Pernille Ripp

The One Thing Challenge – Join Me

April 10, 2014April 11, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I start every year with a massive to try list, I think most of us do, so slowly as the year unfolds I whittle it down, thing by thing, idea by idea. Try a new reading angle, come up with a new math challenge, how about a better project approach, or incorporating more genius hour. I knew I wanted my students to be teachers this year, I knew I wanted them to be pushed. And I have and they are, and you would think I would be satisfied.

Sure it’s April. Sure, summer seems like it will be here in a flash. And yet, there is still time to try something new. There is still time to challenge ourselves. So I propose the one thing challenge. Pick one thing you are not satisfied with this year, whether it is a stagnant spelling program, a reading approach that could use a little passion, or not having gotten your students connected to the world. Perhaps you hate the way your classroom looks or the lack of umph in social studies. Perhaps, like me, you want to reinvigorate writing somehow but haven’t quite figured out how. Whatever it is, pick just one thing to change, one thing to make better before the end of the year is here. Leave your one thing in the comments, and if you blog about it, please leave a link.

I know it seems like the year will be over so soon, but it is never too late to challenge yourself or your students. So pick one thing, try to change it, and tell me all about it. I can’t wait to hear what you want to change!

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 me, reflection

Why You Should Share the Good and the Bad

April 7, 2014April 7, 2014 Pernille Ripp

When I started blogging I didn’t know I was going to put it all out there. Granted my husband could have probably predicted it, after all, he lives with my honesty every day. And yet, quickly into my blogging journey I realized I couldn’t hold back. That I felt the need to start a dialogue about not just the amazing great things that I couldn’t believe were happening, but also the crazy bad things where I was embarrassed or had to go home, take a deep breath, and go to bed.

Too often when we blog we don’t share the ugly. We don’t share the mistakes we make, the lessons that blow up in our face, or the doubts we carry as educators. I get it. I also worry every time I post something that shines a negative light on my own performance as a teacher. I wonder if someone is keeping track of my failures. Keeping track of how something didn’t work out. Yet, I keep pushing “post” and I keep sharing. Why? Because I ‘m human. I make mistakes. I am growing. And I am learning.

As teachers we are not expected to be perfect, we are expected to be learners alongside our students. We are expected to be responsible, to create incredible learning opportunities for the children we are lucky to teach. Yet we cannot account for everything. We cannot plan for the many things that can work against us. And we have to admit that.

Rafranz Davis wrote a powerful post discussing how when we present only the good we create Stepford classrooms that others will never feel they can live up to. We create a false impression of what education looks like every day, every moment, in our rooms. That doesn’t help much. I would be exhausted if I only blogged about the great and then was worried someone might walk by and catch the bad.

I blog to grow and I blog honestly because it keeps me accountable. I blog about the bad to start discussions, to help others realize that many of us make mistakes, many of us have lessons that fail, many of us don’t have all of the answers. That doesn’t mean I don’t blog about the great, how can I not write about the incredible things my students do? But it means that I don’t pretend the bad doesn’t happen. I don’t hide it, nor do I want to. To grow fully as teachers, we must embrace our past mistakes. We must study them and learn from them. Why not start a dialogue and do it publicly, perhaps just some of the time, so that others can grow with us?

Be the change, being a teacher, being me, Reading, reflection, students

Why It Matters to Be Passionate About Reading

April 5, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“…I used to hate reading, it wasn’t cool, you know? But then when I heard you were my teacher, I was kinda excited because in your room it was ok to like reading.”

He speaks these words to me as if they are no big deal. To him they probably aren’t, just another conversation with his teacher. But in my heart and mind, these words mean everything. These words are why I am so passionate about books and about kids loving books.

I chose to finally unleash my passionate reader last year, thinking it might make a difference in my classroom. Little did I know just how much of a difference it would make. We are a reading classroom now. Not that we weren’t before, but not like this. Not this excited, not this engaged, not this immersed. Reading is cool in my room, something that matters to 5th graders. Reading is what we do.

When I pull out a new picture book, the kids cheer. They laugh, they comment, they re-read. When I bring in a pile of books, I have to step out of the way while my students grab the one they have to read now and others scramble to make signup sheets so they can read it next. All it took was for me to be passionate. All it took was for me to share that passion. (And of course, incredible books).

We wonder whether passion matters in education and in reading in particular. Do teachers really need to be readers themselves to teach reading? I am here to tell you it makes the biggest difference. Children who have long given up on school can find solace in books. Books build connections. Books build memories. When we are passionate readers ourselves we are actively sharing our lives, our connections, our feelings, with the kids that we hand books to. When we go all out in our love of reading, we show kids that it is okay to be a reader. That it is not something to be ashamed of. Not something to hide. But rather something that should be embraced and shouted from the rooftops.

So when students come to me and tell me reading sucks, or reading is uncool, I am not afraid. Nor am I upset. They just haven’t found the right book, they just haven’t laughed at the right read aloud. They haven’t experienced the magic of reading a picture book as a big kid. They just haven’t had that moment where everything disappears and all that matters is the book. And that’s ok, hopefully, this year will be the year. Hopefully this year they will find their passion. Because I am not giving up on them.

PS: Have you heard about the Global Read Aloud? The books for 2014 were just chosen and I promise this year will be amazing. Connect your students to the world through a shared read aloud, after all it only takes one book to connect the world.

Be the change, being me, Reading, reflection

So What’s My Book About?

April 4, 2014April 4, 2014 Pernille Ripp

This week was very exciting for me as my very first e-book published by Powerful Learning Press became available for pre-buy. I had never thought I would be able to add “author” to my bio! This book is meant to be a how-to change your classroom for any level of teacher, pre-service, new, or veteran.

What’s even better is that right now until April 7th there is a coupon, I love a good coupon!

Save with this pre-buy coupon code

To celebrate the pre-launch of this exciting book for educators, Powerful Learning Press is offering a $3 discount through April 7. Use our coupon code PREBUY at checkout to save $3. Go to the PLPress online store to buy now.

I hope you consider reading it.

being me, Reading, reflection

Take a Moment to Celebrate

April 3, 2014April 4, 2014 Pernille Ripp

He sat down next to me, book bin in hand, ready for his conference.

“So what has been going on in your head as you read?” I ask, pen poised and ready to jot.

“Well…” he clears his throat “…I just finished this book.”

And that’s when it hits me. This kid finished a book! And not just one book but almost 10 books this year. This kid who at the beginning completely had given up on chapter books, who only read magazines if forced. This kid is reading. And not just reading, he is sharing his thoughts, writing ideas down, thinking of what to read next.

So I put my pen down, I only write “Celebration” in my notes. Instead we spend several minutes discussing his accomplishments, discussing his growth. I urge him to be proud, to notice what he has done. A few minutes is all it is, but monumental none the less.

When was the last time I took a few minutes to celebrate a child’s growth with them privately? I am great with the whole class praise, but often forget the one to one. Not any more. Instead of a reading mini-lesson I will be celebrating. Instead of giving them something new to try, we will instead spend a few minutes cherishing what they have accomplished, what they have already done.

In a week we can go back to the new, but for now we will cherish the old. After all, a small celebration can indeed go a long way.

being a teacher, being me, reflection, students

We Carry It With Us

April 2, 2014April 2, 2014 Pernille Ripp

There are moments in teaching that makes my heart heavy.

Whether it is the disappointment faced by a student rejected. Or the sorrow that weighs down some of my students as they come through my doors. The uncertainty some face. The anxiousness that travels with others. The sadness, the lost joy. They bring this along, into our rooms, and it becomes one more thing we have to address and work around. One more thing to add to our day and to our hearts.

We don’t leave those worries or fears of our students behind when we close our door. They travel with us in the car. They walk in through our front door, trailing us into our homes as we worry whether that child will ever be okay. Worry whether that child will have something to eat or will be back the next day. Worry about what that child may do that night. We push them aside and focus on our own lives but they stay in our hearts as the hours go by.

Sometimes those worries wake us up at night and we remember to hug our own kids a little more, tell them they matter a little louder.

So we return the next day with our hearts still heavy, not sure what to do other than to love those kids as if they were our own. When a new worry shows up we make room for that one as well. We carry it with us because we are stronger than the children we support. We carry it with us so that they are not alone. We carry it with us so that maybe, just maybe, they will find a moment of relief.

I may not be a superhero but when it comes to the children in my life, I have super hero strength. No child should have to carry their worries alone, that’s why I am there. And that’s why I teach.