Another video in our Mystery Skype series. In this one students briefly discuss what they do after the call, including the very important supervisor led discussion that wraps the call up. In this discussion, the supervisor speaks to the strengths and weaknesses and the problems of the call, while the rest of the group brainstorm solutions. This is all led without the teacher and a major ownership opportunity for the students.
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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
My amazing students have been shooting videos to help others start with blogging and Mystery Skype. I am excited to reveal our first video in our Mystery Skype series; how to prepare and ideas for jobs. Please feel free to use this video with whomever you see fit. More videos are coming before the end of the school year.
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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
To unleash my words of destruction, let it fall over his deaf ears, while he would continue to stare defiantly at me.
His chin was ready to catch my words, deflect them even if need be. His shoulders back, proud of what he had done even if it had broken more than three school rules.
I cleared my throat. he stood up taller.
Then I asked, “Why?”
A look of uncertain flashed through his yes but then quickly disappeared.
“Because I could. because I wanted to. Why? What are you going to do about it?”
“This isn’t like you,” I said. “This isn’t the kid I know. This isn’t the kid that is proving everybody wrong.”
His shoulders slumped a tiny bit and I knew there was a chance we could talk.
I have yet to punish a child into behaving. Don’t get me wrong, I tried for several years to punish all of them into being good.
I punished them with grades. I punished them with referrals, with shouting, with lost recesses and lost privileges. I punished them with phone calls home, meetings, and stern look upon stern look. Sometimes they straightened out for a bit, if I yelled loud enough. Other times they just got more certain of their path of destruction, smarter about the damage they inflicted.
I stopped punishing four years ago and started asking “Why?” instead. It wasn’t a miracle word, nor did it fix everything, but it planted a seed. A seed that can grow into a conversation. A seed that can blossom into trust, into community, into a deeper understanding.
I grew weary of punishment because it didn’t change the kid. It just made them more stubborn in their ways, it made them hate school, it made them hate me. I became a part of the problem rather than part of the solution. Sometimes I was the problem and I was the reason they were behaving so destructively.
Now, when a child has rough day, a rough month, or even a rough year, I first look inward. What am I doing to add more to the problem? What am I doing that fuels it? Then I reach out to the child; how can this be solved, what is really going on? I keep asking why until I find something that we can use to move forward. I am not there to fix a kid, I can’t fix anyone, but I am there to help them help themselves. I am here to help them grow. Punishment will never do that.
PS: Today, Zach, one of my incredible students posted this on his blog, I swear he read my mind
In my opinion, a good teacher needs to have three very important qualities. First of all, a teacher needs to be able to put situations into a student’s perspective. A teacher should be able to think “How would a student react to kid/teacher points?” or “Would my class enjoy this project?” or think similar thoughts. Sometimes, just putting something into a student’s eyes is the best way to solve it. Second, a teacher should be able to think ahead. You can’t plan a project if you don’t have enough time to do the project! A teacher should be able to think ahead and make a plan about what they will do each day in advance. Lastly, but certainly not least, a teacher should always ask “Why?”. Sometimes, teachers just assume that a student is not behaving without thinking about the condition. What if the student is having troubles at home so the student can’t get that homework assignment done. Or, what if the student is having a headache, so he can’t focus on his book. My one piece of advice is “Never assume a student is willingly misbehaving.”
So there you have 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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
It is not often you get to add a new title to your life, “author” was not something I had ever dreamed I would be able to add. Sure, I come from a line of authors, but me? Write a book? Yeah right. Yet I did, and it found a home with Powerful Learning Press, and now it is almost ready for the world to read. In fact, I sent it out for review to a few people this week – gulp!
On May 14th, my first book “Passionate Learners – Giving Our Classroom Back to Our Students” will be released as an e-book. This book is my heart. It chronicles my journey from a traditional teacher to whatever it is I am now. But it is not just about my journey, it is about giving the classroom back to all students. It is about ideas, little ones and big ones, that anyone at any point in their teaching journey can implement. It is about ease not about creating more work. But most importantly it is about passionate learners and how we can re-engage our students by giving the classroom back to them.
I hope you will consider reading it. Here is a link to pre-buy it before the release date.
If you would rather purchase a print version, we are currently exploring the interest in this. So if this is something you would prefer, please fill out this form.
And did I mention the foreword is by the amazing Diana Laufenberg, a person I so admire. The book is so much better because of her.
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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
He walked away, tears in his eyes, shoulders down. I called out his name but he kept on walking, mumbling, “Ill do it…”
I went home, knew what I had to do the next day, and yet, that walk away from me really made me remember.
Before I tell a student what they need to do right now, remember they are someone’s child.
Before I tell a child that their best could be better, remember that they are someone’s child.
Before I raise my voice, before I yell for attention, before I call out a student for not doing what they are supposed to be doing, remember; they are someone’s child.
Before I tell a student that life outside of school may be tough but they still need to focus, remember; they are someone’s child. And that someone may be trying their hardest to keep an illusion of normalcy going, but that child knows better.
Before I lecture, remember.
Before I punish, remember.
Before I pull aside.
Before I make an example.
Before I don’t listen to the whole story.
They are someone’s child and they deserve to be treated that way.
And that boy with the tears, I apologized the next day. Not for the expectations but for the way they had been said. I am not perfect, I forget too, that before I am a teacher I am a mother, and that child in front of me could be mine. So treat them as such.
I saw him reading that bright green book, I snuck a closer look and recognized the cover. “Guinness Book of World Records” was perched on his lap. After independent reading, I asked him if he had any chapter books to read too. I don’t mind Guinness but I love when students have a little bit of everything to read. He told me no, and when I asked him why not, he said, “Reading is not my thing.”
This student has been taught every day in reading strategies. How to comprehend, how to figure out themes, how to connect and draw meaningful conclusions. He has diligently written post-its showing some thoughts, he has spoken to others about the books. He has discussed goals with his teacher. And yet, he doesn’t love reading, he doesn’t even like it, nor does he feel he needs to.
So then what does it matter if a student can tell me about theme? What does it matter if a student can give me text evidence? If there is no love of reading then what do we need reading strategies for? Sure, students may be equipped to move on in school and figure out the texts given to them. But the child who does not like reading will not reach for books to enlighten them, or books that will challenge them. They will not reach for books to transport them. Books will not be a needed companion. They will be okay with reading not being their thing and continue on that path. And I am not okay with that.
Who cares about reading strategies and teaching them if we are not uncovering at least a like of books? If we are not helping our students discover a book that they want to read, not because I told them to but because they want, whether it be fiction, nonfiction, or audio? Who cares about theme if a child thinks reading is torture? Who cares about connections when the most important one; the child connecting to the book, is missing?
Yes, we should teach students to be better readers but we should also help them uncover a love of books if it is missing. We should be professing our own love of books and urging them to find the right one that may convince them that reading bears value. Every year this should be our biggest focus, not the reading strategies, they come after.
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 Classroom Back to Our Students Starting Today” can be pre-bought now from Powerful Learning Press. Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.
Pernille Ripp 