Pernille Ripp

English: this is my own version of what bullying looks like (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After the video of Karen Klein, the bus monitor who was relentlessly bullied by middle schoolers, went viral, the world is shocked. How could these children treat another human being this way? How could these kids get away with it? And we show our outrage by donating money to give Karen a vacation, to get her away from her job, as a way to apologize for the torment she was subjected to at the hands of children. We show our outrage by sending death threats to the children involved, swearing that this time, it has to stop.

And sure I find myself shocked as well, shocked that children once again prove just how cruel they can be. Shocked at the level of bullying these kids stoop to. Shocked that they talk about stabbing her and gang up on her and never stop. But I am not surprised. And neither should anyone else be. This happens every day, on busses across our nation. Whether it is kids turning on each other other or turning on adults, this is our reality. We talk about bully prevention but forget that the minute our children are out of sight from us, they make their own decisions. As parents we hope that the decisions they make will make us proud, rather than mortified. We hope that we have raised them right, to be decent human beings that do not harm, that do not torment, that do not bully. And yet, the moment we send them out of our door, they make their own decisions, good or bad.

I see this with my 3 year old when I pick her up from daycare. How rather than solving a dispute she hits another child, and I stand there mortified. Shocked even, that my loving child, hit someone else when she didn’t get the toy she wanted. Yes, it is a stage, and yes, she is only 3, but still…we have raised her better. She knows she is not allowed to hit. She knows what the consequences are. She knows our expectations, and yet, her arm raised and slap, making the other child cry. Far cry from the bullying that happened to Karen Klein, but the same nonetheless. The hurting of another human being.

So what can we do? We talk about training against bullying. We talk about awareness of what makes a bully. We monitor our children, our students, we talk and talk and talk. We share videos, we enlist celebrities, we punish, and we talk some more. And yet it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Kids continue to be kids, and kids continue to bully. So let’s continue being outraged, but let’s not be surprised. Surprise means we are not aware and that is a luxury we no longer can hide behind.

Uncategorized

2 years of blogging

June 22, 2012July 24, 2013 Pernille Ripp

I remember grammar, læs og forstå, and always writing depressing essays.

By 13 it was poetry, long endless drones with every metaphor known to man. A child wanting attention so bad that drama was the way to do it.

Then back to writing for duty for the next 15 years, Essays, reflections, papers, and always hoping inspiration would strike so that I may find my lost voice.

Wanting to write more, looking for that elusive voice I had lost. Blogging became it; the essence recaptured, stories to be told, journeys to be dissected.

And now I feel like a writer again, that lost part of me returned, thankful and thankless, but of so needed. Thank you for reading the past 2 years.

Interview, new teacher

More Tips for Landing that Teacher Job

June 20, 2012 Pernille Ripp

I swear every summer without fail I end up on an interview committee, and this summer proved to be no different. I do it out of pleasure, out of passion, out of wanting to find that perfect person who is going to make our school stronger, make us all better, teach us all something. I do it so that I stay fresh in what my own responses would be, to be part of the process, to see all the amazing candidates out there. And I know it isn’t easy. I know how hard it is to even get on the phone with a principal, let alone make it to the final round. When I interviewed for my job I beat out more than 450 candidates; 450! And that number steadily climbs every year, so with today fresh in my mind, as well as all of the other experiences, here are just a couple of hints to help you land that job.

Be enthusiastic but stay true to your personality. If you are a naturally chipper person, let it shine through. Don’t pretend you are something other than you, believe me, that type of charade gets cumbersome to uphold.
Know your programs and abbreviations and admit when you don’t. You cannot fake your way through a discussion of Everyday Math if you don’t actually know the program, admit it, and then talk about how you are going to learn more about it and ultimately implement it.
Be passionate, but don’t scare me. Sometimes you can want something so bad that your passion just turns into something frightening. Scale back a little, go for the goal, but don’t overwhelm the team. As teachers we wonder how you will be with students when that happens and not in a positive way.
Elaborate just enough. Know when to add details, such as your own personal examples and then say just enough. Since knowing when to speak and when not to is a huge teacher quality and something we correlate to your classroom performance, proving in the interview that you can master it is a huge benefit.
Even if you are brand new believe you have something to add to the team. Discuss how you will overcome your obstacles, how you will be a part of the team and then also what you can add. You must have learned something in your education, life, and student teaching – share it.
Don’t use buzz words if you cannot explain them. This is a common trap I think many of us make; we use lingo without fully understanding what it entails. Just don’t. Know your stuff, do your research, but also know your limitations.
Know how to integrate technology. And this is not because I love my technology, even though I do, but I have sat through too many answers where the “integration” piece is projecting images on a SmartBoard or using netbooks for research. That is not integration, that is merely using the tools given to you. I can guarantee that something like that will pop up in most interview questions, it is a sign of the times after all, so do your research and be inventive. Reach out and see what others do, ask other teachers how they would answer the question.

So there you have it, just a few more tips that will hopefully help others get a step closer to their dream job. Being a teacher is a passion, so be passionate about it, bring your personality, and let t your enthusiasm shine through. Know your materials, do your research, but for goodness sake, don’t scare me.

advice, assumptions, Dream, students

A Child Reveals His Ambition and I Snort

June 18, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Basketball (Photo credit: mvongrue)

“…Awe but Mrs. Ripp, I won’t need to know how to do this because I am going to be a famous basketball player…”

I hold back a snort. Really? A famous basketball player? In my head, the statistics of this ever coming true run through at lightning speed, I am about to say something, and then I stop. Who am I to squash a dream, even if in my eyes it is an unrealistic one?

So I take a different approach. “Did you know that even famous basketball players have to go to high school, have to learn, have to go to college?” The boy stares at me. “Did you know that this will directly lead into more math that we are going to do and I have a feeling you are going think it is really fun? Did you know that to be a true role model you shouldn’t just be great at basketball but you should also show the world just how smart you are?” The boy nods, still unsure of what I am saying, but I walk away, dreams still in place, not squashed by this teacher.

As a teacher, I used to be the biggest realist I knew. I was quick to tell students what they could or could not do, the odds of something happening to them. I felt it was part of my job to set them up for “real life” with real expectations and real failure coming their way. Now I know better, there is no sense in destroying dreams, even if we know it may not happen. There is no sense in taking hope away from children. What we can do, though, is to show them everything else that is important; how an education fits into their dreams. How an education may be the ticket to get them where they need to be. Hoa an education is not a waste of their time, so don’t make it a waste of their time. Make it something they want to have, make school a place they want to go to. A lofty goal perhaps, but a necessary one.

being a teacher, blogging, connections, journey, reflecting

Not All Teachers Have to Blog or Even Be On Twitter

June 14, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun...

Image via CrunchBase

I see a lot of posts and discussion about how we wish all teachers would get on Twitter or how all teacher should start a blog, and at first, I was a believer. I know how much I have benefitted, in fact, how much my life has changed, because of blogging and Twitter. And yet, now I falter on the belief of blogging and tweeting for all.

Blogging for me opens up a conversation that I don’t have the time for to have face to face some times. It opens up debates, new ideas, and inspiration that I often cannot find in my every day doings. However, it also removes me from seeking out those opportunities to have those same discussions “live.” That doesn’t mean everyone responds that way, but I think many of us do. Blogging is a tool for deep reflection, even though it is a public one, it is a time for me to put myself out there and to sort through what it is I really mean. And that doesn’t work for everyone, and why would it? We all have different comfort levels in how we share ourselves.

So instead of syaing that all teachers should blog we should hope that all teachers reflect. Whether it is through a blog, throguh a conversation, through a journal; the reflection is what matters. The reaching out to others and having those courageous conversations, putting yourself and your ideals out therefor debate, that is what matters. Not whether you blog or not.

The same goes for Twitter. I love Twitter because I can connect with others, easily, on my time. Yet you can connect in other ways. Twitter is not the only way you can learn something and again here I think it is the act of connecting that makes us herald Twitter as the best PD for teachers. It is not Twitter that does the professional development for us; it is the way we use it.

So no, I don’t think all teachers should have a blog. I don’t think all teachers should be on Twitter. But they should all be reflecting and connecting somehow, somewhere, with someone.

being me, inspiration, mistakes

What My Dreams Tell Me Is Not Pretty

June 13, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Image from icanread

“Peter, Peter…” I wait until that child, and the whole class, is staring at me…”Get to work!” I am 10 feet from the child and he just shakes his head. I keep on doing what I was doing, satisfied that I have set him back on his path. Except I have done more than that, I have also pointed out to the whole class that Peter (all names changed for obvious reasons) is once again not doing what he is supposed to and now they can follow along in his progress as well. Yikes.

“George, you didn’t blog, what are you going to do about it?” I am once again asking George to stay in for recess, except I am clever, I am not telling him he has to, he has to come to that conclusion himself. I know he doesn’t have the time at home and he doesn’t spend time very effectively in class, so recess it has to be, in fact, I point that out to him when his first answer is hat he will do it when he gets home. Yikes.

“Thomas, sit up and start participating…” Once again I am on the warpath because that child has decided that math is too hard and has therefore put his head down refusing to participate. I’ve seen it before, all they need is a stern talking to and their math confidence will come right back, right? Yikes.

My dreams have been kind enough to point out all of the mistakes I made in the past year. Those missed moments of communication, those missed opportunities for leaving a kid be, giving them some space and then reaching out when they are ready. Now those moments show up at night, except they are exaggerated versions, all to show me just what I did wrong. And I am grateful because although I cringe and get mad at myself, I see where I diverged from my road. Where it went wrong. My patience was stretched more, my mind was always too busy. So as I think of next year I reclaim my focus, my inner peace and remind myself to bring it into school. To slow down and evaluate the situation, not just shoot my mouth. I learn from my mistakes just as I ask my students to do.