Pernille Ripp

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?

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, books, Literacy, Passion, student choice

On Hating Reading

August 18, 2015August 18, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I have loved reading as many years as I have lived. Reading wove its threads throughout my life, from my mother reading aloud to me every night, to learning to read English books in the lap of my now-father, biking to our public library with a plastic bag empty waiting for the books that would fill it, and now passing my love on to my own children as they beg for just one more book, every single night.

I have brought my love of reading into the classroom, cementing that in this room we are all readers. We all spend time finding those books that will transform us. Finding those moments where we beg for just one more page, one more minute, and hope that the teacher will give it to us.

I love reading, but I do not ask all of my students to love reading. I do not expect them to fall as madly in love with reading as I have, because if I did then I would ask them to accept the identity I have shaped for myself. I would ask them to sometimes do something impossible.

Instead, I ask them to like it more. To give it another chance, even if their hatred has been cemented in years of torturous reading experiences. I make them promise me to give it a chance, a proper one, to keep their minds open as we grow throughout the year. There are some students who will never love reading. Who will never feel like reading is the one thing they must do every day to sustain their souls. And yes, that makes me sad, but I also need to make sure that our classroom welcomes all students. Even those that identify as reading haters.

So we should carry our torch for the love of reading wherever we go. We should exude passion. We should help each child believe that they are readers. That books are for them. That they too can immerse themselves in something so deeply that they almost forget to breathe. Yet, I must remember, that if I tell a child that they must love reading, some children will rebel simply on principal. Some children will find every reason to hate it more. So I do not assume that all children will love reading. I assume instead that within our short time together, I can make them hate it less. I can change their minds, if even just a little bit. After all, our classrooms are created by the true personalities of our students. We must meet them where they are and help them grow on their journey.

I will never stop loving reading. I will never stop telling my students that they are readers every single day. Even those that don’t believe they are. I will never stop sharing my own love of reading, but I will allow students to figure out where their emotions fall and then help them move from there. I will see my students for who they are, even if they do not love reading. Even if I will never understand how you cannot.

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?

books, Literacy, Reading

Some of My Favorite Historical Fiction Books Right Now

August 15, 2015August 15, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I just finished Ruta Sepetys’ new book Salt to the Sea which I received as an ARC at ILA. It was amazing. As I poured over the historical notes in the book, I marveled at the dedication and know-how that it takes to create a masterful historical fiction book, and Ruta Sepetys is a master at it. I know that some of my students live and breathe for historical fiction and therefore thought a list of some of my favorite historical fiction chapter books would only be in order.

I have to start with the book that made me want to make this list; Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. This book is a masterpiece, told in multiple perspectives and once again taking a little known event and giving it its proper place in history telling the tale of one of the largest maritime disasters in history that happened in 1945. The only unfortunate part is that this book is not released until February, 2016, but do yourself a favor and pre-order it now. I just did.

Ever since The False Prince, Jennifer A. Nielsen has been one of my favorite authors, so I was terribly excited when I read her new historical fiction novel A Night Divided about a young girl and her brother trying to reunite with their father in a divided Berlin. This book was a page turner and also offered an incredible glimpse of what life was like in East Berlin.

I have loved Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson for a few years, trying to pass it into the hands of as many students as possible. The story follows Hattie as she tries to prove up on her uncle’s homesteading claim. There was so much I didn’t know about the trials and tribulations of this time, I am so glad I read this book to teach me.

Although intended for a more mature reader, I did have a copy of The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow in my 5th grade library. This loose interpretation of the famous German Boxer Max Schmeling’s experiences after KristallNacht is one that a student declared the best book he had ever read. I don’t think I can give it a bigger recommendation than that.

Is it awful to admit that the reason it took me so long to read the incredible The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley was because I didn’t like the cover? Oh when will I ever learn? This book is an amazing account of what it felt like to be a child in London during WWII and especially the children that were transported to the countryside to live with strangers for protection. A must add.

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool is a quirky book that grows on you as you as you read it. Students tend to not pick this one up by themselves, but once I have book talked it , it always finds it home with “that” kid that falls deeply in love with it.

I had the distinct honor of seeing Pam Munoz Ryan speak, and even play the harmonica, at ILA this summer and it only strengthened my belief that she is a genius. Echo, her latest book, is a masterpiece with three seemingly different stories woven together perfectly all surrounding WWII but in three very different places. I cannot wait to hand this to as many students as possible.

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine was a Global Read Aloud finalist, need I say more? With its tale of two girls becoming friends in segregated Little Rock, I felt like I held my breath until the end of the story. I have used this for book clubs as well with much success.

It seems only fitting that I end with another Ruta Sepetys book Between Shades of Gray. A remarkable book that details the forcible relocation of Lithuanians that happened during WWII. Books like this are the reason historical fiction is so important to have for students.

I purposefully am trying to highlight newer books to me, but please do not forget about these amazing books as well that have already stood the test of time. Some of these include

The Watson’s Go to Birmingham- 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

I actually have a bit of hard time with Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Being born and raised in Denmark and having a grandfather that was a resistance fighter during the war, this book has taken something very hard in my country’s history and packaged it a little bit too neatly. However, it does give a taste of what Denmark was like during WWII, but certainly not the full story. If you have more mature readers, have them read The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Moose. That will give a much more comprehensive and astounding look at what really happened during World War II in Denmark.

So which ones have I forgotten?

being me, Literacy, Passion, Reading, student voice

At Any Given Moment We Have the Power to Stop the Hatred of Reading

August 13, 2015August 18, 2015 Pernille Ripp

It used to astound me that my 4th graders would come to me and profess a hatred of reading. It used to shock me to the core. After all, these were the same kids that would ask for just one more page of our read aloud. Who would ask me to read a picture book aloud the minute it came to our room. Who had no problem confessing the love for the book we were sharing, but had none for the one they were reading alone. I always thought that the next year’s teacher would surely get them on the right path even if I couldn’t.

Now I am the next year’s teacher, and their dismay of books has only grown further. The group of children telling me that they never read outside of school has only grown. And this is not a boy-reader problem, this is an any gender problem. This is not something just caused by poverty, nor disengaged parents, nor reading difficulties. I see the hatred of reading defended the most from my students who have had every opportunity to fall in love with reading. I know I am not alone in this. And I know I cannot wait for someone else to fix it.

So I started to dig a little deeper. I get that they “hate” reading, but why? What parts was it that caused so much emotion, or sometimes so little, that students would have a physical reaction to whenever we had independent reading time. And their truths were not pretty, because the finger they pointed, pointed right at me. Or us, as educators.

We may think that it is too easy to blame teachers for the systematic destruction of reading love in our schools, and it is, because there are forces beyond our control that have a huge part in this as well. But part of the blame does lie with us, and that means we can do something about it. Especially in the upper grades where reading is no longer treated as something magical, but instead merely something useful.

At any given moment, we have the power to stop ourselves from telling students what to read. In our eagerness to shape well-rounded readers we are instead creating non-readers. In our eagerness to make sure students are exposed to all types of books, we are limiting them from discovering their own reading identity. Would we rather have a child that reads every single fantasy book they can come across, or a child that begrudgingly only reads a few books a year from other genres?

At any given moment, we have the power to make reading fun again. Fun is a not a swear word in our schools. There is nothing wrong with discovering a book that makes us laugh, or makes us wonder, or makes us think. Reading does not always have to have a purpose. It can be just to share a wonderful experience.

At any given moment, we have the power to stop interrupting children while we read. To not point out every single detail. To not have them do post-its for every thought they have. To not have them turn-and-talk every few minutes. Let them reach the reading zone as Nancie Atwell calls it. And not just once in a while but most of the time.

At any given moment, we have the power to reclaim what reading should feel like in our classrooms. To stop always using whole-class novels. To stop furthering our own vision for what makes a reader a reader. To stop hanging our own reading identities around the shoulders of students and wonder why it does not fit?

At any given moment, we have the power to create classrooms where reading is magical. Where reading is celebrated. Where reading is taught, but taught in a way that does not extinguish the love of the very thing we are trying to promote. But we have to look at our own practices first, we have to stand up and change. We have to ask our students what we are doing so that we can be better. So that their love of reading does not have to survive our classrooms. So that their hatred for reading does not have room to grow. But it starts with us, not them.

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.