Pernille Ripp

being a teacher, punishment, reflection, rewards, students

Please Don’t Tell Me to Pick

June 3, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“…Please pick one or two students…” my heart freezes as I read the email.

Don’t make me pick, please. Don’t make me single out one or two students, even if it is for recognition. Why? Because I don’t just have one or two students who deserve to be recognized. I don’t have just have one or two students that have been representing our classroom well. I don’t just have one or two students that are above the rest. I have 27 students that all through the year have proved people wrong. I have 27 students who all through the year have given me their best, even when they had no energy, even when they were lost, even when life threw one obstacle after another at them. I have 27 who deserve special recognition, maybe not for the same things, but they all deserve the praise. they all deserve the acknowledgment that their journey through 5th grade has mattered and has made a difference.

So please don’t ask me to pick just one or two students. My mind cannot do it. And neither can my heart. These kids all deserve to be recognized, all for many things. So please don’t tell me I have to pick, I won’t do it.

I am a passionate (female) 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin, USA, 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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Be the change, new year, reflection

Please Find the Courage to Let Go

June 2, 2014June 2, 2014 Pernille Ripp

The decisions weigh heavy on me every night; does it go with us? Does it stay behind? Is it useful or does it carry meaning? Do I have space for it in our new life, at our new house? With every decision, no matter how hard, the whisper of a new beginning comes to me. This home with all of its moments has been ours for 13 years. It has held us close while we cried over the loss of grandparents, refused job offers, and even losing the hopes of a baby. Yet, its logs has also been the frame for the promise of new careers, for birthdays and weddings. It has welcomed home 4 children, when no one thought it was possible. It has had its flaws, but it has been ours and every thing in it carries our story within,

Giving up ones possessions is hard. Sure, magazines and experts make it sound like an easy task; clean out, clean up, start fresh. And yet, when the decision is yours to be made, the pull of sentimentality is strong, the what if I need it some day rings loud, and the ease of maybe I will just put it in the basement deceives. So I pack, and I unpack, and then I take a deep breath and realize that it is not the things that are hard to say goodbye to, it is the fear of losing the memories that go with them. It is the ease with which I can place these things around my new house, find a purpose for them perhaps, or otherwise let them keep collecting dust just in case. It is the familiar, and the familiar, even if it means clutter and too much stuff is comforting and safe.

Our teaching is a lot like our house. We accumulate ideas, theories, and lessons throughout the years. We use some right away and they become our standard go-to pieces, ones we could not imagine teaching without. Others we shelve away for later and sometimes “later” does indeed come. Many ideas sit in our cabinets or even just our brains, waiting for that day where they have their turn. Other ideas we use because others did and it seems to be the right thing to do. Some ideas scare us too much making us think they will never work in our classroom.

Yet, when did we take the time really clean up our ideas? And not just the crazy ones, the old ones, the ones we never use, but even the ones we use the most. The ones that define us as a teacher. Even those should be evaluated now and then. We should not hold anything sacred. We should examine, unpack, and rethink what everything we do means. Consider how what we teach and how we teach affects the students we work with now. We should say goodbye to things that may have worked but whose time has come. We should rediscover ideas we never thought we would try. We should let the decision weigh heavy on our shoulders and still find the courage to let go and change. Now is the perfect time to start.

Uncategorized

And the Winners Are…

May 31, 2014 Pernille Ripp

Thank you so much to every one who entered for a chance to win a copy of my book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students.” I was overwhelmed with all of the words and excitement about reading the book, I wish I could have given all of you a copy. If you did not win, please consider purchasing a copy right here. Or if you would prefer a print version, please make sure to fill out this form, as my publisher is gauging interest.

Without further ado, the two winning comments are (randomly picked):

Derek Hatch (Hatcherelli) says:

May 26, 2014 at 3:20 pm (Edit)

Derek Hatcherelli with this comment: “I’ve heard great things about your book. Bill Ferriter, who is a hero of mine, just wrote a excellent blog post about it. I would love to read it!
http://blog.williamferriter.com/2014/05/26/book-review-passionate-learners-giving-our-classrooms-back-to-students/”

and

Lori Semans with this comment:

Lori Semans says:

May 29, 2014 at 8:05 am (Edit)

“I am so excited to find out about your book and blog. I am a 20 year veteran who is embarking on a journey next year to empower my students even more through Project Based Learning. I teach an inclusion classroom and will be looping up with them. We have started small this year and the kids and I are both so thrilled that our administration is giving us the opportunity to give the classroom back to the kids. I have seen tremendous advantages for my children at all levels. I have been telling everyone who will listen to follow your blog and to pick up your book. Your ideas support my belief that “Kids will not care what you know, until they Know that you care”. It is refreshing to read about others who share the same ideas. I couldn’t help smiling when I saw your post this morning of your classroom “mess” while the kids were learning. Mine looks the same right now and even my OCD tendencies for cleanliness can not overcome the excitement I feel when I see the kids so passionate about what they are learning and creating. We are turning our classroom into a “Museum of Change” next week for our fellow students and parents to observe all that we have learned throughout our journey this last month. Having an authentic audience is so rewarding for them. Thanks for all that you do to share your passion with others. I would love to read your book this summer.”

Thank you so much everyone!
Derek

global read aloud, Reading, Student-centered

Why the Global Read Aloud Matters

May 30, 2014June 24, 2014 Pernille Ripp

Wednesday started out as a normal day at school. I walked into the office to check my mailbox when our amazing secretary handed me a mystery package. I immediately looked at the mailing label and was astounded when I saw this.

Immediately curios, I ripped open the package and was surprised when I saw this

The package came from Cathy Kreutter, the librarian at the International School of Uganda, and she was reaching out to me continue the global connectedness started by the Global Read Aloud. Not only was I shocked, but I was also over the moon excited, because the other thing in the package was this…

A book, written by Cathy, based on the American Folk Tale “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” meant to tell readers more about Uganda. I couldn’t wait to read it to my students! And what happened next was pure magic.

Not only did I read it my students, who couldn’t believe the things they were learning. They also wanted to find out more about Uganda and had many questions. Next, I took the book to our 1st grade buddies and shared it with them. More questions and learning about Uganda happened. Then I swung by one of our kindergarten classrooms and shared it with them, with the same result. Within the span of an hour, 3 classes had learned and become curious about Uganda and Africa as a whole. All through the power of a book mailed to us because of the Global Read Aloud.

Yet, the power of this book has not ended. Our incredible librarian plans to share it next week with her classes and so we will see the seeds of curiosity planted in more kids. More kids will find Uganda ion the globe and know a little about this faraway nation where the Nile starts and lions roar. More kids will wonder about the world and what another child’s every day life is like. All through the power of a shared read aloud.

So this year, for the Global Read Aloud, I will encourage people who connect to send a picture book to their partners. A book that shares a little about them, that will deepen the connection between our homes. I will secretly hope that some will send one to me as well so my students can see just what this project has started.

Thank you Cathy for reaching out to me. That small gesture has started a wave of curiosity at our small school. To purchase your own copy of this book, please go here, I am telling you, the students will love it.

I am a passionate teacher in Wisconsin, USA, who has taught 4, 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. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students’ heads every day. First book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students” can be purchased now from Powerful Learning Press. Second book“Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners” can be pre-ordered from Corwin Press now. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

reflection, Student-centered

This is What Learning Looks Like

May 27, 2014May 29, 2017 Pernille Ripp

This past Friday, my incredible students participated in the 4th Innovation Day I have done. While it is a hard day for me because I tend to get bored, since I cannot jump in and teach, I always marvel at the energy and enthusiasm throughout the room. The sheer driven desire to create something fueled by their curiosity and imagination never ceases to astound me, and this day is always a highlight for the students. At one point, I tweeted out the following picture

photo (16)

captioning it, “This is what learning can look like…” Immediately, someone replied, “This is what learning SHOULD look like!” (Emphasis added by me). At first, I agreed, nodding, yes, this is what learning should look like. Then I stopped, thought about it, and I realized, no, this is not what learning should look like at all times.

If learning looked like this every day, I would go crazy. The mess, the noise, the scattered projects and directions, where I barely took part in anything, no thank you. And I wouldn’t be the only one. My students would not want learning to be like this every day either, how do I know? I asked them.

Instead, they told me that learning should look like this…

photo (6)

Like this…

Or like this…

Learning should look like this…

Or like this…

Sometimes learning even looks like this…

In the end, learning looks the way our students need it to look. Whether that means a teacher in the front setting up a foundation for exploration, students exploring their way through something, individual quiet contemplation and in-depth thinking, or even small groups teaching others; learning is many things, looks many ways, and feels many ways. It has to because we all learn differently, we all process things differently. We all need different things at different times.

If we run our classroom in one way, even if it is an incredible way in our eyes, we risk losing the love of learning from a child. Every child should feel at home in our rooms, every child should feel like they can learn. Every child should feel that the way they learn is right. So there is no one way that learning should look like. It should look however fits our kids best. And that changes often, just like our students do.

being me, books

Win A Copy of My Book “Passionate Learners”

May 26, 2014May 29, 2014 Pernille Ripp

On May 14th, a dream of mine came true, I became an author with the publication of my first book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students.” Since then I have been excited to see readers respond to my book and how they will use it in their teaching lives. While I have loved this book and writing it has been a very personal journey for me, what matters now is whether it will help others avoid some of the pitfalls I fell into as a teacher. So to help spread the word and reward all the readers of my blog, we are giving away two copies of my book! Entering is simple, just leave a comment. I will pick two winners at random this Friday, May 30th at 10 PM.

Here are what a few people have said about the book after they read it.

“I knew even before I read it that Passionate Learners: Giving Our Classrooms Back to Our Students was going to become one of my favorite education resources and something I would recommend to every teacher I know.” – Angela Watson

“I strongly suggest that every educator read this book whether they agree or not because ultimately, we are all motivated by doing what is in the best interest of children, right?”

– Tony Sinanis

“I wish that I had read this book a year earlier as I struggled with being a change maker at my school. Although I have a broad PLN I can call on for support, somehow reading these words felt like an extended conversation with a wise friend. Thank you, Pernille, for your oh so honest story that affirms the gifts and challenges of our vital profession. “

– Joan Young

Print or digital? How wd you prefer to read my new book Passionate Learners? http://bit.ly/1kb9orz Quick survey: https://www.formstack.com/forms/?1734872-So4tMjtPvg

Now it is your chance to read my book. Enter below for a chance to win one of two copies by leaving a comment. (Please note there isn’t a print version of the book available at this time, but you can read the eBook on any computer or mobile device.) The contest ends at 10 PM EST on Friday, May 30th. Good luck!