aha moment, student blogging, student choice, student voice, writing

In Which We Change the Way We Write

Pernille Ripp

For a while, I have been struggling with how to teach writing well.  Sure, we write every single day almost, sure we blog, we write by hand, and we type.  We have authentic purposes and authentic audiences.  The kids write, we discuss, we create.  And yet, something has been missing and for the longest time I couldn’t put a finger on what it was.

Then I watched this video from Brad Wilson – please stop and watch it right now, it is 6 minutes, and it is so powerful.

Brad is right, “…the containers have hijacked the concept.”  I have compartmentalized everything we do in writing rather than just teach the craft of writing.  I have created barriers for my students so they think that writing is a completely different thing depending on the purpose.  The ideas of writing, the craft has been lost, and students are going through the motion of writing as drones, even if we are blogging, even if we are doing something “fun” with our writing.

We need to get back to the core of story-telling.  We need to focus on the journey we are on as writers and celebrate how we develop our stories.  We need to see that in all of the writing we do, we are working on becoming better writers, not better bloggers, not better editors, not better persuaders, but writers and that being a great writer is an essential skill to all.  Not just those that gravitate toward it.  The conversation within English has to change.  The language I use has to change.  Enough with the self-invented purposes and barriers, back to the core of writing we go.

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.

Awards, being me, global read aloud

ISTE to Recognize the Global Read Aloud

Pernille Ripp

Cross-posted on the Global Read Aloud website

The story of the Global Read Aloud is a very simple one indeed.  What started as a summer night’s conversation and a “What if…” moment spoken aloud, has turned into a global event that somehow grows, changes, adapts, yet perseveres year after year.  As new people join our family, as new incredible books are selected, as new technology is incorporated, the mission does not change; one book to connect the world.  One book to read aloud.  When I look back at the rise of the GRA, I don’t quite know how it happened, only that I am so grateful that it has.

Yet, this project is not just mine, it belongs to all of the educator, children, parents, and administrators that have seen value in it.  That have believed in it and made it their own.  It belongs to the world, as any global project should do, and yet, it is still my baby.  Something that takes up so much time but is so rewarding.

I am therefore incredibly humbled, yet so very excited, to announce that I have been selected for the first annual ISTE Innovation in Global Collaboration award for the creation of the Global Read Aloud.   I have wanted to share the news for a while officially on this blog but it feels terribly odd to tout your own accomplishments.  But I am proud, it is hard work, and yet, this isn’t really about me.  This recognition is about all of us.  All of the people that make the Global Read Aloud what it is.  It is about all of the kids that believe they can make the world better by taking action and reaching out.  It is about all of the teachers that take the leap of faith every year and sign up, not quite knowing what to expect, and still making it their own.  It is about all of the authors that write such incredible stories that have to be shared with others.  It is about all of you, I just get to represent us all , and for that I am so very grateful.

So if you happen to be at ISTE this summer, and you happen to be around Monday morning, there is some form of breakfast, a recognition of some sort.  And while I haven’t gotten many details, I would like to invite all of you to come celebrate this award with me somehow.  If you can meet up with me, please come tell me your story.  Find me and please celebrate with me.

This award may have my name on it, but that is only because there isn’t enough room for all of yours.  Thank you so much for spending your time with the Global Read Aloud.  Thank you so much for believing in me.

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, assessment, being a teacher, being me, MIEExpert15, Passion, Personalized Learning, student choice, student voice, testing

So It Turns Out I Am a Terrible Teacher

Pernille Ripp

It turns out I owe everyone an apology.  Or at least a great big “I am sorry” to all of the people who have ever been inspired by this blog to change the way they teach.  It turns out I don’t know what I am doing, at least not if you look at our test scores.  You see, my students took our district standardized test, the one they take three times a year, and it turns out that at least for some all of my crazy ideas have apparently ruined their English skills.  It wasn’t that their scores dropped just a touch, no, some lost hundreds of points in their comprehension skills; whole grade level disseminated by this terrible teacher.  And there is no one to blame but me, after all, I am the one responsible for all of the teaching.

These tests are a funny thing really, they have a way of messing with even the most stoic of teachers.  We say we don’t care what the test scores are and yet we cannot help but feel fully responsible for the negative scores.   The positive ones, the ones that gained hundreds of points since January; those cannot possible be my doing, because I am teaching all of these kids.  And not all of these kids are improving by leaps and bounds.  So those great scores, they have to be a fluke, but those kids with the big fat minus next to their number, yup, I did that.

As I wrestle with my own feelings of ineptitude tonight, I have realized that who ever thought that teachers could be evaluated by scores that change so dramatically over a year, has never been a teacher.  I could re-test my students tomorrow and guarantee you that all of them would have different scores.  How a test like that can help me plan instruction is beyond me.  How a test like that can be used to evaluate teachers in some states is even further out of my understanding.  And yet it does, and we take it ever so personal because we care.  We think if we had just tried a little harder, worked a little more then maybe we could have reached all of our kids, and not just the “easy” ones.

So I am sorry for ever thinking I could help change education from within.  I am sorry that I have told others to give the classroom back to students, to create passionate learning environments where students not only have a choice, but they also have a voice.  The test told me today that I am doing something wrong for these kids, because there is no way a 34 question test can be wrong, right?  All I can say is that I am thankful to work in an incredible district with an amazing administration that sees beyond the test scores.  That has faith in us and in all we do.  That knows we are bigger than the test scores our students get, because if I didn’t, according to this test, I don’t have any business teaching some of them, or blogging about what I do.

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.

being a teacher, being me, lessons learned, MIEExpert15, Passion

To the One Teacher Who Shaped Me the Most

Pernille Ripp

It is national teacher appreciation week here in the United States. and all through the blog world I have seen the incredible letters of appreciation being shared.  I have seen the words that praise, the words that show once again just how much of an influence a great teacher can have.  And I am grateful because I too have had amazing teachers in my life, who believed that I had worth and who believed that I could make the world a better place.  Great teachers are not in short supply, how grateful am I of that as my own children go to school.

Yet, when I think of the most influential teacher in my life, I don’t think of warmth, nor do I think back with kindness.  The one teacher that shaped me the most was a terrible one.  For five years, because in Denmark you are assigned a classroom teacher that follows you throughout the years, she made my school day awful.  She went out of her way to make me feel different for all of the wrong reasons.  One that I would not wish upon any other child.  And yet, for her I am grateful because she taught me so many things that shape me today.

The worst teacher I ever had taught me that no teacher should ever be allowed to make a child feel bad.  That no teacher should ever be allowed to teach if they don’t really like all children.

The worst teacher I ever had taught me that sometimes emotions can cloud our judgments and we no longer see a child in front of us but only see a problem.  And it is up to us to change that not let it rule our actions.

She taught me that principals do not always know what happens behind closed doors, nor do they always believe parents.  She taught me the importance of a principal who pays attention and a principal who asks questions, even the hard ones.

The worst teacher I ever had showed me what power we have over the acceptance of children in our classrooms and how we must always be a force of good, not a force of pain.

She taught me that sometimes friendships cannot be broken even under the influence of a powerful adult.  She taught me that we as teachers have the power to plant ideas in the heads of students, and we choose whether those ideas are empowering or damaging.

The worst teacher I ever had taught me how we can build community or we can break it.  We can protect the students in our classrooms or we can give bullies more reasons to pounce.  We can single out, we can alienate, we can do everything in our power to make a child feel hopeless, or we can do everything in our power to make a child feel like they matter.

So while I have had many great teachers, it is to her, that I dedicate this post.  To the woman who 20 years after I left her classroom still wondered why anyone could love me; thank you.  You taught me exactly what kind of teacher I would never be.  You taught me what real teachers do; they love every kid, no matter what.  They protect the very children they teach.  They embrace the differences, not make them weapons of destruction.  So to the worst teacher I ever had, you were right; I was different and it is because of those differences I now get to change the world, one kid at a time.  Bet you would have never seen that coming.

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.

being me, connections

Where I Hit the Road

Pernille Ripp

For a long time I have been known as a unicorn, or at least so the joke goes among many of my Twitter friends.  A magical creature that seemingly exists only on this blog and on Twitter but is actually not seen out in public.  Or at least not out at conferences.  It has not been for lack of desire, but when you have four small children, attending conferences and incurring extra expenses is not feasible.  So every summer for the past five years, I have followed from afar and hoped that some day, I would be able to meet all of the incredible people I connect with.  It appears that this summer my wish will finally come true.

This summer, I have been asked to speak at some conferences and others I had proposals accepted for.  Either way, I am humbled and excited for the places I get to go, the learning I get to be a part of, and the incredible people I will connect with. So if your plans involve any of these conferences, please find me and say hello.  I will be the tall blonde woman, probably hiding behind a book, too shy to approach but very, very eager to meet people.

So where will I be and what might I be doing?

June 15th, 2015 – Featured Speaker – USM Summer Spark, Milwaukee WI – I get to give three presentations on this day along with other incredible educators.  Topics include using assessment for good, global collaboration, and how to create passionate learners.

June 17th – 18th – Keynote and presenter – Oregon District Summer Literacy Academy.  Come discuss all things reading and writing along with other incredible educators from Wisconsin. This is open to outside districts as well, but a link is not up yet.

June 24-25th, 2015 – Workshop facilitator – MCP Summer Institute, Chicago, IL. I am thrilled to be co-facilitating a two day workshop with the incredible Diana Laufenberg.  (Seriously in awe of her as a teacher and a human being).  This workshop is all about constructing 21st century learning experiences and promises to be filled with incredible learning and a bundle of new ideas.

June 29th – July 1st, 2015 – Speaker – ISTE, Philadelphia, PA.  I am finally making it to ISTE for the very first time.  I get to present on three separate occasions and also take part in the GlobalEd day that is happening Sunday.   Sunday I will be the teacher representative on the Lead & Transfrom ISTE Town-hall Panel.  Tuesday I will get to co-present with the incredible Colby Sharp and Erin Klein where we will discuss “Set Their Voices Free: How Students Can Share Their Stories.”  And finally Wednesday I get to be a part of The Connected Educator panel with some of my fellow Corwin authors where we will discuss all things connected educators.

July 6-7th, 2015 – Featured Speaker – NERDcamp – Parma, MI.  I have wanted to go to Nerdcamp for the past two years and I am so excited to finally get to go to this FREE conference!  On day 1, I get to give a small Ted-like talk as well as do a session on integrating technology into our literacy programs.  On day 2, I get to just learn, I cannot wait!

July 9th, 2015 – Keynote, NNSTOY, Salt Lake City Utah.  I will be going to Utah for the very first time to do my third keynote ever in front of an incredible audience of teachers.  The keynote will be on how to create passionate classrooms.  ITo say I was shocked to be asked to speak is an understatement.

July 17-20th, 2015 – Speaker – ILA – St. Louis, MO.  Another first for me; The International Literacy conference and this time I am bringing my husband.  I have heard nothing but incredible things about this conference and cannot wait to go and learn from people as obsessed with literacy as I am.  I present Saturday sharing the story of the Global Read Aloud.

July 21 – 21st, 2015 – Featured Speaker – K-12 Learning Symposium, Arrowhead School District, WI.  This two-day workshop spearheaded by the talented Naomi Harm promises to be a hands-on learning experience, which is my favorite kind of conference.  The focus is about how we can help schools create the learning environments that they need.

August 11th, 2015 – Featured Speaker – Summer Tech Splash, Portage, WI.  This two day event will focus on how we can use technology to create collaborative learning opportunities, as well as provide authentic experiences for students.  I cannot wait to discuss student blogging, global collaboration, as well as how to use technology to empower students.

August 19th – 20th, 2015 – Workshop facilitator – CESA 3, WI.  I end my crazy summer of learning by facilitating a two day workshop in one of the most beautiful parts of Wisconsin.  These two days will be all about student engagement, from how we set up our classrooms, to creating personalized learning experiences that excite students.

Just looking at this list shows me how much work I have to do as I prepare, and yet, I cannot feel anything but incredibly excited to finally get out on the road and meet so many new people.  There are many, many people I owe a great deal of thanks to and there are many more that I simply cannot wait to speak to.  If you happen to be on the road this summer, I hope our paths cross.

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, attention, being a teacher, being me, Passion, students

I Challenge You to See Every Child, Not Just the Ones That Demand Your Attention

Pernille Ripp

…I remember thinking that the teacher in front of me probably had no idea I was even in their class.  That my parents didn’t come to parent-teacher conferences because they heard the same thing over and over; Brandon is doing just fine.  I was the just-fine student, the average kid, and teachers never saw me…

It’s Friday evening at our house and for the past two hours, my husband and I have been in deep discussion about race, education, being a foreigner, and what it means to be a kid these days.  But it is these words that stick with me.  The words about being the average kid who never got much attention.  It is these words that have hung over me the past few days.

Because my husband is right, there are those kids that we do not see in our classrooms.  Where entire class periods or days can go by and we have had little interaction with them.  Where we struggle to really describe what they can do and how they should grow when we speak to their parents.  The kids that are doing just fine, they don’t cause problems, they are perfectly challenged within our learning, they do their work, they sometimes raise their hand.  And they fade away into the background of our classrooms as we focus on the outliers; the kids that demand our attention either for good or for bad.

Yet, those kids need us too.  The sheer fact that there are kids that slip through our days should make anyone shudder.  Every kid deserves to be seen, every kid deserves to be noticed.  Every kid deserves to feel that their teacher knows who they are and what they can do.  Every kid, even the just fine ones, deserves to be taught.

This year with 116 students, I have seen how easy it is to not be a part of a teacher’s day.  I have seen how easily a child can go through their day so quietly that no one really recalls whether they were there or not.  But I have also seen a school that tries to notice every child.  It is not easy and there are days where we fail, but at the very least we are aware.  In 7th grade we use a few tricks; I schedule small group instruction with all students, I use a clipboard with their names on it and track who I am speaking to, we send postcards to every single home to highlight the great things we see.  And yet, there are days where I don’t recall whether a child came to English or not except for their attendance.  And that makes me sad.

So my challenge to you is a simple one; notice all of your students.  Find a system, a cheat if you will, and make sure that every single kid leaves thinking that their teacher knew they were there.  That every single kid leaves every single class thinking that it mattered that they showed up.  Yes, I know it is hard.  Yes, I know that it will take more work than what we already do, but we have to.  No child should think they are invisible.  No child should feel like they don’t matter.  No child should sit 20 years after they graduate and share the story of being invisible like my husband did.  It starts with us, will you take the challenge with me?

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.