Pernille Ripp

In our classroom we have been big fans of genius hour and Innovation Day. yet when I realized that my 30 minute block of resource time ( a block meant for remediation/intervention and enrichment) wasn’t being used to its fullest, I knew I had a chance to change things. So during a creative burst, our new resource time rotation schedule was born and within came something new – project time, or just time to learn.

I love genius hour, I love Innovation Day, I love the idea of learning and creating something. But I felt we were starting to focus too much on the creation part rather than just the learning part. That too much time was spent creating the imagery of their learning rather than the learning itself. So instead I asked the kids to do what we have called project time, 30 minutes once a week where they just get to learn. Sure, they can create, sure they can make things, but they can also use the entire time to just read, study, ask questions, whatever they want to do. I decided on a big category to help them focus their curiosity, geography, and with held breath I sat back.

The last two weeks have been incredible. Students have read library books on countries, they have studied maps, they have created impromptu map quizzes, and yes, they have even created presentations. The learning that has happened has been tangible as kids ask questions about the broader world, about their place in it. When I asked them what they thought, the response was overwhelming; “We love it, Mrs. Ripp. Please don’t change it. What will we focus on next?” (History for those who wonder).

So project time is here to stay, with a few tweaks requested by the kids. More resources, computers if they are available, and study hall rather than dedicated spelling time. It is a thing of wonder to see 26 students working on what they need to be working on without me standing over their shoulder. Once again, my students are examples of what can happen when we trust kids to take control of their learning, when we give them freedom to learn. We should have more school like this. I cannot wait to see what else they learn.

being me, reflection, Student-centered, students

Is it Okay That 5% Don’t Get It?

March 20, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“…I wish I could do 5th grade over again…” the student looks at me sadness in his eyes.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because then maybe I would have a chance at getting it.”

My heart breaks. This kid has tried so hard but the holes in knowledge just seem to grow as our curriculum picks up speed and we are asking them to do more, figure out more, understand deeper. The math test he holds in his hands with all of the circled problems, asking to be fixed, seems to be insurmountable at the moment. So I rack my brain, what else can we do? My team and I try so hard to reach every kid, to fill in the holes, to help them understand not just regurgitate and yet it is not enough. Some of our kids still don’t get math, some of our kids still don’t grow in areas where we have tried so hard.

And this isn’t the first year, every year we have these kids. These kids that show up with gaps already. These kids that work hard, even if they get a bit distracted, and yet what we are doing is simply not enough. The language we speak in math is above them and no matter how much we try with smaller groups and remediation it doesn’t catch them up. So we keep on pushing, hoping that something clicks and then pass them on to the next year’s teachers hoping that perhaps they have the solution.

We tend to feel successful in our math instruction because most of our kids get it. Most of our kids do well on tests. Most of our kids grow a lot. But is “most” enough anymore? Can we really say we are successful if all the kids are not getting it? Is it okay to base success on the 95% that do and just live with the 5% that don’t. I don’t think it is anymore, but I don’t know how to help them. Yet. How do we reach those kids with their gaping holes in a day that is already chock full of new? How do we build up their confidence? How do we make the curriculum accessible?

I hope you have some ideas to share.

So we can do two things. We can say that is just how it is. That every year some kids will not grow as much as they should. That we tried our hardest and hopefully some of it stuck even though we know it was not enough. After all, most of our kids do just fine with the curriculum, so what are a few loses? Or we can do as my team does. Get to gether and try to come up with a new plan. Try again. Try to reach every kid.

Reading, Student-centered

For the Love of Book Clubs – Creating Meaningful Conversations

March 15, 2014March 18, 2014 Pernille Ripp

“….I think you are right because…”

“…on page he said…”

“…I really connected with…”

I am drifting around my classroom listening in on the book club conversations happening during reading. Some times I stop and guide, other times I just listen, smile and move on. What a glorious sight indeed, 26 students discussing their books.

It wasn’t always this way in my room. I remember the days of guided reading, teacher front and center, and the students skimming the surface of their books waiting for their turn to read aloud. I remember the times when 2 children dominated every conversation and others just watched. Or the time when I thought book clubs meant I had to have all of the questions prepared in all of the books. Gone are those days and thank goodness they are. So how did we get to this stage, because I can tell you it didn’t just happen by magic!

We started the first day of school. The very first thing I did in my classroom was read aloud a book and ask my students to discuss it. Everything we have built off started that day.
We set the goal beyond school. I don’t want my students to have deep conversations to get a good reading grade, I want them to be able to have meaningful conversations about anything in life. The goal is bigger than 5th grade and the students get that.
I gave them a timeline. I told the students that later in the year we would be in book clubs and so everything we were practicing in reading led up to this; real “adult” conversations about books.
We practiced. Deep conversations don’t just happen so we practiced with every read aloud. That way the students had a shared experience to discuss without it taking up much time. Practice wasn’t just out loud, students would also write down what their response would be on post-its, thus allowing everyone a chance to be a part of the conversation.
We built off each other. Younger readers tend to state their opinion without really listening to what has been said before them. I modeled how to build off what has just been said and students then practiced every chance we got.
We did it across subjects. Creating great discussions isn’t contained to just reading but is something we need in all subjects because it is a life skill. We have many discussions across the board and they all practice the same skills with the goal of pushing our thoughts deeper.
We created cheat sheets. Students don’t always know what questions to ask to push a conversation so we created cheat cards together; little note cards with printed questions that they could refer to anytime they want.
I stopped talking. Rather than lead the conversation, I am now on the side coaching in and helping when needed. I also have a designated weekly time set aside for each book club so that I can really see how it is going and help as needed. It has been wonderful to see the clubs grow.
They picked the book. And abandoned the book if needed. Just as every book doesn’t work as a read aloud, every bookd doesn’t work as a book club book either. Students had about 12 different books to choose between and gave me a top 4. Each group knows they can abandon the book if it does not live up to their expectations but that it needs to be a shared experience.
They set the expectations and the pace. Before we started reading, all groups met to create the expectations within their group. They discussed what they should look like, sound like, and feel like and then created a poster. All the posters are different based on the group. The groups also decide how many pages they are going to read every day, leading to 100% completion and buy-in.

My students know that book clubs are their chance to show off everything they have learned in reading, but also that it is bigger than that. Book clubs are not just reading and discussing a shared book, it is about growing as a person. I am so proud of my students and what they are accomplishing.

reflection, students

There Should Be No Invisible Children

March 12, 2014 Pernille Ripp

I didn’t know what I would read. I didn’t know what they would say. I only knew we needed to have this conversation.

They gathered on the carpet, waiting for the usual routine to start, but instead I started to read “The Invisible Boy.” They grew silent and then were sucked in, they have become such focused listeners. I closed the book. Told them to grab their thoughtful logs and answer the questions posted. Are there any invisible children in our class?

They wrote, took their time. I read and my heart sank. It was what I feared. Even within our incredible community of learners there were children that felt invisible. Children that felt they had few friends, few who cared. Who felt that they were a part of school simply because they showed up but not a part of something bigger than that.

We gathered back on the carpet and I told them the story of how I moved so many times as a child I never felt I belonged anywhere. That I often tried to reinvent myself when I was the new kid but inevitably ended up being me again. The only person I really knew how to be. I then told them that many of them had said there were no invisible children in our classroom but that was not true. That several kids had been brave enough to share that they felt invisible. That they felt they had no friends. And it was our job to change that.

I didn’t share the names. I didn’t tell them how to fix it, but I told them to really start to notice each other. To not take each child for granted. To not just live by the school rules but to be kinder, to be more caring, to take the time to reach out and start new conversations. That this is not just about finding the new kid and making them feel welcome but reaching out to every child, even the one you think is just fine, the one who you think may have plenty of friends. To really see who is in their class and make sure no one feels invisible.

I don’t know if it made a difference today. I can only hope. There should be no invisible children. Not in our room.

assessment, grades, students

Why Do I Ask My Students to Grade Themselves?

March 11, 2014March 12, 2014 Pernille Ripp

Keep Learning, Keep Growing- 11x17 typography print, inspirational quote, teacher gift, university, dorm decor, modern wall decor, christmas — image from etsy

I first gave up on percentages the day I found myself overriding a student’s average and changing their grade to something else. Mind you that average was calculated by me on worksheets I had assigned. I remember erasing the letter I had written, so meticulously calculated, and then arguing with myself over whether I had the right to do so. Would anyone know that I had changed the grade to more accurately reflect what they knew and that it was no longer based on an average? Would I get busted for this? I felt like such a fraud.

Today I asked my students to once again assess themselves. Assign 4 through 1 to their learning in all subjects and then hand it in to me. The numbers are not my invention but rather my district’s take on standards based grading and so that portion is out of my hands, it is the end of the trimester so report cards must be written. I gave them their previous report card, also filled out by them. I gave them an explanation of what the categories meant and then I gave them time to evaluate. They thought, they asked questions. and then they handed them in. Yet some people may wonder why I bother?

I don’t have them write their own grades because I’m lazy. It is not because I don’t know how I would assess them. It is not to give them a fake sense of control. Or a fake sense of ownership.

I do it so it is their voice that is heard when they are judged. So that their input determines where they are and where they need to go. I do it because every time there is a surprise. A child always evaluates themselves differently than I would, and it is in that difference that some of our most revealing discussions take place. This is where a child reveals their broken self esteem, this is where a child reveals their confusion, their lack of belief in their own capabilities. This is where a child shows that they perhaps are less clued in then they have led me to believe. Or where they prove to me how much they know but were too afraid to share. It is within these conversations that my students truly take control of their learning journey and set the goals. It is where they find their mistakes and take ownership. It is where they realize what they have mastered, how far they have grown. It is where we celebrate their successes and think about our failures.

I may not be a believer in grades, but I will always believe in the power of a good conversation. These conversations shape the next trimester, the next month, the next day. These shape the journey my students continue to take. My students know that I am not the only one assessing them, they have someone else that is much tougher than me; themselves. And they don’t want to let that person down.

being me, reflection

To the Kid Who Walked Through My Door Last Night

March 7, 2014December 29, 2014 Pernille Ripp

Dear Kid ,

There you were, shuffling your feet, looking at the floor, cautiously approaching me as I sat on my computer after an afternoon of conferences. “Hey Mrs. Ripp – do you still teach math?” I turned around, surprised to see you. “Of course…” I say. You look up, smile, “I think I need some help…middle school is kind of hard.”

But the truth is you didn’t come to me last night for math help. You came to tell me about how you are trying your best but the teachers don’t see it. How it is hard to stay awake some times. How it is hard to not laugh when your best friend does that funny thing again. How the teachers don’t get you even though 2 weeks ago you decided to really try your best but now you think your best will never be good enough for those teachers. They already give you that look, they have already given up.

My heart sank a little. I heard what you said but also thought about the teachers, thought about what it must feel like from their side. Thought about the disruptions, the laughter, the trying to reach you but you’re not listening. Thought about how even though we try to start each day with a fresh new chance for each student that sometimes students push us so far that it gets harder and harder to forget. That we try to see the good every day but that we are human too and sometimes our emotions get involved.

So I told you to prove them wrong. To not fall into your old self, to not let your silliness, your anger, get the better of you. To buckle down not for the sake of the teachers but for yourself. For your future. Yeah, middle school grades may not determine your future but they set the habits that will. To show them what we saw last year. That kid with the infectious smile. That kid that got so excited when something went right. That kid with dreams and plans that were bigger than where they came from or what others believed they could do.

It was time for me to leave. To go home to my own kids that need me. I told you to stop by anytime. That even if I’m teaching my door is always open. That I miss you and I believe in you. You finally smiled, started to turn away then came back and said, “You know, we were your family. We were like your kids last year. We felt that. Are we still?”

I had to take a deep breath, I get emotional really easily right now, “Yes, you are. All my kids are. Doesn’t matter how old you get or what you do. You are still my kids even when you’re not kids anymore.”

He left, waved. I gathered my things and drove home.

I know now that I can’t quit teaching. That is why I do it. For those kids that need us so ferociously to believe in them even when they screw up. For those kids to feel part of our family. For those kids to always stay our kids no matter how old they get. That’s what I teach. That’s why I’m a teacher.

Thank you for coming to my room. Thank you for walking through my door.

Love,

Mrs. Ripp