Pernille Ripp

Where Are All of the Female Leaders?

July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 Pernille Ripp

where are

One of the most asked questions I get wherever I go is; how do you do it all? And by all they mean be a mother, wife, teacher, author, and speaker and still seem somewhat normal. Not dazed, not frazzled, not crazy. I wish I had an amazing answer or a magical formula that would somehow give me more hours in the day and peace of mind to the person asking. But I always answer honestly; I don’t. There’s a balance and sometimes that balance shifts one way or another, but I never lose track of what is most important. Yet, the many times I have been asked that question, I cannot help but wonder; how many times has that same question been asked to my male counterparts? To those male educators that seem to have a million things going on as well. Do they get asked how they do it all, or is it just a female question?

I ask, because this post does not have inspiration or answers, but it does have a lot of questions that I am hoping you will discuss with me. Because I have started to notice that there seems to be a double standard when it comes to female educators in leadership. That females who lead in some capacity are always assumed to be sacrificing something for that leadership, whether it be time with their husband, time with their kids, or time from their job. And that supposed sacrifice means that we should feel guilty (which trust me I do) and at some point we need to apologize for the fact that we sacrificed something in the first place. That we are not supposed to sacrifice time with our children to further our own learning. That we are supposed to become leaders only after our children go to college, not whenever we want to. (Just to make clear, I have no issue with women who choose to wait until later in life, I do take issue with being told I should wait). Not while they live at home. That we tend to say no to opportunities presented to us because we feel bad, and boy, are we good at feeling bad.

So I wonder if this is just a female thing? Do males get asked how they do it all? Are they supposed to feel guilty when they leave their families behind to pursue a leadership opportunity? Or am I biased because I am obviously a female myself.

It is not just because I wonder about the whole notion of feeling guilty when we are away. More importantly though, I wonder if this guilt is stopping us from speaking up, from going to conferences, from taking leadership positions that we know will swallow more of our time? Are we creating a barricade to strong female leadership ourselves? Because it seems like everywhere I go, males are dominating a lot of the leadership roles still. And it can’t just be me, I cannot be the only one noticing this. So I wonder; where are all of the female educational leaders?

Because I am surrounded by them in my daily life. I am surrounded by them at my school, in my district, in my network of people. And yet, the minute we are asked to point out leaders, how many times do our fingers point to males? How many times when we see a new initiative being pushed out is there few females involved? How many pictures of leadership meetings feature mostly males? And what are we doing about it?

So what happens to those women who want to be more than “just” a teacher? “Just” a principal? Are there enough opportunities out there for them? Are we holding ourselves back or is it a societal thing where conference committees, editors, and other people with opportunities tend to gravitate toward males rather than females because there is an assumption that women don’t want these opportunities? Why in a profession that is mostly female are most leaders still male? Did we do it to ourselves? Or am I completely wrong here?

PS: Kaye and Leah, this one’s for you.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark, who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade. 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. The second edition of my first book “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” is out now from Corwin Press. Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

aha moment, Be the change, being me, learning, lessons learned, teachers

Try To Be You

July 13, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I have been surrounded by greatness for a while now it seems. It has been awe-inspiring to hear the stories of what amazing educators are doing in their schools as I go to conferences. It has been profound to see the supposed ease with which some of my colleagues at Oregon Middle School navigate their days. I am not there yet, I don’t know if I will ever be.

So this past year has been one of inspiration, but it has also been one of frustration. I have left many conversations wondering why I am not doing that, why I didn’t think of that. Read a book and wondered how I can become that teacher. Heard a speaker and wondered what I need to change to be them. And yet, tonight I realized that I will never be someone else. That when I try to be someone else that I lose the very essence that makes me me. That when we try to imitate, even the best ideas, they will never fully be what we hope for them to be but only shadows of the original.

So do be inspired this summer. Read a book, start a conversation, go to a conference and meet amazing people. Learn from them. Create with them. But don’t try to be them. You never will be. I never will be. We can only be ourselves so change accordingly. Find ideas that will inspire you to be a better teacher but don’t try to be someone else. It will never work, our students will see right through it. Instead make a vow to better yourself, trust your own ideas, and know that you, you are amazing too. You may just not have discovered it yet.

being a teacher, being me, honesty, student voice

A Students Shares What It’s Really Like Being In Our Classroom

July 12, 2015July 12, 2015 Pernille Ripp

For years, I have been sharing the sometimes magical, sometimes fantastical, and sometimes awful things that go on in our classroom. I have been honest in my blogs, I have presented what really happens, not diluted it or polished it to make myself look better. And while my students have blogged for years on their blog about being a member of our classroom I have never had one of them write it on here. Until tonight where one of my former 7th grade students, Corinne, agreed to write an honest post about what it is really like in our classroom. Besides adding paragraphs, I have not edited or added anything to this post. Thank you Corinne for your honest assessment of what it really looks like in our room!

She writes:

There is no doubt that Mrs. Ripp’s classroom is a classroom that anyone would want to be in. Being in Mrs. Ripp’s classroom every week day for a year has taught me so much, not only about English but myself to. Mrs. Ripp’s classroom is place that makes everyone feel important and wanted. Through out the year we did various projects and had various assignments that students sometimes enjoyed and sometimes hated. For example last school year every student that had Mrs. Ripp as an English teacher got the chance to write a non-fiction picture book. This was my favorite project that we did through out the year. I think that so many kids enjoyed it because everyone got to express themselves in their own unique ways.

An example of a project that many students disliked was our book club projects. I think the problem for most of the students who didn’t like this project was the fact that they were being forced to read. That is what I personally didn’t like about the project. For me it wasn’t so much the project itself, it was the mind set it was giving me. So most kids told Mrs. Ripp that they were reading when they weren’t, and then looked up the summary of the book on Google so that when it came time to talk about the book they knew what was going on. Other kids would simply decide that they didn’t want to read and they didn’t want to do the project, so they weren’t going to do it. Others would try their hardest but their hearts just weren’t in it. So then when everyone presented their horrific projects to Mrs. Ripp and we all got bad grades it was this HUGE reality check for everyone. But of course no teacher wants their students to fail so there is always a second chance in Mrs. Ripp’s classroom. Sometimes the second chance was coming in during a study hall and talking about what you could have done better, sometimes it was studying more and then getting a chance take the test again. Getting these second chances makes a big difference in grades and how they improve.

Through out the year in her classroom you get a lot of chances to do a lot of cool things that are once in a life time experiences. I find myself referring to it as “her classroom” but I know that if Mrs. Ripp were writing this she would be referring to it as “our classroom” because that is what it really is to her and that makes a big difference in the way she teaches and how and what you learn in her classroom. All in all being in Mrs. Ripp’s classroom is fun, exciting, interesting, and an educational opportunity that I wish everyone could experience.

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, believe, hopes, new year

You Are Not “Just” A Teacher

July 9, 2015 Pernille Ripp

“I am just a teacher.” How many times have we said it without even realizing it? Without realizing how much we are cutting ourselves down? How many times have we started our retort, offered an idea, or even pushed back with these words? I am just a teacher so no one has to listen to me. I am just a teacher so my ideas don’t have value. I am just a teacher so what do I know…

But here’s the thing, you are not just a teacher. You are so much more.

You are the first line of defense for a child’s love of learning. The original believer in all children. The person who every day gets up and thinks that they can truly make a difference.

You are a dream-builder. A planner. A wonder-er.

You are a compass for those who may be lost. A map for those who need to find a way. And a flashlight for those who have lost their vision.

You are not just a teacher, you are a pair of arms for those who feel the world is against them. A shoulder for those who need to cry. Ears that will listen to whose who feel no one hears their voice anymore.

You are someone who believes even when others don’t. You are someone who fights even after all seems lost. You are someone who never, ever gives up even when a child has given up on themselves.

You are not “just” a teacher, but instead a warrior whose urgency only grows with every child we meet. A campaigner for others to believe in the good that you see in a child. A window opener when all the doors have been closed.

You are the family that some children don’t get to have. You are someone who cares with everything you do. You are the voice of reason when others speak nonsense.

You are the last line of defense when others say no more, nothing else, we are done.

So yes, you may just be a teacher but think of what you are to all of those kids that you teach. Think of what you can be. And then think of what they will do knowing you were their teacher. So the next time you find yourself saying you are just a teacher, wear that title with pride. You are just a teacher, but teachers change the world.

Be the change, being a teacher, connect, control, principals, trust

Dear Administrators, Can We Tear Down the Great Divide?

July 9, 2015July 10, 2015 Pernille Ripp

Dear Administrators,

I am not sure I am the right one to bring this up,in fact, I am not sure it is my place to start this conversation. Yet, this blog has offered me a voice that not all teachers have, a place to start a public discussion that is needed. That doesn’t mean I am the best one to bring it up, but here goes nothing.

There has always been a divide between administration and teachers it seems. From the poor jokes about going to the dark side to the hushed conversations behind closed doors discussing the latest admin “screw up,” it seems that there is an invisible mountain between teachers and administration that both sides don’t understand the origin of. It is not that anyone wants to think of the other as being on another side and yet it crops up in conversation time and time again. But I am starting to wonder why we all seem to be okay with it. It seems to just be an accepted fact when I don’t think it should be. After all, are we not all trying to educate the same children?

So what is it that is creating it, and more importantly what can we do? Because I hear over and over that teachers don’t think their administration will believe in whatever idea they have, or their administration won’t give them permission, and I am always left wondering if this really is true. Do they really know that or is it just an assumption? In fact, how often do we assume what someone else may say or think and thus feel defeated? How often do we blame our administrators for something when we don’t know if it is really their fault? How often does our own fear of having a courageous conversation create unintended barriers?

Perhaps the divide has to to do with trust. While I believe almost all administrators trust their staff, I wonder how often that is explicitly communicated. Not just in words but in actions. I wonder how many times trust is assumed rather than discussed, how many times both sides assume that the other know their intentions. What if we decided that the other side couldn’t read our minds and instead started asking questions? What if we were told that administration trusted us in both words and action, would that break the divide? What if teachers started to tell their administrators that they trusted them, what would that do?

What if we gave second chances? What if we, every day, gave each other a new chance at doing what is best? What if we actively tried to create a community of educators just like we work on it with our students? What then?

I don’t know what the answer is. I am not an administrator, just a teacher who wants to find a solution. So dear administrators and other educators reading this, what do you think? How do we tear down the great divide? What can I tell all those teachers who feel like their administration will never trust them? Who feel like their administration will never understand what they do, what they are trying to do, and who feel no one has their back? Because I don’t think it’s true but maybe I am wrong, I have been wrong so many times before.

Thank you,

Pernille

PS: I am absolutely loving all of the great conversations that are happening due to this post. Here are a few responses to the post on other blogs.

John Bernia wrote a great response
So did Melissa Emler here

And Brandon Blom here

Be the change, being a teacher, believe, choices, MIEExpert15, teachers

We Are the Experts on Our Students

July 9, 2015 Pernille Ripp

I don’t remember when I started speaking up as a teacher. When my words no longer burned in my skull, my mouth tightly closed. When I finally had the courage to raise my hand and give my opinion and then wait and see what would happen. But I do remember how it felt; terrifying. My cheeks flamed red, all eyes on me. In my mind you could have heard a pin drop. Time slowed until someone else jumped in. Yet, in reality, it was probably not a big moment. Not something etched into history, nor remembered by the masses. So why is it we are so afraid to claim our expertise as teachers, ask questions, and speak up for the students we teach?

We seem to have no problem being told what to do as teachers. Whether we are a product of the teaching conditions we endure, or we simply don’t think our opinions have value, we mostly keep silent when it comes to new programs, new initiatives, and new decisions. We assume that everyone understands our students and thus the decisions being made will always benefit them. But we all know that that is not always true. And yet we wait for others to tell us what to do, so that we can follow their path. Instead of carving out our own, instead of adding our voice.

The thing is, we are the experts on the kids we teach. Not the amazing administrators we may work with. Not the consultant brought in or the outside expert. We are. And we need to speak up when things are not going to be in the best interest of those children. We need to at least offer our opinion, our advice, and then be allowed to adapt for the very students we teach.

If we know our facts. If we know our craft. If we know our research then we too are experts. Then our voices matter as well. But you have to allow yourself to have your voice heard. You have to trust yourself in adapting programs to make them work for the kids you teach. You have to allow yourself to ask questions, suggest modifications, create change so that the very students we are entrusted to teach will get the best learning experience.

Don’t wait for others to claim you are an expert, claim it yourself. Give yourself the same value that you place on your students. You know what is best for kids, so trust that. Stop creating more barriers than there needs to be because their future depends on you.

H/T to Jess Lifshitz and her early morning talks.