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.

being a teacher, being me, student choice

Are Just Teachers to Blame for Boring School?

Pernille Ripp

I have tried to change education.  I have tried to re-ignite forgotten curiosity.  I have tried to spread joy when I teach, when student learn, when we go through this experience known as school.  For the past 5 years this has been my mission.  I ask the students.  I build community.  I make it authentic, meaningful, personalized, passion-based, and many other educational buzzwords.  And yet, today, one of my students asked my why no teachers ever made school relevant.   Why school is so boring.  And my shoulders dropped right along with my spirit, but just for a moment.

As I drove home, I kept coming back to the question the student asked, because it is a relevant one, yet I also realized that it is not that we aren’t trying.  Because I am not the only one who spends hours every day trying to change education.  I am not the only one who feels like they can do better and strives to always make it more than it has to be.  I am not the only one who is trying to make it relevant, trying to make it worth student time, trying to make it meaningful.  I see it every single day in the classrooms of my colleagues and on the teachers that share their stories.  And yet, students continue to say that it isn’t and that we aren’t.  And I am not quite at my wits end on those days, but I am inching closer, comment for comment.

So I ask, at what point can we stop feeling that it is all our fault?  At what point can we realize not just as a society, but as human beings,  that it is not just teachers that create the school experience, but all of the players; including students.  That perhaps it is not just our fault when school is boring, although we seem to think it is.  I know I take personal responsibility for when my students are not engaged, but perhaps I need to stop.  Is there blame to spread?  Or must we continue to carry this burden alone?

Perhaps, my question is irrelevant; who cares about blame when students are disengaged, but carrying all this guilt and responsibility is sometimes exhausting.  I know I blame just myself when a lesson goes wrong,  because to think it would be anything else seems sacrilegious.   Still, though, it cannot just be the fault of the teacher, can it?

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, being a teacher, being me, MIEExpert15, Passion, word choice

Five Words For You

Pernille Ripp

For five weeks, I have tried to find just the right words to preface the following message.  For five weeks, I have carried a tattered post-it around, waiting for just the right angle to present it to the world.  For the past 35 days, I have waited for inspiration to strike, for the moment to come where I could finally unleash the words and let them resonate with others as they have resonated within me.  For 35 days I have waited for an opportunity but that opportunity has not come.  So the words have finally told me that they do not need a story, nor a set up.  They just need to be said.

We must practice being brave.

There I said them.  Now let them sit with with you for a while and see what they do 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.

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, Passion

This Is A Post

Pernille Ripp

This is a post about the people who notice.  About the kids that ask questions.  About the adults that care.  This is a post about how we all need to take more time.  How we all need to slow down.  How we all need to smile because that is the cheapest thing we can do to make someone else’s day.

This is a post about how when we think the students don’t care.  When we think they don’t listen.  When we think they hate everything we do.  That’s when we need to pay attention.  Because they don’t.  They won’t tell us, because telling involves words, and words involve time.  And if there is one thing none of us seem to have enough of; time would be the one.

This is a post about how when we feel really alone.  When we find ourselves just doing one more thing before we breathe.   When we think lunch is another prep period.  When we hear others laugh and wonder how on earth they found the time to stop, to relax, to shut it off.  That’s when we need to pay attention.  Because they aren’t magical.  They don’t have more hours in the day, nor do they have less responsibility, stress, or to-do’s.  They stopped because they decided they would and so can we.

This is a post about being kind.  About greeting every person you see with a smile, whether you know them or not.  Smiles don’t care who they are given to, trust me.  This is a post about using the time you have better.  To pay it forward.  To laugh more.  To help more.  To give more so that you can receive more.  To quiet your mind and awaken your heart and allow yourself to find the joy that we rush by every single moment. This is a post about being grateful for all that we have and all that we can do.  We make the choices.  We have more control than we think.  This is a post about all of that, I wish I coiuld find a way to write it right.

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” will be published by Routledge in the fall.   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.

advice, being a teacher, global read aloud, Reading

5 + 1 Ideas for Doing Better Read Alouds in the Middle School Years

Pernille Ripp

I knew moving to 7th grade from 5th that our read aloud was something I had to preserve.  I knew that having a shared experience was something we needed as we built community, I knew we needed a read aloud so we could be a part of the Global Read Aloud and be a part of a global reading community, and I knew that no matter how old my students may feel like they are, a great read aloud has no age limit. What I didn’t know was just how hard it would be!

Between 45 minute class periods, students who groan at the slightest hint of silliness, and a broad curriculum that seems to never slow down; our read aloud was getting squeezed out almost every day.  In fact, in one class, our very first read aloud took us nearly 5 months to finish.  Talk about stretching out a story.  So in this year of trial and error, I have discovered a few things that is bound to restore the read aloud as one of our main tenets next year.

  1. Pick different books for each class.  As much as I hate having to keep track of five different books, I made the mistake of reading the same amazing book aloud to three of my classes.  My own apprehension and disdain for reading the same thing aloud thus created another barrier; I simply did not want to read aloud to my later classes because I had already read it aloud before.  Now I honor the individuality of my students by having different texts for them all.  We discover the books together and I want to see what happens next just as much as they do.
  2. If you do read the same book; record your read aloud.  If you can find an audio version of a book, find it and use that with the students.  If you cannot, then make your own for example by reading it aloud to Voxer and then emailing the sound file to yourself.  I plan on doing this for our Global Read Aloud books next year so that I won’t get sick of  reading it aloud again and again.
  3. Make your read aloud your mentor text.  I did this in 5th grade and got away from it in 7th, but now I am going right back to it.  This way, when we go through the strategies from Notice and Note we can search for them right in the text we are using, thus double-dipping into the time we have.
  4. Read books in verse aloud.  This year certainly has been the year of the verse book and these make for incredible read alouds.  The story moves along at a fast pace, the students hear great poetry and like it, and it allows us to cover more books.  I just finished The Crossover with two classes who loved the story.
  5. Never underestimate a great picture book.  If you know you will be hard-pressed for time one quarter or over a span of time, opt for reading aloud amazing picture books.  We have read many Elephant & Piggie books, plus any of the other incredible picture books we have in here.  What matters about the read aloud is that we have a shared text experience that we can grown from on many levels.  That does not just have to come from a chapter book.
  6. Even if just for a minute; read aloud.  I used to think I should only read aloud when I coud afford to spend 10 minutes or more on it in class.  The constraint of the 45 minutes that I teach in did not allow me the luxury of that often so we got further and further away from our stories.  Now I know that even if I finish class with just a few minutes of read aloud at the end of class, it is better than not reading, because even a few minutes keep a story fresh and the action moving.

What ideas do you have?  Please share.

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” will be published by Routledge in the fall.   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.

S

Be the change, being me, choices, student voice, testing

On Parenting and Standardized Tests

Pernille Ripp

Much like the rest of North America, my students have been doing the BIG test these last few weeks.  Much like so many teachers, I have sat silently and hoped that I have been enough, that what we have done has adequately prepared them, that they do well.  And yet…

I have also refused to worry more about it.  I have refused to get further upset.  I have shaken my head, I have made my comments, but I have refused to take it home with me.  This test is so far out of my hands that me worrying more about it, losing sleep over it, getting my blood pressure up, is not going to do anything good.  I cannot change what I have taught.  I cannot help my students more than I have.  So by now as a teacher, I can only do my best and hope for the best.  I can raise my voice whenever I get a chance, and I can hope for change.  Because as teachers, our voices are being drowned.  Our voices are not being heard.  Proponents of the testing say teachers are too invested, too close to the situation to have an unbiased opinion.  We are afraid of what the tests may say about our teaching.  We do not want accountability.  And no matter how many times I argue about the fallacy of these statements, I am still lumped into a group that few want to listen to.  So as a teacher, I have had to find my peace within this testing obsessed nation, protect my students as best as I can and save my energy for the fight I will put up for my own children.

Because as a parent, I worry.  I worry about the massive amount of time these test are taking.  I worry about the developmentally appropriateness of questions.  I worry about how they don’t actually mimic the skills that we help our students develop such as arguing one’s opinion or noticing the different facets of an answers.   I worry about how these tests will be used to further rank our children as we rank their teachers, as we rank their schools, as we rank their districts.  I worry how these test will continue to perpetuate the myth that the American public education system is a broken one and it therefore needs to be all about choice and privatization.

So I already know all of my own children will be opted out when they get to that age.  I already know that my children will not be asked to sit through hours of testing to prove something that doesn’t benefit them or change their direct instruction.  They will not be asked to help rank their school through a computerized test.   As a parent, right now, I have a larger voice than I do as a teacher.   And I will keep using that voice whenever I can, even if it only means helping the four kids that I get to call my own.  The fight has to start somewhere.

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” will be published by Routledge in the fall.   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.