being a teacher, education reform, reality, testing, time

Give Me Time

Pernille Ripp

I do not teach in a poor school, nor do I teach in an affluent one. I teach in your middle of America school, where we have our constraints but do not have to spend our entire paycheck buying classroom supplies. I am lucky in some respects, yet sheltered in others, so I wonder whether I can truly form an opinion on movies like “Waiting for Superman.”. Can I judge what this movie portrays when I have not taught in a fail factory or been labeled a bad teacher?

What I can respond to though are statements such as the one at the end of the movie, “Our system is broken…and it feels impossible to fix.”. Statements such as this does nothing to fix the problem but perpetuates the pervasiveness of just how horrible the American school system is. This angers me. The entire American school system is not horrible, there are entities of it that are, and yes, those entities need to be fixed but is throwing out the entire system really the way to do it?

The preferred method of fixing anything in education seems to be to throw it all out and start over. You see it in school districts all over; desperate to fix falling scores or inadequate growth, money becomes the solution. Buy a new program! Buy a new test! More training! More supervision! More, more, more! It appears we are choking ourselves to mediocrity and then wondering who is to blame for the lack of oxygen?

So my plea is simple; enough with the reform! We have been reformed to death these last many years. Stop changing the strategies, stop changing the methods on how to test us and just let us teach. Let me teach. Give me time to reach a deeper level with my students. Give me time to let them create and explore. Give me time to differentiate for all of my students and not just the easy ones. Give me time to speak, to listen and to develop. Some may say that time is all teachers ever have been given. Not true; our time to learn with our students has been taken away minute by minute by new curriculum implementation, standards, tests and more guidelines. So before you tell me to change again, give me time to learn how to teach this way. Then I can become a better teacher and prove to you that our system is not impossible to fix, just give me time to teach.

being a teacher

I Go to Work

Pernille Ripp
I go to work every day believing that today will be the best of all days.

I go to work every day knowing that my students will have success.

I go to work ready to work, to give, to dream, to hope.

I go to work every day knowing that the responsibility lies with me for these students.

I go to work every day knowing that this is what I am meant to do.

I go to work every day ready to face the challenges.

I go to work every day renewed in my belief as an educator.

I go to work every day ready to change the world.

I go to work every day because it is not just work, it is a life.

being a teacher, education reform, testing

It’s a Half Percent

Pernille Ripp
“I don’t mean to alarm you but it appears that your baby has an elevated risk for Downs…”  The road blurred in front of me as the words took shape in my stomach.  “The test results are back and normal is 1 in 10,000, yours is 1 in  214.”  It’s a half percent, it’s a half percent, it’s a half percent ran through my mind like a mantra, willing my hands to stay on the wheel and my eyes to stay on the road.  “The doctor will call you in a couple of days when he reviews the test results.”  And with that my whole world changed.

The first frantic phone call was to my mother, who was waiting for the airport bus.  I could barely choke out the words.  Shock, and then mommy reflexes sparing into action as she repeated “It’s a half percent.”  Finally got through to my husband, shock, then husband reflexes, and then anger.  Where was the doctor, why was a nurse calling with this information, what did this all mean? Soon the Internet became our go-to place; forums, statistics, percentages all became mandatory reading for this unwanted and unknown territory. Life dreams were revisited, rechecked, redreamed.

There were decisions to make, tests to have or not, what would a life look like with a child with Downs?  Could we provide the support and medical care that this child could possibly need?  Where had the bubble of the first 16 weeks of perfect pregnancy gone?  Why us?  Why me?  What had I done wrong?  2 days later, after many calls wondering whether the doctor had reviewed my tests, the call came.  He was angry.  Why had they pushed this extra test on me anyway?  The first test had been normal, so why do a second one?  I could barely hear his words, all I kept hearing was “It’s a half percent, it’s a half percent…”

So we went ahead and had the evasive sample test done because we knew that no matter what this child possibly had, we wanted to be prepared for it.  The worry consumed me for days as I begged my body to not lose this child, that all I wanted was answers, whatever they would be.  That this child would be loved, no matter the cost, so please, please just stay with me.

I was home alone, another phone call.  The results were in, “Your little girl is fine, no need to worry.”  My heart stopped beating for just a second.  “Did you say fine?  Did you say little girl?”  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Another visit with the doctor and again that same anger; why would they test you?  Why did they want one more?  I felt embarrassed to tell him that I had jumped at the chance when it had been presented to me, after all as a first time pregnant person, I thought the more tests, the better.  After all, don’t we want to rule everything out?  He looked at me and said, “If one test works, then there is no need for another one.”

How often could we apply those same words in education?  That one test should be more than enough, if we actually are able to trust the results and choose to use them correctly?  Instead we barrage and deluge our children with test upon test, just to check once more.  How many times have we falsely diagnosed problems that were merely there because the test created it?  How many times do we ask for just one more test to make sure there isn’t really a problem?  How many times will we continue down this path of only believing the tests, rather than everything else?

being a teacher, change, choices, education reform, hopes, Student-centered

What Have I Done?

Pernille Ripp

I wish I could say that I run my classroom like a well-oiled machine,after all isn’t that what effective teachers do? In truth, it is more of an adventure as our day unfold. Sure the destination has been determined and even a tentative path, but often my studentts’ questions or wonderings are just too juicy to pass up. So we veer off the path and in the end, end up with more knowledge than I could have planned for.

I teach the way I hope my daughter is taught one day. I teach my students to find their voice, to speak up, to share their ideas. At first this seemed like a trap to them, like if they really spoke their minds about schools, they were going to get into deep, serious trouble. Now, about two thirds of the year has passed and these kids are not afraid to tell me the truth. If I am speaking too long, they ask me to let them work. If a lesson is boring, they tell me so, but even better, often offer up suggestions on how to make it better. The same thing goes for praise; if they love something, the tell me, they blog about it and they tell their friends.

And so I wonder what have I done? What have I set my students up for? I will not be passing on students who are used to sitting in their desks listening to a teacher deliver all of the learning. My students will want a voice, a choice, and a goal presented to them. My students will be demanding, honest, and have high expectations that their input will be valued. What have I done?

As we change our approach in the classroom and get more in tune with how we think education should be, are we instead just harming our students by showing them a different way to learn? Would it be better if we shelved our ideas for more student-centered learning and let our students remain in the mold they have fit into for so many years? When we reform are we really just setting our students up for failure? I would love your thoughts on this.

being a teacher

I Do Not Manage

Pernille Ripp
I am sick of the word “manage” as in “classroom management” or even better how do you “manage” your students?

Well, I don’t manage them.  I teach them, guide them, and learn along with them.  I do not come to school intent on herding cattle but rather helping young minds develop their knowledge, as well as their desires to become more knowledgeable.  I do not manage my classroom, but instead I collaborate with students to set up perimeters for us to function at our best, be our best, and want to stay that way.  I do not manage their desires to learn or become better citizens; I nourish it, sometimes light it, but always, always maintain it.

I do not manage to get through my day, I flourish through it, loving the trials, the ups and downs, the wondrous moments that come with teaching.  I do not manage my life or my curriculum, I live it, love it, and will continue to push myself as a teacher, a human being.

I am not a manager, I am a teacher, and I would like to stay that way.

being a teacher, being me, end of year, hopes, inspiration, students

What I Pass On

Pernille Ripp
When I decided to change things up in my room, I knew these students would only be mine for a year.  I knew that I had those 180 days to make an impression, to plant a seed and help them develop.  I knew that I had to let them go some day.  As spring break begins tomorrow, the letting go looms nearer and I wonder; what will I pass on?

I will pass on students that want to know what the goal of the assignment is, and not in a confrontational manner, but rather so they have clear expectations and a destination in mind.

I will pass on students who want to create.  They want a voice, not just a task.

I will pass on students that know where they work best, and yes some still choose desks, but most do not.

I will pass on students that take ownership of their learning.  Again they are partners, not just participants.

I will pass on students that will look for the global connection; that extra element that elevates a lesson.

I will pass on students that are not afraid of technology, its usage, and even know when not to use it.

I will pass on students who expect their voice to be heard and appreciated.

I will pass on students that are not just satisfied with a grade but would rather discuss what they need to change.

I will pass on students that believe in second chances, continued learning, and the power of a group.
I will pass on students who believe in their own self-worth, who believe they can make a difference and that their actions matter.

I will pass on students that have made me a better teacher, a more humble learner, a keener listener, and a kinder heart.

What will you pass on?