being a teacher, Student-centered

I Can Change the World

Pernille Ripp
Yes, it’s true, we are small but we are not insignificant.  I may not be able to change the world, but I can change my classroom.  I can change my philosophy, I can change myself. 

So when I look around my room and I see those faces, I know they deserve the very best of me.  I know they deserve a room where there is no punishment, where there are no inane rewards in place.  They deserve to live life outside of school free from pointless homework and they deserve to know their progress and their goals. 

So through my change I change their school experience.  I change their minds that learning is static, boring, or pointless.  I change their perspective that teachers are out to get them.  I change myself so that I can help them go on their path.  Though we may think we cannot change the world, we can through our students.  The change starts within ourselves.

Uncategorized

I Am Not Sorry

Pernille Ripp

As an educator, it seems I spend a lot of time apologizing. I apologize for trying new things. I apologize for speaking my mind. I apologize for seeming too busy to help, too frazzled to form sentences sometimes.  I apologize for doings things differently, or for going out on a limb. I apologize for being a union member, or for fighting for my kids. Just the last couple of weeks I have even been apologizing for being a finalist in the Great American Teach Off because some people may be upset at the recognition. All that time spent worrying and wondering if someone is upset with me, always ready with an I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

So I am going to stop apologizing and just try that for a while because the truth is I am not always sorry.

I am not sorry for trying new things to spark the imagination of my children.

I am not sorry for listening to them and changing our learning to keep them engaged, involved and excited.

I am not sorry for standing up for my kids and getting them the help they need.

I am not sorry for trying to be innovative and for spreading the ideas.

I am not sorry for my passion and my deep belief that together we can be the change.

I am not sorry for my mother believing in me enough to submit me for a contest where someone realized that having a student-centered classroom, with no punishment, no rewards, limited homework and student driven grades is an innovative thing.

So this educator is standing up for herself and for my kids. There are many things to be sorry, but changing one’s educational philosophy to something better is not one of them.  While I remain passionate, I also retain my humility.  I am not the only change agent.  I am not the only passion cultivator.  But I am ones of the ones saying I am sorry for changing things anymore.   Join me.

being a teacher, change, education reform, Student

But Wait, I ‘m Only One Person

Pernille Ripp
As I am continually awed by the incredible educators I get to teach with not only in my school, but also in the world, I am renewed in my already strong belief that we are the change.

We are the change for all of those children whose lives have been determined by assumptions, circumstance, and test scores outside of their control.

We are the change for all of those teachers who don’t think they have a voice.  You do.  So although you may just be one person, there are so many things you can do to change the system.  To bring the focus back on the kids, on improving teaching conditions, and keeping our students passionate and curious.  So

Stand up for yourself.

Speak up – one voice joins the chorus and together we are louder.

Blog, write to the paper, get it out and spread the word.  Change will come if we continue to fight for it.

Join together – enough of the us versus them debate.  Enough with tearing other teachers down.  Show me a perfect teacher and I will show you 10 people that disagree.  We are not perfect nor should we ever think we are; embrace each other, and stand together, this is for the kids.

Tell them they matter.

Realize that you matter.

Try your ideas and then be proud if they work.  Be proud if they fail, at least you tried something.

Believe in them, believe in you, and believe in your team.

Be the change.  Be the change.  Be the change.

You may be just one but think of how far one person’s words can go, the ripples they can start, the waves they can become.

being me, Passion

5 Easy Things to Do to Cultivate Passion

Pernille Ripp
I have been called many things, some wonderful some not so much , but passionate is one of the things I am most proud of.  And it is true, I am a passionate person.  I love my job, I love my kids, and the people that I surround myself with.  I passionately believe in student voice and active learning.  And yet passion in itself is not enough to change the world, we somehow need to pass it on.  So every day, I do these things to help my students stay passionate.

  1. We speak.  Without a relationship, they will never trust me enough to unleash their passion, so we take the time to cultivate one.
  2. I get excited and loud and really, really into it.  If I do not show my own passion, how can it spread?
  3. We disagree.  Knowing how to discuss is important for defending, articulating, and discovering ones passion, so we leave room for intense debates and pondering.  They must have time to think.
  4. They blog, they journal, they speak and they share.  This is where I see the seeds start to grow. 
  5. They discover new worlds with their hands, their eyes, and their brains.  Some students are passionate already, others are not so sure, but how will they ever find out what they are passionate about if we do not give them time to explore, break, build, and create?

What do you do share the passion?  To ignite it or to keep from distinguishing it?  Our classrooms should be passion cultivation areas; how do we get there?

To see how our room runs, and perhaps vote for us in the Great American Teach Off, please go to this website.  We have the chance to win $10,000 for our school which is sure to create some passionate debates.

being a teacher, being me

But Wait, I Thought You Hate Rewards?

Pernille Ripp
I am in a interesting predicament.  This anti-rewards teacher has the potential of being rewarded through the Great American Teach Off and win a $10,000 classroom grant by being declared the winner over 9 other innovative educators.  So not only would I be singled out as a good educator but I would also be recognized at the expense of others.    So how does that all work?  Do I declare myself a hypocrite and say “whatever” to people may raise an eyebrow over the fact that I am celebrating being in this?  Or do I reflect and discuss exactly how it feels?  Yep, I chose to discuss, so some truths I have realized in this process:

  • It matters how the recognition happens.  I was nominated by my mother, which in my mind is about the greatest achievement there is.  The fact that someone I admire so much sees what I do every day and wanted to write someone and tell them about it, just floors me.  She took the time to highlight what I have done in my room, my vision for education, and all of the adventures my students have without wanting anything in return, without there being anything in it for her, without being told.  For some reason this resonates with me when I recognize my students’ achievements.  I try to do it without prompt, without rewarding me in any sense, and also because I am proud of them so I take the time to give them time and really let them know how proud I am.  That’s what makes them know they matter, much like my mother did.
  • There is a difference between recognition and rewards.  Yes, I am excited to be in the running for $10,000 for my kids because let’s face it, I make what an average telemarketer makes a year and cannot buy the supplies I would like for my kids.   And yet what really excites me is that someone is recognizing that running a classroom with little homework, little grades, no punishment and no reward system is actually a good thing.  That giving students a voice is a great thing and that trying to create hands on learning opportunities for kids within a public school setting can be done.  So if that means being in a contest to get more validity behind what I do in my classroom; so be it, it then helps the cause of changing education.  I would be in this contest even if there wasn’t a prize (and yes I was asked whether I wanted to be part of it when they called me to tell me of my finalist status because of all the work I had to do).
  • Recognition is different when it is after the fact.  I did not change a single thing in my classroom with the intent of being recognized for it.  I did not change the way I teach and the way I think about teaching because I hoped that someone would read my blog, or be inspired, or think I was doing a good job.  I did it because I had to.  All of those things that I am being recognized for I did because I knew it would benefit my students, help them continue to love learning, and drive their passion.  I did it because it was urgent for me and something that had to be done if I was to continue as a teacher.  Had I known there would be a contest at the end of it, I wonder if I would have been less fearless, more subdued in order to not upset anyone?  Perhaps I wouldn’t have been so honest incase anyone got offended – and trust me, people get offended.  Perhaps, I would have done a Pernille Lite version of all of this.  And so I am glad I didn’t know because when all of this is over (which it could be in a week), I am continuing on my path, doing what I do, and continuing my educational journey.
  • Wait…what I am doing?  Self-doubt and buckets of time, yes, this contest is an anxiety producing  time consumer.  Five 90 second videos take up a lot of time and add a lot of stress to someone who is an overachiever.  And yet, the day moves on and the kids and my family has to be my priority.  Their educational experience cannot suffer because I am distracted so shut it off.  Think of how our kids must feel if there is a competition within the room?  How distracted, anxious or excited they must feel.  Yeah, adults go through the same and it is hard to control it.
  • It is still a competition and honestly competitions makes losers out of all of us.  The fact that this is a popularity contest has not escaped me.  We get voted out of the contest by the public, not by how we have raised test scores (thankfully) or how engaged our students are (bummer), but by the impact of our video and how many people we know.  That bothers me.  And that must be exactly how our students feel when we have student council elections, prom queens, and any other vote.  Yes, it’s great to be nominated but what if you don’t win?  Or how do others feel because I was nominated and they weren’t?  This does not mean I am better teacher than anyone else and yet that is what contests wants us to believe.  That you can declare a winner…but within education there doesn’t seem to be any fair winners.  And I wonder whether there can be?  Is there a way for teachers to be recognized without hurting other people’s feelings?  Do we even need to recognize teachers or should they just be happy through the love and admiration of their students?  Can teacher contests bring about change or do they just produce scorn within the education community?
So there you have it.  An honest self-dialogue laid out for the world to see.  Feel free to jump in, it is an interesting dilemma to be in, and I certainly do not have all of the answers.