Pernille Ripp's Blog, page 75

6 Simple Ideas to Get Kids to Read

Loving reading, loving books, being a reader, and finding your own books to share are central goals in our 7th grade English classroom.  And I spend every waking moment at times it seems trying to find ways for students to find that special book that will make them feel like they are a reader.  I spend hours planning, prepping, buying books, and yes, reading them to make sure that I am the best teacher possible for all of my many students.  Yet, sometimes we do not need a lot of time, nor a lot of work to inspire a love of reading.  So behold, these are my 6 simplest ideas for getting students to fall (a little bit more) in love with reading.

Public Display of Book Affection

I believe in public displays of book affection every single day and on every surface allowable.  When students enter into our team area (Go sharks!), they are greeted this year with our giant poster wondering how many picture books we can read in a year (Thanks Jillian Heise for the idea).  They can also see what I am reading, as well as what my team is reading.  In our room, there are books everywhere.  Many are faced out and the displays change depending on our mood.  Books are everywhere.  Book love is everywhere.  I take great pride and care in showing that books are central to our world.  There is no willy-nilly displays allowed.

The 1 Minute Book Talk

I will start most classes with a 1 minute book talk highlighting the book I just finished, a book I cannot wait to read, or a book that I purchased for the classroom.  As the year progresses I hope to hand this over to students.  But think about it?  180 days equals 180 books talks.  That’s a lot of exposure.  since I have 5 English classes, there will be 5 different book talks every day.  Once done, they go on the whiteboard ledge for anyone to grab.

The Repeated Question

I always ask students, current and former, what they are reading.  Even when we are not in class.  That constant focus on literacy coupled with the innate expectation that they are reading means that students start to think of their answer before they see me.  And those that don’t read?  Well, this question opens up to a discussion of why not and I can usually sneak them a book recommendation or two as we talk.

The Pushy Book Handler

I am always handing books to students (and colleagues too).  Books do not get read by sitting on your shelf.  Books do not get discovered by being in a bin.  They get discovered and read by someone picking them up, flipping through them, and perhaps reading a few words.  So we have to physically hand books to students if we want them to get excited.  We do monthly (or sometimes weekly) book shopping in our classroom where piles of great books await the students.  With their “To Be Read” list in hand, they take five minutes to browse the piles and find new books to read.

The Getting Out of the Way Trick

Easy access and check out to books is a must.  Donalyn Miller and Teri Lesesne told us at ILA that if books are across the hallway they are too far away.  We need classroom libraries  in every room, not just the English classroom.  We needs books at the fingertips of our students so that at any moment they can be inspired to reach out and find a new text.  Books are not a distraction, they are a necessity in our classrooms and should be treated as such.  This is also why I don’t have a check out system really.  To see more about how I organize my classroom library, see this post.

The Guest Book Shopper

If you have that one child that will not read.  If you have that one child that keeps reading that one book and not because they love it so much.  If you have that one kid that never likes anything you have to offer, this is a great way to spark an interest in them.  Simply hand them a book catalog.  Get them on Amazon.  Take them to a book store if you can and ask them to select a few books.  Before the books arrive get them excited about their impending arrival.  And then when they get make it a priority to get them to the student that day.  It is a matter of urgency now that the books are here, so they should find their home right away.

Those are my top 6 ideas.  Very simple indeed and take very little time.  What are yours?

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the   Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of  EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book  “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.    Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners”  is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Filed under: aha moment, being a, being me, books, Literacy, MIEExpert15, Passion, Reading

3 Must-Do’s If Your School Purchases Curriculum

There seems to have always been pre-packaged programs available for districts to purchase.  Whether they came as a kit, a textbook, or just a set of ideas they have been a part of education for so many years and will continue to be as long as there are districts searching for the right answer, searching for guidance.  And there isn’t anything wrong with that.  I am not an opponent to the purchased curriculum, I am not an opponent of buying resources for teachers.  However, I am an opponent of buying a program, no matter how great it is, and then telling everyone to follow every single thing in it.

You see, we don’t teach the children that these researchers taught.  Our students will never share the same experience, nor the same background.  And that is important because if a program does not allow us to adapt it to our students, then it will not be as powerful as we need it to be.  If we are chained to a curriculum map based on other people’s students, then we are not teaching the students in front of us.

So by all means; go ahead and purchase the curriculum out there.  There are great ones out there that have a solid foundation,  but if you do, please make sure you do the following three things as well:

Create an open dialogue.   Teachers need to know that they can question the program and that they have a voice.   There should be no sacred cow in our district.  Make sure that this is not a top-down decision and that you constantly assess whether this program is what you need.  Just because you spent money on something does not mean it is right for everyone.
Allow teachers to modify, adapt, and change as needed.  That doesn’t mean compromising the program, but instead it means trusting teachers as the professionals they are to create an even better experience for their students.  One that allows them to teach the very kids they are supposed to teach.  That does not mean teachers are being subversive, it simply means that they are responding to gaps that they see and they are doing something about.  No program will ever be the perfect fit for all of our kids, all of our teachers, and all of our schools.  They are vast road maps, not step-by-step directions.
Ask the students.  If students are losing their love of reading, writing, science, math or whatever program it is they are in, then we have a serious problem.  It does not matter that the program may be the best for creating deep comprehension if students hate doing it.  If a curriculum program is creating robots in our classroom then we should be worried.  And we should take action and we do that best by asking the students what is going on.  Then we listen and then we change.

So if you find yourself in the situation where you can tell that something is not working for your students, speak up.  Do it kindly, but do speak up, because administration cannot engage in a conversation that they do not know is needed.  Ask your students, involve parents, and collect your evidence.  Start a conversation before a program becomes an educational barrier to success.  Don’t stay silent if you see something harming students, the change starts with us and our courage.

PS:  And if you are using money to purchase curriculum but not using money to buy books, then the priorities need to change.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the   Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of  EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book  “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.    Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners”  is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Filed under: advice, being a teacher, courage, curriculum, MIEExpert15

What About the “P” In Your B.Y.O.D.?

The final quarter of last year, our classroom was a limited B.Y.O.D. zone, meaning yes, bring your own device but check it at the door unless we had a purpose for it.  I instituted this because I felt we were getting distracted, myself included, we were having a hard time resisting the instant temptations that our smartphones seem to provide for us.  So we left them out of the room and the students were just fine with it.  I was too.  In fact, there  were times where I knew that our conversations, our reflections, our thinking traveled to deeper levels because we did not have a device nearby to distract.

Yet, I felt like I had taking the easy way out.  That declaring our room a device free zone was limiting the students.  So I have been thinking a lot about meaningful purpose lately, because much like I would not take a pencil away from my students unless I had to, I don’t think we should be taking devices either.  What we need instead is purpose, and purpose starts with us.  Especially in our literacy classroom where we have such an opportunity to use the devices to further a love of reading.

The beauty of students with devices is not just the instant access to information, but the ability to give them a voice even if we are not discussing.  To give them a further purpose than just the immediate one in the classroom.  To create a digital platform for them to share their voices with the world.  Therefore, this coming year, we will not be device-free but rather device-purposeful.  Together we will be deciding how to use, when to use, and what to do with our devices.  There will be clear student-set expectations and they will be a natural part of our classroom, not something to always leave at the door.

A few ideas so far for the purpose part are:  (For students with  no devices we will have access to Chromebooks to do some of these things. )

An ongoing TodaysMeet backchannel.  This idea, shared by Ira Socol at ISTE, means that I am creating a TodaysMeet room for each class and having that as a place for students to discuss, ask questions, and also to take the pulse of my classroom.  Because, of course, students will probably veer off the prompted conversation, but will they do it all of the time?  This will allow my shyer students a way to speak up, allow students to help each other, and also a way to leave me questions that perhaps they don’t feel they need the answer to right away.  This backchannel will also allow me a way to assess to see engagement, interest, and confusion.  All useful tools as I prepare and plan.

A Goodreads community.  I plan on using Goodreads with my students this year as a way to log their books, share recommendations, and explore new books.  It is the same tool I use for myself and so adding it will be a natural extension of what adult readers use.  For those who teach younger students, you could use Biblionasium to do this as well.

A Padlet Wonder wall.  I really want us to start being more curious and wondering more, so having a Padlet with things we wonder about will be another tool for the students to access.  I plan on sharing a daily wonder as well, and may use Wonderopolis if we have time.

A Padlet book share wall.  This idea shared by the inspiring Kristin Ziemke at ILA is having a place for students to post “Book shelfies” plus a recommendation of the book.  I loved Kristin’s idea especially of opening this up to the world and having students around the world sharing their books as well.

Those are just a few ideas, but I am sure more will come soon.  I cannot wait to discuss these ideas with my students and see what else they have to offer.  What ideas would you add?

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the   Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of  EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book  “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.    Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners”  is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Filed under: assessment, attention, authentic learning, being a teacher, Literacy, MIEExpert15, student choice, student voice, technology

The Five Truths of Reading

I have been immersed in the world of literacy for the past three days at ILA.  I have come up to breathe only at night, and my thoughts have not fully found their resting place just yet.  For every session I attend, every connection I make, every person that shares their story, the purpose only seems to grows.  To change the way we teach reading in our schools.  To protect the love of reading.  Because right we are implicit in the killing of the love of reading in our schools and classrooms.  We are implicit in raising a generation that sees less and less value in books.  We are implicit in teaching students that there are those who are readers and those who are not.  But it is not too late to change this.

There are truths that we have to embrace, live by, and preach as we continue on our mission.  These truths are not my own but ones that bear repeating.

We must protect and promote choice.  There is no faster way to kill the love of reading than to tell a child what they have to read.  And this does not just count for elementary but in middle school, high school, and even college.  Where is the choice that allows readers to find out who they are?  Where is the time to discover their reading identity?

We must withhold our book judgment.  Our glances, our purchases, our book conversations all shape the identities that our readers are creating.  When we offer a negative opinion, when we purposefully do not purchase book, when we tsk tsk at a certain book a child is reading, we are telling them that their reading identity is not correct.

We must be readers ourselves.  You must know your books and your students so that you can successfully pair them.  Children look for adult role models and they needs us as they grow as readers.  So share your reading life, hand over book upon book to students.  Tell them you thought of them as you read it and then tell them why.  Sometimes the biggest sales pitch for a book is not its fancy cover, but the relationship between us and the student.

We must be reading to read.  Not for rewards, not for points, not for accomplishment, or even to move through levels.  We must read to become better human beings.  We must read so that we can shape the world around us.

We must label books, not readers.  A child should not call themselves by their level, nor by a title manufactured in school conversations.  We do not have struggling readers in our classrooms, they are developing.  We do not have slow readers, but meticulous ones.  We do not have children who read at a level, but books that are at that level.  The very language that we use to frame our reading conversation has to change so that it does not become the choke hold on our students’ reading lives.

There are many more truths for us to hold fast to but these are central ones.  We must find the courage to forge ahead knowing that it comes down to us to protect the love of reading we see in our students.  It comes down to us to be brave.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the   Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of  EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book  “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.    Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners”  is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Filed under: being a teacher, Literacy, Passion, Reading

If You Don’t Love the Kids

I did not love school as a child.  I went.  Did my work.  Spent time with my friends.  Followed the directions and did my homework, mostly.  I did not hate school as a child.  It simply didn’t have enough significance for me to garner much of my emotion.  School was something you did, not something you loved.

Yet, as a teacher, I love school.  I love the feeling of coming into my classroom in the early morning hush waiting for the students to fill it.  I love the deserted hallways after the last bell has rung and the remnants of forgotten pencils remind us that the kids were just here.  I love the ideas.  I love the creativity.  The freshly sharpened pencils, the unused pens, the brand new books that are crying out to be read.   The camaraderie that exists in my school, the stories that are shared, the laughing, the tears, and even the frustration when we just can’t seem to get that one thing right.  I love the passion that goes into creation a community.  But most of all, I love the kids.

I love the kids and their faith in us that this year will be incredible.  I love the kids and how raw they can be, daring us to believe in them when they have stopped believing in themselves.  I love the kids and their uncovered stories, their attempts at fitting in, and the way they secretly look for guidance even when they try to push us away.

I love the kids because if I didn’t I shouldn’t be teaching.

I love the kids because my job as a teacher is not to love the learning, the teaching, or the content.  It is to passionately believe that the kids I get to be with have something amazing to give to the world.  All of them.  And so as we prepare ourselves for a new year here in the United States, I hope that we all keep in mind that we are here for the kids.  That school is about the kids.  Not us.  That we became teachers not to kill the love of learning, but to protect it. So if you don’t love the kids, please take a moment to think about what you should be doing.  Take a moment to reconsider.  Teaching isn’t about us, it is about them.  And we start from a place of love.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the   Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of  EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book  “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.    Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners”  is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Filed under: being a teacher, being me, Student

To the Girl Who Wrote Last Night

Dear you,

This morning I woke up in St. Louis, ready and excited to present at yet another conference, wondering if I would ever get over my nerves.  I quick jumped on my email and couldn’t believe what you had sent me.  That long of an email.  SO many words.  I quick skimmed it to make sure you were okay and then sat down and couldn’t believe what you wrote.

As teachers, and particularly of 7th graders, we don’t know whether what we do matters.  Whether what we try with you actually makes a difference.   Half the time I felt crazy last year trying to make you and everyone else feel like you were part of a community and that I cared about you.  Half the time I felt the eye rolls follow me home, sure that I was not good enough to be your teacher.  So thank you.  Thank you for not giving up on me as a teacher.  Thank you for letting me in to your world, for trusting me, for thinking that I had worth because there were days that I felt like I was the worst teacher in the world.

I am so proud of you and who you are.  You have so much to offer to the world, so much creativity to unleash, and I am so thankful that I get to be a tiny part of your life’s journey.  I, too, miss school, which is weird, but mostly I miss you students.  I miss our every day.  Our inside jokes.  Our routine, our stories, our moments that took my breath way.  I can’t believe that I have to start all over with new kids, start from the bottom again,  and only see you guys in the hallway.  Yet, that’s what we do as teachers, we put our hearts out there so that you kids have a chance at knowing that you matter, that someone cares about you, even when you don’t seem to care about yourself.  So thank you for giving me your words and letting me in.  For sending that letter last night.  I have been telling the world about my amazing 7th graders, and you were one of them.  I have hared your words hoping that others will see the truths that bestowed me with.  Hoping that together we can change our schools.  I am so incredibly grateful that I got to be your teacher.  You will never know how much that title means to me, even after you leave OMS and move into the world.

Love,
Mrs. Ripp

Filed under: being a teacher, being me

Dear Administrators, Yes, Please, Let’s Talk About Evaluations…

This post is part of a series that the amazing John Bernia and I started last week  in order to try to bridge the seemingly great divide there can be between teachers and administration.  Please head over to John’s blog to see his counter post.  

Dear Mr. Bernia,

So you want to talk about evaluations?  Don’t you know that this happens to be one of my most favorite things to discuss?  No seriously.  It didn’t used to be that way, not at all in fact, but since switching jobs, I happen to love being evaluated.  There is one big reason for that love; I trust my principal inherently.  I also admire her a great deal.  She is knowledgable, she is honest, and most importantly, she is human.  When she is in my room, I don’t feel judged, I feel supported.  When she meets with me, I feel like she shares the same purpose I do; doing what is best for kids, and so everything she says I reflect on and try to work through to become better.  I wish every teacher had a principal like Shannon Anderson.

But the truth is, some don’t.  In fact, I had never had a principal actually give me several things  to work on before I met Mrs. Anderson.  And not because I was a perfect teacher by any means but because in previous evaluations they always caught my class and me on a great day; the show day, where the kids were prepped, I had planned for hours, and everything just worked.   One of those days where everything was so smooth it felt like it was rehearsed, and it almost was.  That’s what tends to happen when observations are scheduled and never a random visit.   When principals are too busy with administrative things to just come by your room.  But with new educator effectiveness, the increase in needed observations (which I do genuinely feel bad about for all administrators), we are no longer just being observed on those special days.  Evaluations and observations happen all of the time, and I love it.

So to answer your question; no, evaluations are not just another thing.  They shouldn’t be at least.  They should be a chance for you to grow, to reflect, and to question why you are doing what you are doing.  Evaluations should be formal and informal and happen as often as possible.  I always have an open door policy to our classroom; I am not afraid of what people will see even if it is not a perfect lesson.  And that’s it, isn’t it?  When we trust our administrators.  When we believe that they genuinely care for us, the kids, and the art of teaching, then we lose our fear of the evaluation.  When I believe that you, the administrator, has something valuable to add that will help me grow, then I welcome you in.   When I believe that you are knowledgable, connected to others, and also a constant learner, then I am ready to listen.

So please come by any time.  See the amazing things the students are doing and tell me how to become better.  I am not perfect, nor will I ever be, so I need help growing.  I need questions to reflect on so I can continue to push myself.  I need someone who is invested in the art of teaching that may not have the answer to every question but can point me in the right direction.  I know it is a lot to ask, but you are right; together we are better if both of us are willing to grow.

Best,

Pernille

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the   Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of  EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book  “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.    Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners”  is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Filed under: believe, principals

A Story Shared #SemiColonEDU

Note from Pernille:  Once in awhile I lend this blog to others whose story needs to be heard.  This on one of those moments.  SOothis post is not written by me, but instead by someone who wishes to remain anonymous.  To learn more about the movement behind #SemiColonEdu see Nick’s post here.

I want to post this to my own blog in the worst way, but I can’t.  It wouldn’t be fair.  Its not my battle to share.  You see, I have not been diagnosed with depression, but my husband has.

While his battle with depression is not mine to share, my story of living with him is.  Depression does not only impact those living with the diagnosis; it impacts the lives of everyone close to him/her.  Living with a spouse who deals with depression everyday is difficult, and loving him/her seems impossible at times.  Depression manifests itself differently in people, and for me, my husband is quick to anger, but unfortunately, it seems like myself and our children are the only ones who get this version of him.  You see, he’s the funny guy to everyone else.   But I want to tell you about the day I pushed for help…and got it.

While my husband has suffered from depression for many years, it was a tragedy in his life that gave me the courage to gently nudge him to seek help.  I thought it was gently; he likely disagrees.  My husband experienced an extreme tragedy.  He and his brother were the first firemen on the scene of a motorcycle accident that claimed the life of his “second set of parents.”  It was horrible, and the sadness still looms.  Shortly after the accident, his anger spiked.  He lashed out at me horribly.  He accused me of cheating on him repeatedly which clearly did not happen.  He fabricated it in his mind, but his imagination was wildly vivid…and hurtful.  He barked at the kids loudly and repeatedly for actions typical of kids, like leaving the light on in their bedroom.  If he was not angry and yelling, he was angry and silent which was worse.  While I knew he was struggling because of the tragedy, it was so hard not to internalize his pointed anger.  My kids and I treaded lightly in fear of setting him off.  He would never physically hurt us, but his words packed a power punch to the gut.

About six weeks after the tragedy, he had gone on a hunting trip with a good friend.  He had been texting me from his tree stand; it was a combination of I love you and I hate you.  I stopped texting because I was scared.  Through these mixed signals, I realized his thinking was not rational.  His mind was working outside the realm of reality.  He realized I was ignoring him which fueled his anger, but I could not subject myself to his criticism and mind games anymore.  His thoughts were so extreme.  Honestly, he was delusional.

Prior to his return home, I called his brother and said, “I’m very worried about [your brother], and I’m going to ask him if he has considered suicide.  He is going to be angry with me, and I need you to know that I’m asking him because I love him.  I also need you to know I’m not walking out on him.”

Later that day, I did just as I said I would do.  I asked him.  I used the word. SUICIDE.  I cried. So did he.  Then he got mad.  He assured me he would never do that, but to this day, I’m not convinced it was not a thought in his brain.  He slept downstairs that night.  The next morning he woke me up to say this, “I haven’t slept at all.  I cannot believe my wife is trying to convince me to off myself!”  Yep.  He said that.  I’ll never forget it.

He called me later to tell me he had called the doctor, and there was relief in his voice when he said, he could not get an appointment for five weeks.  FIVE WEEKS!  The tears poured as I hung up the phone.  Once I collected my thoughts, I called the clinic and demanded to speak to our nurse.  Apparently, my voice sounded desperate because they put me through immediately.  Five minutes later, I had an appointment.  Ten minutes later, my husband agreed to go.

The diagnosis started out as situational depression which he could deal with because of the trauma he endured.  It has been almost two years, and while I have accepted his mental health diagnosis and the longevity of it, he has not.  He doesn’t want to be a “pill popper” for the rest of his life.  He doesn’t want to have to take Viagra to counteract the side effects.  He doesn’t want to say, “I struggle with depression.”

The rest of the story is being written.  Day by day. Month by month. Year by year. I pushed back that day because I love him.  I love him everyday; even the days and months he refuses to take his meds.  I’ll never know just how close I was to losing him, but I’ll always know he loved me enough to let me help him, and for that, I am grateful.

Filed under: aha, being a teacher

Where Are All of the Female Leaders?

One of the most asked questions I get wherever I go is; how do you do it all?  And by all they mean be a mother, wife, teacher, author, and speaker and still seem somewhat normal.  Not dazed, not frazzled, not crazy.  I wish I had an amazing answer or  a magical formula that would somehow give me more hours in the day and peace of mind to the person asking.  But I always answer honestly; I don’t.  There’s a balance and sometimes that balance shifts one way or another, but I never lose track of what is most important.  Yet, the many times I have been asked that question, I cannot help but wonder; how many times has that same question been asked to my male counterparts?  To those male educators that seem to have a million things going on as well.  Do they get asked how they do it all, or is it just a female question?

I ask, because this post does not have inspiration or answers, but it does have a lot of questions that I am hoping you will discuss with me.  Because I have started to notice that there seems to be a double standard when it comes to female educators in leadership.  That females who lead in some capacity are always assumed to be sacrificing something for that leadership, whether it be time with their husband,  time with their kids, or time from their job.  And that supposed  sacrifice means that we should feel guilty (which trust me I do) and at some point we need to apologize for the fact that we sacrificed something in the first place.  That we are not supposed to sacrifice time with our children to further our own learning.  That we are supposed to become leaders only after our children go to college, not whenever we want to.  (Just to make clear, I have no issue with women who choose to wait until later in life, I do take issue with being told I should wait).  Not while they live at home.  That we tend to say no to opportunities presented to us because we feel bad, and boy, are we good at feeling bad.

So I wonder if this is just a female thing?  Do males get asked how they do it all?  Are they supposed to feel guilty when they leave their families behind to pursue a leadership opportunity?  Or am I biased because I am obviously a female myself.

It is not just because I wonder about the whole notion of feeling guilty when we are away.  More importantly though, I wonder if this guilt is stopping us from speaking up, from going to conferences, from taking leadership positions that we know will swallow more of our time?  Are we creating a barricade to strong female leadership ourselves?  Because it seems like everywhere I go, males are dominating a lot of the leadership roles still.   And it can’t just be me,  I cannot be the only one noticing this.  So I wonder;  where are all of the female educational leaders?

Because I am surrounded by them in my daily life.  I am surrounded by them at my school, in my district, in my network of people.  And yet, the minute we are asked to point out leaders, how many times do our fingers point to males?  How many times when we see a new initiative being pushed out is there few females involved?  How many pictures of leadership meetings feature mostly males?  And what are we doing about it?

So what happens to those women who want to be more than “just” a teacher?  “Just” a principal?  Are there enough opportunities out there for them?  Are we holding ourselves back or is it a societal thing where conference committees, editors, and other people with opportunities tend to gravitate toward males rather than females because there is an assumption that women don’t want these opportunities?  Why in a profession that is mostly female are most leaders still male?  Did we do it to ourselves?  Or am I completely wrong here?

PS:  Kaye and Leah, this one’s for you.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the  Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of  EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book  “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.    Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners”  is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Filed under: being me, Passion, questions

Try To Be You

I have been surrounded by greatness for a while now it seems.  It has been awe-inspiring to hear the stories of what amazing educators are doing in their schools as I go to conferences.  It has been profound to see the supposed ease with which some of my colleagues at Oregon Middle School navigate their days.  I am not there yet, I don’t know if I will ever be.

So this past year has been one of inspiration, but it has also been one of frustration.  I have left many conversations wondering why I am not doing that, why I didn’t think of that.  Read a book and wondered how I can become that teacher.  Heard a speaker and wondered what I need to change to be them.   And yet, tonight I realized that I will never be someone else.  That when I try to be someone else that I lose the very essence that makes me me.  That when we try to imitate, even the best ideas, they will never fully be what we hope for them to be but only shadows of the original.

So do be inspired this summer.  Read a book, start a conversation, go to a conference and meet amazing people.  Learn from them.  Create with them.  But don’t try to be them.  You never will be. I never will be.  We can only be ourselves so change accordingly.  Find ideas that will inspire you to be a better teacher but don’t try to be someone else.  It will never work, our students will see right through it.  Instead make a vow to better yourself, trust your own ideas, and know that you, you are amazing too.  You may just not have discovered it yet.

I am a passionate teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA but originally from Denmark,  who has taught 4th, 5th, and 7th grade.  Proud techy geek, and mass consumer of incredible books. Creator of the  Global Read Aloud Project , Co-founder of  EdCamp MadWI , and believer in all children.  The second edition of my first book  “Passionate Learners – How to Engage and Empower Your Students” is available for pre-order now.    Second book “Empowered Schools, Empowered Students – Creating Connected and Invested Learners”  is out now from Corwin Press.  Join our Passionate Learners community on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

Filed under: aha moment, Be the change, being me, learning, lessons learned, teachers