Pernille Ripp

Be the change, being a teacher, end of year, students

Stop the Hurry

April 20, 2014April 21, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“Look at this, mom!”

Thea is jumping from stone to stone on the pavement next to me as I am walking in my straight line sticking to the sidewalk like a proper adult trying to get where we are going as fast as possible. Never mind that it is a Saturday, never mind that it is beautiful weather, never mind that we have the time. I want to get there fast just because we can.

At first, I think to tell her to hurry up, to come walk by me so we can get there faster. I go to reach for her, but her expressions stops me; pure joy. She is not just getting somewhere, she is exploring, balancing, laughing – she is on an adventure. And the extra 2 minutes it takes us to get to our destination are quickly forgotten as I watch her leap.

How often do we tell students to hurry up in our rooms? How often do we tell them to stick to the path, to get to the destination with an eye on the end and never taking the time to expand the journey? How often do we stop to explore, to “jump from rock to rock” within a topic simply because we are curious? Simply because it might be an adventure?

Every year I try to find time for the self-driven exploration within my room but every year by about April I feel like we have to quicken the pace. Like we need to walk faster to get to our end destination. But not this year. This year I want to enjoy my final weeks with my kids, my final weeks as a 5th grade teacher. I want to not just watch the kids explore, but explore right along with them. We will still get to our destination, we always do, but we will take the path they want as much as possible. We will find the time to try, we will make the time to laugh. I want to see them love learning as much as I do. And that won’t happen if I keep telling them to hurry up.

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.

Be the change, being a teacher, new year

Does Your Vision Show?

April 19, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I have a vision for my classroom every year. One based on experience, but also on hope. One that speaks to the bigger goals, those outside the curriculum, those outside the standards. We focus on courage, passion, and dreaming. On embracing our mistakes. On bringing the world in. On becoming better people. On focusing on each child as if they are the only child there.

Thursday morning I officially accepted a 7th grade English position in the Oregon School district here in Wisconsin. I accepted nervously, what do I know about 7th graders? And yet, every time I interacted with people from this district I thought of how well my own vision for the classroom fit into the district’s vision for all students. When I spoke to teachers they spoke of the focus on each child. When I spoke to parents, they spoke of the creative opportunities given all kids. Wen I spoke to administration, the passion shone through. Sure, it fits with their mission statement, but they are also embodying it in everything they do and everything they say.

We get so wrapped up in our mission statements that we sometimes forget about the passion, the curiosity. We carefully select words that we hope represent what we want to say and yet often the people representing the district; teachers, parents, students are not mirroring the message. They aren’t living it because other things have taken their time and focus.

So look at your own classroom, your school, your district. Are you proof of the passion? Are you proof of the vision? If not, why not? What is holding you back? In the end I gave a resounding yes to their job offer because I didn’t have to ask what their goals were, what they were passionate about, they had already shown me. Are you?

Be the change, being me, reflection

Plant a Seed of Change

April 17, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I use to try to change things in education with a sledgehammer. Throw out new ideas and then repeatedly hit people over the head with them again and again, until they finally acquiesced or agreed with me. If people objected, I took it personally, after all, they were rejecting my awesome new thing, which meant they were rejecting me. I cringe at how I approached change.

Now I know that to change education, I have to plant seeds of change. I have to show why this change is a great thing, not just state it is. I have to be a support, an integrator of change, someone who will help and not just judge. Someone who will guide and not just lead.

I now know that change does not have to be painful. Change does not have to be dramatic, nor all or nothing. Change does not have to be major to make a difference. Instead change can be small. Change can be easy. Change can be inclusive, rather than dismissive. An even the smallest change can be step in the right direction. We may not think that people are changing fast enough, but if they are changing at all , there is hope.

So when I am asked how do I get my teammates aboard these new ideas? How do I get my principal to understand the need? How do I get parents to approve? I tell people to start small. To plant a seed of change. To show what change can look like but validate what is also being done. No one wants to genuinely change if they are repeatedly told that what they are doing is wrong. True change has to come from within, from a desire to do something different. The idea can come from someone else, but the drive to do so has to be from within.

So before you give up on changing education, keep fighting. But don’t bring the sledgehammer. Don’t take it personal. Bring nuance, bring compassion, bring ideas and support. Be willing to listen as much as you want to talk. Change is a constant companion, whether we agree with it or not, but it does not have to be destructive. It can be just a small thought that starts a revolution.

being me, reflection

To Bammy Or Not to Bammy

April 13, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I have been going in circles the last few days, thinking out loud, pulling my hair a little bit. Nothing new if you ask my husband, but I am finally at a point where I feel ready to write about it. You see, I was nominated for 2 Bammy Awards this year. One as elementary education teacher of the year, the category I was up for last year as well, and new this year as education commentator/blogger. To those who don’t know me or know this blog, this wouldn’t seem like a bad thing. After all, being nominated for anything is an honor really. But the Bammys and I have a little bit of a history after last year. And so I don’t whether to be proud or to hide it. I don’t know what to think of this anymore, not after last year.

I had not told anyone about these nominations until now besides my mom and husband. I guess the cat is out of the bag now. So why I am so hesitant? Well, there are different reasons. First, I don’t know how I feel about awards still for me any way, I think many of my incredible colleagues should win awards, should get accolades for everything they do. I think any time we can shine a positive spotlight on education, it is a wonderful thing. And the fact that the people who nominated me actually know me and still think I do a great job makes the nomination very sweet indeed. Yet, I don’t think I am the best elementary education teacher. And I am definitely not the best education blogger. I am only someone sharing the good and the bad and that’s not really doing much.

I am also hesitant because of last year’s ceremony. Because of how teacher’s weren’t honored at the ceremony. Because of how it didn’t seem to be about the kids much. Because I had to go home and apologize to my students’ parents who watched and were offended at some of the entertainment. I voiced those opinions and a huge debate started, one I don’t wish to revisit, but one that beat me up nonetheless. In the end the Bam Radio Organization revamped many things, this year making it about the students, making it about honoring community and not just individuals. And yet, I am not sure how it will all play out. It seems like there is an overabundance of “connected” educators represented in the various categories again, it seems like there are a lot of repeat nominees (me included). Are enough “regular” educators being nominated? What does this even mean, does it mean anything to anyone? All of these are questions that I continue to mull over. And so I don’t know what to do.

One thing I know for sure though, is that I will not be asking for votes. I will not be promoting my nomination. I have thanked the people who nominated me, I am so grateful for your kind words, especially because both of the them are people who I greatly admire and strive to be like. So for now, I will will sit back and see how all of this goes. Will it be about the students? Will there be winners and losers? Will it be positive? Is this even needed? I struggle with these thoughts, I cannot be alone.

PS: One thing I love is the initiative for a 4 minute TED-like talk. If only I knew how to submit for that because I am pretty sure I have something worth saying about student voice!

Be the change, principals, reflection

Dear Administrators, Have You Taken the Pulse of Your Building Lately?

April 12, 2014April 13, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“Yeah……I did it. I goofed. I pulled a Dufus move. No, it’s not the first time (that number wouldn’t fit in this post) but it was a mistake I should have known not to make. Granted, it was made out of zeal and innocence, but mostly it was made because I focused on my goals and not the goals of my teachers.”

So writes Tom Whitford, a principal here in Wisconsin I greatly admire, in his post “Learning With Your Mistakes” a must read post if you haven’t already. Tom’s words have stuck with me. It is not often that we teachers get to look into the mind of an administrator when they make a mistake. It is not often that a private screw up becomes public knowledge because let’s face it, whether we are teachers or principals, there is some sort of expectation of perfection. That we always know what we are doing, that everything we do is a good thing.

For years, I have blogged about the mistakes I have made and how it wasn’t until I started asking my students what they wanted to learn, how they wanted to learn, and whether I was doing a good job or not that my teaching truly changed. Sure, being told that you are boring, or that something you feel passionate about is not liked by others, is hard. But every time a child has told me their honest opinion, I have thanked them, what courage it must take for a 10 year old to tell an adult that there are better ways to teach something.

So in the spirit of Tom’s post, I wonder how many administrators keep a finger on the pulse of their building? How many principals ask their teachers how they are doing, and not just at the end of the year, but monthly or more often? How many principals create opportunities for their teachers to give them advice or to help them change something. Sure, we can think that we teachers will tell our principals if something is not working, but let’s be real. Many teachers are afraid of administration and what may happen if they do, even if they are friendly with them. Some don’t think their words will ever make a difference, while others don’t want to take more time away from a principal’s already busy day. Whatever the reason, and there can be many, I think we need to encourage more open dialogue in our schools.

I am not proposing a free for all, but rather the chance to start a conversation. That teachers be asked, “How are we doing, what should we change, or how can I be a better leader?” much like we should be asking our students. Sure, the answers may be tough to hear but taken in the right spirit, like Tom did in his school, everyone will benefit.

When we are not afraid to start hard conversations, we can grow, whether in our classrooms or in our schools. When we can create environments where teachers trust that they can speak to their administrators even about tough subjects, then we can grow. We work so hard to create communities of open dialogue in our classrooms, why not extend it to the rest of the school? We are all human, no one is perfect, and it is time we start talking about it more. Not just at the end of the year or the beginning, but throughout, as we all create the type of school we would want our own children to be in.

ideas, Student-centered, Uncategorized

Some Small Ideas That Make a Difference

April 11, 2014April 11, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I love this time of year because my students really hit their stride. They are confident, they are disciplined, and they love the ownership they have over the rooms. It allows me to really push their thinking and introduce new things into the room that I think will keep them engaged.

The Video Newsletter – Thanks to Tony Sinanis for this awesome idea! For the past five weeks my students have been creating video newsletter showcasing what is happening in our room, rather than me writing one. Students decide what to put in it and how and then film it during class time. All I do is make sure they didn’t leave something important out and then upload it for them.

The Wall of Thinking. My students have been furiously researching the Revolutionary War in groups and will create something within the next few weeks to show off their knowledge. Until then, they have been adding post -its to a cabinet door with something amazing they learned. I have noticed the students reading each other’s post-its and commenting on them as well. It has been a blast to see their thinking grow.

Resurgence of the “I have noticed…” Post-its. I did these earlier in the year and then promptly forgot all about them. This week I am back on track. The kids need to know we notice how they have grown all through the year.

photo (7)

The Bully Discussions. If you have not taken the 3 minutes to watch Will Wheaton’s eloquent response to a girl’s question on what to do when people call you a nerd, please watch it. We read the book “Bully” and then watched the video. Then students silently reflected on what bullying means to them, how it affects their lives and any other thoughts they had. I was surprised at how many of them reported having been a bully without even realizing it.

Students Teaching the World. My students have been skyping into classrooms teaching kids and teachers how to do either Mystery Skype or blogging. I cannot tell you how proud I am of them. So think of what your students could etach another class and then put it out there. I love the maturity, discipline, and presentation skills my students have had to showcase while presenting their knowledge. (If you would like us to teach you, please let me know!).

photo (6)

Planting the Seed for Summer Reading. It is not too early to think about what incredible books the students will devour during summer, so this week we did the “Mrs. Ripp recommends” book piles on each table. I pull out as many books as my arms can carry from our library, new and old, place them on the tables and then give students time to peruse. They have an “I can’t wait to read…” list in their notebooks which they then add to . This 30 minute book extravaganze leade to each students adding at least one new book to their list.

photo (4)