students – Page 20 – Pernille Ripp

A Child Reveals His Ambition and I Snort

June 18, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Basketball (Photo credit: mvongrue)

“…Awe but Mrs. Ripp, I won’t need to know how to do this because I am going to be a famous basketball player…”

I hold back a snort. Really? A famous basketball player? In my head, the statistics of this ever coming true run through at lightning speed, I am about to say something, and then I stop. Who am I to squash a dream, even if in my eyes it is an unrealistic one?

So I take a different approach. “Did you know that even famous basketball players have to go to high school, have to learn, have to go to college?” The boy stares at me. “Did you know that this will directly lead into more math that we are going to do and I have a feeling you are going think it is really fun? Did you know that to be a true role model you shouldn’t just be great at basketball but you should also show the world just how smart you are?” The boy nods, still unsure of what I am saying, but I walk away, dreams still in place, not squashed by this teacher.

As a teacher, I used to be the biggest realist I knew. I was quick to tell students what they could or could not do, the odds of something happening to them. I felt it was part of my job to set them up for “real life” with real expectations and real failure coming their way. Now I know better, there is no sense in destroying dreams, even if we know it may not happen. There is no sense in taking hope away from children. What we can do, though, is to show them everything else that is important; how an education fits into their dreams. How an education may be the ticket to get them where they need to be. Hoa an education is not a waste of their time, so don’t make it a waste of their time. Make it something they want to have, make school a place they want to go to. A lofty goal perhaps, but a necessary one.

being a teacher, goodbye, students

My Kids Say Goodbye

June 7, 2012 Pernille Ripp

We have committees at the end of the year and we always give thanks to all of those who have helped us have a successful year. So a group of kids spearhead thank you letters; they have everyone write them, they gather them, bind them and present them. This year though they presented one to me as well; a complete surprise and one that has left me a little teary eyed. So what were some favorite comments?

I like it a lot because you are not strict but don’t let kids fool around like my bus driver.
I sometimes have been thinking I did bad but you made me feel much better.
My family and I will miss you…I babysit.
The most interesting part of my blogging experience was that people on the other side of the Earth ask questions that people in America think everyone must know the answer [to].
Thank you for not trying to bore us in class…
Thank you for criticizing me but not being mean about it.
You have inspired me to want to become a teacher.
You cared about the class and what we wanted…
Thank you for helping and believing in me…
I will miss you the most

And so that’s why I teach…

May your final days with your students be filled with stories and laughter, and perhaps a tear shed in private or public.

being a teacher, students

Does Absence Make the Student Grow Dumber? Or Is That Only For Certain Students?

June 5, 2012 Pernille Ripp

As I wrap up the year I have been tallying absences for my students with some notable surprises. Wow, that kid was absent that much, I would have never known… Or, wow, that kid hardly missed and yet they didn’t grow as much as I would have thought. This end of year project reminds me of a student I had once that missed more than 20% of the year and yet still succeeded academically. How was this even possible? He was a fast thinker, had parent support, and probably didn’t miss out on that much, which yes, is a total indictment of how I used to teach.

So fast forward to this year and conversations we have about the importance of students being here or else…I can’t help but wonder if this applies to all students, I mean, let’s face it, there are students that cruise through school no matter how many challenges we throw their way. And on the flip side there are also students who hit every bump in the road even when they are here. So is being present in school enough to spell success? Or is it just one more factor that can lead down a certain path? I think I know the answer here, that it is just one factor that can lead to success, but then what is behind our thinking and our obsession with students coming to school? Why do we get so stuck on attendance with some students but not with others?

being a teacher, end of year, ideas, projects, students

What Do You Do in the Last Few Weeks of School?

May 21, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Some teachers start a countdown, others do a lot of reading. We instead have quite the to-do list to get through before my fabulous 5th graders get to graduate. So beyond the culminating projects we have going on, here are some things that are keeping us busy:

Writing thank you letters. This often overlooked skill is something I put a lot of value in so every year we take the time to thank all of the teachers and people that have helped us have a successful year. I love slipping these into people’s mailboxes.
Write Dear Future Mrs. Ripp’s Students letters. Every year I have my class that is leaving write letters to incoming students. This is way for them to give them top insider information, get them excited and I get to peek at what meant a lot to them in the year. I love handing these to my new students and seeing what they gain from them.
The Top 10. We brainstorm all of the great things we have loved doing through the year and fill a white board with all of them. Students then vote for the top 10 things of the classroom and a committee makes a huge poster for me to put on display for the new year. Again, this is a sneaky way for me to see what really stuck out to students and incoming students cannot wait to figure out what the different things are.
Clean the library and review the books. Not only do students help me get all the books back in the baskets they also get to rate all of the books. If they would not read a book they place it on the carpet and other students can rescue it. However, if no one comes to its rescue that books is given a new home.
How to Flourish in 5th Grade videos. My students have been busy writing scripts, rehearsing them, filming and soon editing videos for the incoming students on a variety of topics ranging from internet safety to how to transition to math (we switch classes). I love seeing what the students wish they had known and also having them use some amazing Adobe software to edit their videos.
Give me your favorite memory… Another committee project where every student has to add their favorite memory to a video. Again students are in charge of making this and I show it in the last days.
My favorite thing about…Every student has to a favorite thing about 3 other students on video. We then edit it together to make a montage of all the things we have loved about each other. This is always very secretive and students don’t know who has them.
Look at our time capsules. At the beginning of the year we do a time capsule with our favorite things at the moment and we also see how tall we are. At the end we remeasure and laugh about how much we have changed or not.
Give me your feedback. Students do a survey rating all of our classes, ranking their favorite assignments and their least favorite. They also give me advice and constructive criticism on what I should change.

So there are just some of the things we have to do. Like I’ve said there is a lot going on in 5th grade and every day counts. I used to have students write letters to their new teachers as well but it doesn’t work so well with the transition to middle school, however in other grades it probably would.

attention, behavior, being a teacher, punishment, students

A Student Gives Up And I Get Even

May 20, 2012 Pernille Ripp

His head was down, hoodie pulled over his eyes. The frustration radiating out of him, the dry erase board lay there untouched, unwritten, and I thought to myself, “again? Seriously…” And the irritation in me kept growing. This kid who obviously didn’t get what I was teaching had just given up, how dare he. So I coaxed, I goaded, I even raised my voice a little trying to let him know that the choices he was making was not going to help him learn anything. That I needed to be the center of his universe for him to understand it. That we were not going down this road again today.

In my mind I knew I was going to have “the talk” with him once class was done. I was going to tell him how unacceptable his behavior was, how disrespectful, how I would be emailing mom and speaking to his homeroom teacher. I was going to give it to him good too because all I could see when I was teaching was that head down, hoodie up and that just wasn’t acceptable.

When class ended, he approached the table and I looked up and saw his look of sheer resignation, the, “Uh oh I am going to get it now and I don’t care because I just don’t get it” attitude streaming from him. So I said, “I noticed how tough math was for you today, how you had given up…” and I hesitated, noticed his downward glance. “So I want to thank you for continuing to try, for not thinking I was crazy in my explanations. Please keep reaching out for help and I will try to get to you as soon as I can. I know you can learn this, don’t forget that.”

Eyes up, shoulders back, and out he walked from my room. Who knows what Monday will bring.