Some New Ideas to Try

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

There is something almost palpable in the air in a 5th grade classroom after spring break.  It is as if the students were replaced by 6th graders so suddenly that it never ceases to startle me.  Where did my 5th graders go and who are these new kids?  I used to fear spring break and the change it seemed to signal.  I used to dread it, wondering how on earth  I would get through all we have to get through while not shouting at the top of my lungs for their attention.  Now I relish the challenge, the chance to start fresh with a “new” set of kids, the chance to push them harder in our final home stretch.

So when my students come back there will be new things to try:

  • A new spelling approach based on root words, their meaning, their origin and whether they can come up with an example of a word.  And not just for my advanced spellers but for everybody.  Spelling practice seems to never transfer so I hope this new word study will give my students more knowledge rather than just more practice memorizing words they never end up using.  We will use buddy chats, acting out, and simple word plays to hopefully get the students to learn.
  • A tweaked resource time rotation modified by my students.  I will be looking at doing more mini lessons with my book club groups too, maximizing every minute I get with them.
  • A service learning project.  With the push for common core implementation comes more research papers so this is not the first time my students will spend time researching.  I therefore need a hook to increases engagement so it is time to give back.  Students will be presented with an opportunity to research any need either in our school, our community, or the world.  They choose the direction but must come up with a way to help the problem and not just in theory either, they have to actually help.  I cannot wait to see how they will change the world.
  • A new math approach.  After my latest post on math, my team and I decided to change our program again.  We will continue to share kids, but with a bigger focus on math stations trying to hit the needs of every kid, pushing those students that need to be pushed, and trying to fill in some of the math holes in others.
  • More hands on social studies.  My students have been knocking their colony prezis out of the park and I want to keep the momentum going.  So while we continue to lean on the text book as our base knowledge (through summary not reading it) we will continue to connect our knowledge, bringing back genius hour, simulations, as well as creating new problem solving tasks for the kids such as figuring out what would have happened if the US lost the Revolutionary War.

My mind will continue to spin during spring break hoping to come up with even more.  All I know is that I get two more months with these incredible kids and we need to make it memorable.  I know they are up for the challenge.

being me, reflection, Student-centered, students

Is it Okay That 5% Don’t Get It?

Pernille Ripp
image from icanread

“…I wish I could do 5th grade over again…” the student looks at me sadness in his eyes.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because then maybe I would have a chance at getting it.”

My heart breaks.  This kid has tried so hard but the holes in knowledge just seem to grow as our curriculum picks up speed and we are asking them to do more, figure out more, understand deeper.  The math test he holds in his hands with all of the circled problems, asking to be fixed, seems to be insurmountable at the moment.  So I rack my brain, what else can we do?  My team and I try so hard to reach every kid, to fill in the holes, to help them understand not just regurgitate and yet it is not enough.  Some of our kids still don’t get math, some of our kids still don’t grow in areas where we have tried so hard.

And this isn’t the first year, every year we have these kids.  These kids that show up with gaps already.  These kids that work hard, even if they get a bit distracted, and yet what we are doing is simply not enough.  The language we speak in math is above them and no matter how much we try with smaller groups and remediation it doesn’t catch them up.  So we keep on pushing, hoping that something clicks and then pass them on to the next year’s teachers hoping that perhaps they have the solution.

We tend to feel successful in our math instruction because most of our kids get it.  Most of our kids do well on tests.  Most of our kids grow a lot.  But is “most” enough anymore?  Can we really say we are successful if all the kids are not getting it?  Is it okay to base success on the 95% that do and just live with the 5% that don’t.  I don’t think it is anymore, but I don’t know how to help them. Yet.  How do we reach those kids with their gaping holes in a day that is already chock full of new?  How do we build up their confidence?  How do we make the curriculum accessible?

I hope you have some ideas to share.

 

So we can do two things.  We can say that is just how it is.  That every year some kids will not grow as much as they should.  That we tried our hardest  and hopefully some of it stuck even though we know it was not enough.  After all, most of our kids do just fine with the curriculum, so what are a few loses?  Or we can do as my team does.  Get to gether and try to come up with a new plan.  Try again.  Try to reach every kid.