twitter

The Case Against the "Thanks for the RT"

Pernille Ripp

Twitter logo initialImage via WikipediaFor some who are not on Twitter this post may bear no meaning to your life.  But for others who like myself use Twitter every day for professional development, I pose a question: do we really need to thank someone for retweeting a post?  You see, it is not that I am lazy, forgetful, or ungrateful when some decides to resend out something I have posted.  In fact, often I reach out to people to thank them for reading or leaving a comment.  But the “Thanks for the rt” post that I am bound and destined by some Twitter etiquette – well, I am over it.

I get that people on Twitter are trying to mimic real life; when someone passes something for you, you thank them.  And yet Twitter is not real life in that sense; I am not running to Canada to personally thank a friend every time they tweet out something of mine.  So instead we try to thank them with an inane statement that does nothing to bridge communication.  Does anyone ever write back “You’re welcome?”  Does anyone do anything more than skim the thanks for the rt?  I know we all want to be noticed and I know we all want to be thanked for our contributions on Twitter, but let’s thank in a different manner.  Let’s really thank people instead of taking the easy way out of the canned statement.  If you really do appreciate someone sent your post out, well, then tell them that.  Or don’t.  At some point there just is no keeping up with it.  Some of the people who write many posts a week probably have no way of thanking everyone, and I think that is ok.  I don’t think we need to bash people for not saying thanks.  I think we need to let this part of Twitter go.  Yes, it is nice to be thanked, but when it is a hollow oft-repeated statement then what is really the point.

So I will say it now; thank you for always resending my posts.  I notice and I appreciate it.  I apologize if I do not thank you that day but sometimes I forget and other times I don’t have time.  And I think that is ok, do you?

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being a teacher, new teacher

The Things I Said – Cringeworthy Statements From a New Teacher

Pernille Ripp

This summer the memories of my first year of teaching comes floating back and more specifically the insane things you would have heard me say.  So had you been a fly on my wall, here are some of most cringe-worthy….

Put your name on the board!

One more check mark and we are calling your parents.

You will have to stay in for recess since you did not return your test.

I am sorry your mother did not sign it, you will lose a recess and bring it back tomorrow.

I do not think he deserves to be in the talent show since he does not do his homework.

What do you mean you didn’t have time?  It was homework!

Sit in your chair and listen.

Wake up!

Put that chair down.  Put that table down.  DO NOT SLAM MY DOOR!

Stop sharpening that pencil.

Don’t you have your own school supplies?

Do you see these zeroes?  That means you are failing 4th grade.

I am doing this for your own good.

The goal?  Well for you to do this assignment.

Ah yes, the plight of a first year teacher.  I barely recognize myself in them and yet I know who that person was because if I didn’t then I wouldn’t know who this teacher is today.  We all have our journeys as teachers, mine took me far away from this, and for that I am thankful.  Where does your journey lead you?

being a teacher

Hey It’s Ok!

Pernille Ripp

Hey it’s ok!
…to smile widely on the first day of school

…to spend your summer vacation getting excited about the upcoming school year

…for your brain to keep thinking about teacher stuff even when it shouldn’t

…to sing, dance, and goof off with your students

…to make mistakes and discuss them

…to think students need to have a voice in education and give it to them

…to not be worried about grades but rather about learning

…to not have rules posted

…to be the techy teacher and still not know how a computer works really

…to think teaching is the best job, even if it is grossly underpaid and underrated

…to love your life even when it is not working out the way you thought it would

What else is ok?

Thanks Glamour for the inspiration

being me, connections

Too Much of a Good Thing – I Am Over-Connected

Pernille Ripp

I am over-connected.  This weekend I added Google + to my ever expanding social media use and I can tell that it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  While I absolutely love the concept of it, I just cannot connect this much.  I cannot share my life and thoughts in 3 different places and have a normal life.  I now feel obligated to be witty and helpful on Twitter, sarcastic and joyous on Facebook, and smart and non-repetitive on Google+.  This introvert just cannot muster all of that.  Alas, it is not the mediums fault.  I love social media; social media, particularly Twitter has absolutely changed my life for the better.  I wish I could blame the products but I cannot, I can only blame myself.

In a typical day I wake up and check all of my networks right away.  Being the creator of the Global Read Aloud means I have quite a few emails to answer as we gear up for the next attempt in September.  Some get answered right away, others before I go to bed.  Then on to Twitter to thank for rt’s and mentions, and say something smart and pass something on.  There are always people to speak to and things to read.  Facebook allows me to see where my friends are at, how my brother in Afghanistan is doing (he is ready to come home) and put something about Thea on there.  Now onto Google +; who has added me, what have people shared that I haven’t already seen and do I have anything to share.  This is an hour of work at least.  Throughout the day I continue my quest to connect.  I check in with them all to see what have happened.  I have a smartphone so that I can stay connected while at the park with my daughter or even while stopped at a light.  My poor husband communicates more with me through instant messaging than in real life sometimes.  I blog as well, which I would never give up, and yet that takes time away too.  As we speak my daughter is sitting next to me waiting for me to finish.

It is taking a toll on me.  Life is becoming about connections with people that I have yet to meet, and even though I would love to meet everyone that I have connected with, I have to start facing the connections I already have here in Madison.  If I devoted at least one hour to connect with my colleagues on a day-to-day basis, can you imagine what we could accomplish?  We tend to push the face-to-face connections aside because they take more time, and then we say we do not have the time to pursue them.  Well, we do, because we choose to invest the time somewhere else, so I am re-evaluating my time spent connecting for the upcoming year.

Now I am not one to be extreme, I don’t plan on unplugging or going connection free but I am aware of it.  I am aware of the choices that I make about the time that I spend on my computer every day.  I am aware now of what is worth it and what does not pay off in the end.  And that is what is important here.  We have to find the balance and not let the people in our lives suffer because of our choices.  There is such a thing as being over-connected, let’s face it, and let’s own it.  I am grateful that my husband has not complained of me being so into it all, yet, however, I wouldn’t blame him if he did.  I wouldn’t want to be married to me when I am in work mode (which I am most of the time).  Beth Still wrote a great post on what being so connected does to our relationships and she is right, they do harm and it is something to be taken serious.  We have to rebalance and refocus on making strong connections globally but also locally.

education reform

My School – A Dream to Work With

Pernille Ripp

We all talk about “If I was in charge…” or “If I could decide…” then this is what school would be like.  Well, here are my ideas, unfinished, a lot of wishful thinking and yet powerful in their simplicity.

My school would have less walls, more carpets for laying down and many nooks and crannies for self-reflection.

My school would have less bells, more time to explore and not so set schedules of when one class ends and another begins.

It would have farmers connected to teach students about food and to celebrate where food comes from and teachers would be given the time to collaborate and even teach each other’s classes because they are all our children.

My school would have windows that could be opened and fields that beckoned for exploration.  There would be desks of course, but also stand up tables, shelves, couches and beanbags for students to choose from.

Curriculum dreams would come true meaning standards would be followed but not shoved down our throats and we would have enough time to update our learning quests.

Questions would be posed from the students and then time given to find the answers.

Engagement would be evident, as would loudness and excitement.  And that is just talking about the teachers not to mention the students.

There would be real accountability, urgency, and a shared goal for progress.  Results would be discussed and reflected upon, not just noted and scored.
Collaboration between grades and level would be expected as would the sharing of resources.

Students would be heard as equals and parents would be brought in to discuss change and direction and actually be listened to.

There would be no grades, just progress and feedback.  No homework other than meaningful projects and punishment would not be integrated either.  We would have to to build community and discuss behavior.

My school would be for all students and students with special needs would be given the resources they need.  Teachers who work with them would be given the time to do so right.

Technology would be used to connect with the world and strengthen students voices, but books would also have a home as would pen and paper.  There is no need for either or at my school.

We would be flexible but firm and have a clear vision.  A vision that we all created together and that never became stagnant.

My school would be a place where everyone knew they could learn, where no one was just passed through the system, where students actually were listened to as were teachers.

My school may only exist in my imagination, but many ideas I can implement into my classroom already.  I cannot wait.