Pernille Ripp

A year and a half ago, I went through a radical change in the way I am as a teacher. The whole foundation of what my classroom was was discarded and re-born, all on the basis of my gut instinct. It told me that to increase student motivation and increase buy-in that my method of teaching and, indeed, the whole feel of my classroom had to change. That to see motivation increase and excitement build that the old method I was using was so far away from what I wanted that it simply should not exist anymore. So instead of dismissing what some may have viewed as a crazy whim, unsafe territory if you must, I pursued, I went there and I took the chance of implementing it into my classroom and my unsuspecting students.

I trusted my instincts and my own desire for how my schooling should have been; projects, team-work, choices. And now in the second year into this implementation I am the proof that it works. I am the proof that if you believe in your students, if you believe in their ability to make great choices, to work together as teams rather than as individuals their learning will benefit. I have students who love coming to school, and not just those 50% that love you no matter what they do. I have kids that had given up, that believed that they could not succeed, that they were not smart enough to go to school, now tell me that they love coming, that they cannot wait to learn. That they cannot wait to be challenged. They may not ace every single assignment but they try and they grown. They may not get the grades that others get but they participate, they share and they know that their voice is just as important as those who used to be the top-kids, the stars of the room. They smile, they belong, and they own the community. School is a place they want to come to, not somewhere they have to go.

I cannot take credit for all of this because the students trusted me as well. They trusted me with their dreams of school and of learning. They trusted me with how they want to learn, how they see themselves as individuals and the paths they want to take. That speaks a lot of the relationships we have created. Those children trusted me enough to let me in, and to make our classroom their second home. So my classroom is the proof that these strategies work, even if you do not know that is what you are doing. My classroom is the proof that sometimes following your gut is more important than following any college class on classroom management. My classroom is the proof that even though your mentor does it one way, it is ok for you to do it completely different. We can change the way we do school and we can make school all about the children. We just have to be willing to change ourselves.

being me, Innovation Day, questions

Can Older Teacher Still Be Innovators?

January 5, 2012 Pernille Ripp

This morning when I looked in the mirror I saw a new wrinkle. Right there inching along on my forehead, something I swore was not there before. I look younger than I am and yet the signs of time will cover my face slowly but certainly. It makes me wonder when will people think that I am outdated? That my teaching no longer is fresh or new? When will parents request the other teacher simply because they seem to have more energy?

Teachers seem to have a shorter shelf life these days. Like our glory days of innovation are numbered and one can only have so many new ideas, and only when in their prime years. Yet, I see teacher much older than me generate ideas that I could never even fathom. Come up with lessons that students talk about years later. And yet the credit goes to the young, the fresh, the energetic but only if they look it.

Can an idea still be fresh if thought of by an older mind? Will the general consensus continue to be that new must come from the young, the innovative, the ones that are most tapped in? Can we change the stigma of the aging teacher and how their ideas lose merit with the years of use? Or is this simply a product of my aging imagination that wonders whether I will be old and my ideas will lose their luster? Are teachers judged more on their ideas than their age? Can innovation be embraced when it comes from someone older than you or must it always be packaged as coming from the next generation?

classroom expectations, classroom management, life choices, Student-centered

The Story of the Child that Changed Me

January 3, 2012 Pernille Ripp

If I could go back and undo what I did to a child some years ago I would. This child, who so desperately needed to feel in control of something in their life, came to me and only got more of the same. Less control, more demands, more punishment, rather than a safe haven to feel like they was ok, like they belonged, like they were listened to. They say you learn from your mistakes, and this is one of those kids I have learned from the most.

    Peter wasn’t always unhappy, as evidenced by the smiling pictures I saw of him from younger years. By the time he reached the third grade though life had gotten in the way and those smiles were far and few in between. The first time I met him, his mother dragged him into my room late for orientation and started to tell me how I would have a hard time with this one because he was lazy and didn’t care. I don’t think any child’s shoulders have ever slumped more than that. As I nodded through his mother’s complaints, I swore that I would be different, that Peter would start to love school again, that I would help turn this kid around. Looking back, I see now how failed this notion was given the constraints I had placed myself under in my classroom. I was a novice teacher, someone who still believed that I should run my classroom like those who had come before me, like people I had read about in textbooks, like they had taught me in college. I believed that the teacher was the power, the one with all of the knowledge, and the best way for students to learn was to listen to me dole out wisdom. Sure there would be fun, we would have parties and rewards for homework turned in and good behavior. There would also be punishment for those who misbehaved or dared to not hand in their homework. Grades would be motivation and threats would be the norm. Nothing like building a relationship with a child by telling them if they don’t comply they will get an F.

    So Peter put his trust in me and at first I got him to smile, to open up a little, to have some success. Days passed and I thought I was helping, I was fixing, I was changing this child’s life. That is, until he didn’t do his homework. I didn’t take the time to find out why, I didn’t ask any questions, but just told him to put his name on the board and to stay in for recess. During recess he worked so slowly, punishing me for calling him out in front of the class, that the next day his homework was still not done. Again, I didn’t ask any questions but just called him out, embarrassing him a little and then told him again that recess would be mine until this math was done. Again slow and painful work meant that he barely finished. What I didn’t know was that our power struggle had just begun and it would last the whole year. Me in the role of enforcer, as supreme teacher that took away instead of gave, that punished rather than asked questions, that wanted more control rather than let him have some. You see, I think all Peter wanted was control. He wanted a space where he could come in and feel that he had a voice, that he mattered, that he belonged. But by removing control from the classroom and even more so for him, I didn’t let him find his voice. I didn’t let him invest himself into the classroom. I didn’t change his mind or change his ways about school, I just let him live up to what his mother had so thoroughly predicted; that he was a no good troublemaker.

    Peter made me almost quit teaching because I saw what I had done to him. I saw by the end of fourth grade how my decisions to run my classroom in a traditional sense had taken all of his pleasure out of learning. I knew that summer that I had to change and one of the biggest things to go was the passion for control. Students had to feel they belonged because they had to feel it was their room. They had to have a genuine voice that listened to their needs and let them shape the classroom. They had to have room to grow, to fail, and to embrace each other’s strengths through collaboration and hands on exploration. No more teacher as the sage on the stage, but rather shine the light on the students. Had I given Peter classroom like the one we create now, he would have had a reason to speak up, to get invested. He would have loved the choices, how his voice mattered, and how his creative side could be explored. He would have perhaps taken a small leadership role to show the other kid that he was worthy, to show them that he did belong on the team, he would have cared.

I run my classroom now with the mantra of students first in everything I do. Their voice matters, their choices matter, and their opinions matter. I do not punish and I do not reward. Students work together when we can and always have a choice in how they do things. They sit wherever they want and we try to eliminate homework. If you work hard in our room you do not have to bring the work home. They belong, they own the room, it is theirs and that is what I should have done from the moment I started teaching. I realized it isn’t about me, but about them. I can never undo what I did to Peter and those other students before him but I can make sure I never do it again. I have changed my teaching style because of this child and for that I am grateful, even if he will never know how much he influenced me.

happiness

Go On – Be Happy With Me

January 1, 2012 Pernille Ripp

The new year smells of new opportunities, new promises, hope and change. And yet I know that no grand sweeping resolutions will stick. Heck I broke my first one about 30 seconds after midnight when I swore, oops. So this year I am keeping it simple, along with my mantra to slow down I want to enjoy more, to smile more, to laugh more, so here comes the happiness streak. (And no, I cannot take credit for that awesome title, it is from Josh Stumpenhorst.)

So every day I promise to notice my happiness moments, I promise to share them (hashtag #happystreak), and to show that the true happiness in life does come from those small fleeting moments. So for the first day of the year I will have a luxurious breakfast with my family and I will read Thea a book. Those will be my happiness moments today, what will yours be? Start your happiness streak today.

So to make it more official, I will do a 365 photo blog of my happiness streak – check it out here.

new year

What is Your Sentence for the New Year?

December 31, 2011 Pernille Ripp

The other day I thought aloud on Twitter of what my sentence or words for the new year would be. After some time I realized my sentence would be “Slow down.” Slow down to me means relax, say no to projects, cherish my time, and enjoy the moment. Slow down to appreciate. Slow down to enjoy. Slow down with the expectations. 2011 was an incredible year for me as an educator but a very tough year for us personally, so this year, as I work on one of the biggest projects yet, I will be slowing down. And I will cherish it.

What will your mantra for the year be?

projects, Student-centered, video, webinar

Let Them Film – Another SimpleK12 Webinar Presentation

December 27, 2011 Pernille Ripp

I am thrilled to have been asked back to do another webinar for SimpleK12 entitled “Let Them Film – Promote Student Ownership in Learning with Video Cameras.” The description is as follows:
How would you like to get rid of the packets and worksheets and offer students an interactive way to learn? Would you like to have students participate in the learning conversation, becoming more aware of their goals and challenges? Then join this webinar and discover ways to integrate video cameras into your curriculum. With this simple tool, students can go on grammar hunts, report their science findings, and teach other students how to do math. We will explore how to integrate the cameras without changing your learning goals, as well as discuss some meaningful activities that you can begin with.

This webinar will take place on January 12th at 12:30 – 1:00 PM ESt and is free! All you have to do is register so to register just click on this link. I hope to see you there.