being a teacher, education reform, testing

It’s a Half Percent

Pernille Schmidt 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 Schmidt 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 Schmidt 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 Schmidt 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?

being a teacher, inspiration

What is Their Sentence?

Pernille Schmidt Ripp

Image from I Can Read

After seeing the post by Daniel Pink and some very inspired posts regarding “What’s your sentence?”  I too have been wondering what is it I believe in?  What is my vision, my mission, my dream – what do I some day leave behind?  What is my sentence for the year, for the next 5 years, for my life?  In this thought path it struck me; what is important to me is not what is my sentence is but rather what is their sentence?

Them, those kids, those people we touch every single day; what sentence will they utter about me as they depart my classroom, my home, my life?  Those people that mean everything to me today, what will they remember about me, how will I have affected them?  What will their sentence be?  And more importantly, what would I like it to be? So I dare you to ask; what is their sentence?

So please if you will, share your “their” sentence in the comments. I have a feeling they will be powerful.

being a teacher, classroom expectations, students

So We Breathe

Pernille Schmidt Ripp
We work hard in my room each and every day.  The students know that to be in a limited homework classroom, they are on the minute they get to school until they leave.  The pressure is on to stay on top of the learning, to be involved, and to grow, grow, grow.  So this week as we finished our dream project, as we inch closer to break, we breathe.  We release, we relax, and we rejuvenate.

As an educator I push my students, I make them reach for the things they are not sure they can touch, that is after all why I am there.  And yet you cannot continue to push kids to their utmost, day in, day out.  And so we breathe, we release, relax, refocus.

Academic rigor still stands, standards must be met, projects must be completed.  Yet our brains slow down, attempt to reconfigure all of this information.  We rewire our thoughts, we charge our spirits and we breathe.