being a teacher, blogging, connections, journey, reflecting

Not All Teachers Have to Blog or Even Be On Twitter

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.

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being me, inspiration, mistakes

What My Dreams Tell Me Is Not Pretty

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.

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being a teacher, control, education reform

Forced Education is Not Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Pernille Ripp
Image from here

An interesting debate has been sparked in the comments section of my post “Not Grading is Awful” on the Cooperative Catalyst, with some people stating that forced school is inhumane.  I have been pondering this for a bit and I must say I disagree; having an educational system that is mandatory is not inhumane, not having one would be.  And neither is forcing courses on students, it all comes down how those courses are taught, which incidentally is something we do have a bit of control over.

Now I know that we are tied to standards and district regulations, the politicians are breathing down our neck to raise test scores and there are, indeed, major flaws within our educational system, and yet…There are many things we can change within the public school setting.  I did.  But back to the original point that forced courses or mandatory education is cruel and unusual punishment and that students should have a free reign instead over what they study and how.  I disagree.  I think students should be expected to take certain classes simply because education is what rounds us out at human beings.  Particularly in the primary grades.  I loved climbing trees as a child and could have spent most of my days outside roaming around with my knife, and yes because of school I couldn’t pursue that all day, however, that childhood passion would certainly not have led me down the path of teaching.  Instead going through school and having a foundation to do further studies on led me to where I am.  Children may have the curiosity to explore, and that should never be stifled, however, we must support that curiosity with basic common knowledge and a well-rounded worldview.

So some may argue that there is no point in knowing historical facts that do not directly relate to whatever we end up pursuing as a career.  Some may argue that much of math is arbitrary for most people who simply do not end up using it.  Some even say that grammar and how to write an essay is superfluous knowledge that does us no good.  I disagree.  I think all of these lead us to where we end up.  I think knowledge as a whole is needed to be a citizen, to be a knowledgeable member of society, to be respected and accepted.  So I may not remember all of the days of grammar drilling, or spelling lines, or even math facts, but I see the result of them; me teaching it to my students but trying to make it more interesting.

I think we sometimes mistake the whole notion of education for all as flawed, where instead we should be focusing in on the parts that are.  Drill and kill, sometimes that is a necessary component.  Teacher talking, yep that too.  However, how we teach becomes just as important as what we teach.   And that is something we all have control over in this endless debate of education policy.

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Uncategorized

Have Something to Say? Here’s Your Chance

Pernille Ripp
As many people know we are in the final countdown before the arrival of our twins; Ida and Oskar.  These two little miracles should be joining their big sister, Thea, some time in July, which means writing is going to have to take a back seat for a bit.  So although I might not be blogging as much as I usually do, I still want the conversation to keep going. I am therefore hoping that others that have something valuable to add to the conversations here want to guest blog.

I am looking for personal stories of the changes you have made in your classroom/educational philosophy,  posts on giving student voice and giving them more control, dealing with moving away from homework, grades, punishment etc, or anything that you think will fit this blog.  While I wish I could pay you, I can’t, but you can link your own blog to the post and hopefully have an increase in traffic because of it or at the very least a fun experience.

So all I am asking from you is to submit your idea to me via email at psripp at gmail dot com, a couple of sentences will do unless you already have the post written up.  Thanks for considering being a voice on this blog.

achievement, alfie kohn, assessment, being a teacher, No grades

Not Grading is Awful

Pernille Ripp
I am just going to admit it; not grading sucks!  Not grading means I cannot assign an average, translate it into a grade and be done.  Not grading means I have to have anecdotal evidence to back up my final grade on the report card, anecdotal evidence I have to collect throughout the year and then actually keep in one place.  Not grading also means that my students have not been given percentages at any time throughout the year, which means that when I have to give them a letter grade (as mandated by my district) it is my job to make sure that they have an idea of why they are getting what they get.  Not grading means I cannot just zip through a pile of papers, correct them according to my answer key, and whip out my calculator.  Not grading means that a product can take weeks to truly be complete because that student has to rework it or revisit it in some way.  Not grading means I have to find the time in our super packed schedule to have discussions with kids about their progress.  And it sucks, honestly, because it is so much work.  I am not going to lie.  It is a lot of work not to grade in the traditional sense.

And yet, despite all of this, not grading in the traditional sense of percentages and letter grades makes so much sense to me.  Giving feedback rather than a letter leaves room to start a conversation.  It leaves room for the student’s voice to be part of the deliberation.  It leads to more learning situations as I cater my curriculum to fit the needs of that particular student.  It leads to much more time spent with the student rather than at home going through their piles.

For one, sitting down with my students to discuss why they have assigned themselves whatever grade is eye-opening.  To hear 5th graders take control of their learning, to own up to where they should have worked harder, to set up the future path for learning they need to travel, wow!  I even used my Livescribe pen for some of these conversations just to record what the students had to say, even though no one but me would listen to it.

Second, I am amazed at how often my students and I land on the same grade.  These kids really know where they are in their learning journey and they know why they are there.  It is rare that I have to steer them toward a different grade and even then it is something we discuss.

Finally, having these reflective discussions is a great way for me to culminate the year.  The students give me feedback on what worked for them, they give me ideas on how to improve and we discuss where they are headed.  All of them set learning goals for the summer, not through assigned homework, threats or promises from me but because they want to read or want to remember their math concepts.

And yet, I still struggle with taking that conversation and distilling it to a letter grade.  That letter seems so shallow compared to the rich discussion we have had.  That letter doesn’t seem to reflect all of the growth they have done.  That letter doesn’t seem to describe their journey at all but instead boils them back down to a percentage, to a number and a grade that says nothing.  So I return to my constant state of reflection on grading; what am I trying to accomplish with it?  What is the true purpose?  What am I trying to classify and portray?  How can I ever hope to capture the essence of a child’s growth in a mere letter?  And the time?  Where will I continue to find the time as our school gets more focused on tests and data?  I am not sure I have all of the answers but in my heart and mind I know what I am doing makes sense for me.  Even if it is one of the most time consuming changes I have ever integrated into my room.

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My New Rules

Pernille Ripp
This summer I have to make new rules for myself, new rules that don’t interfere with that 3 year old little girl that so eagerly wants to show me something.  New rules that don’t interfere with my swollen feet and impending arrival of two more children to love and take care of.  New rules that will allow me to let go of the guilt of what I do not do or even the things I do.

So this summer I allow myself to drink a cup of tea outside rather than in front of my computer.  To not check email while blinking because I just woke up.  To not search for things to blog about but go back to my natural voice.
This summer I allow myself to maybe have a bad clothes day, I have been on a good streak lately and it is ok if it ends now.  I allow myself to go to the book store and buy books that will offer me nothing more than entertainment.  This summer I will allow myself to not reach out as much, to unfriend some people and start some deeper conversations.
I will allow myself to eat popsicles and watermelon every day.  To water my plants, to go for a walk, and to even just float in a pool without a magazine.  I will go to the zoo every time Thea asks,who cares if we went the day before?  I will graciously accept any help people offer, knowing that as I get even bigger, my abilities will diminish.
I will allow myself to not care whether people like what I wrote but just to write from the heart again.  I will even allow myself not to write but instead have others share their voice on this blog.  I will allow myself to laugh and cry when I need to but keep everything in perspective.  This summer is about letting go and creating new habits.  This summer I allow myself to go back to life and step away from the cputer.  What will you allow yourself to do?