A Hope for the First Day of School

In the movies they often speak about that one day that changes everything.  The moment in which the world stood still or tilted on its side or whatever cosmic thing that can happen, happened.  That day that changed someone forever.  And as much as I love the movies, I don't think our lives can depend on just one day.  I think it can depend on many "one day's," a collection of big days that compounds us and define us, creating the person we want to be.

One of those days is the first day of school.  The real first day, not the ones where parents show up and you wear your finest clothes and you smile and socialize and talk and try to not show how insanely nervous you are.  No, the one after that.  The one where the students show up after the bell rings and try to remember where their desks are, try to remember your name, try to remember what was all said the day before.  That day can change everything.

We worry about the impression we make on parents, did we get our message across?  Did we plant the seed of relationship?  Do they really trust us as professionals?  But do we worry enough about the impression we make on our students?  Has that seed of trust been planted or is it simply taken for granted?

So on that first day of school, that real first day, I want to reach out and connect.  I want to laugh a lot.  I want to excite, I want to work, and I want to bare myself.  I want to invest, to relish, and to trust my students.  I want them to feel they are at home, that our room is safe, and that 5th grade will be just as magical as they hoped it would.  I want to make a day that changes their lives, I want to be part of their collection of "one day's."  I hope it is not asking too much.    

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15 Lessons That Are Taught in Schools, Even if They Are Not on Our Syllabus

image from icanread

I don't get offended easily, after all, being an outspoken feminist liberal means you just have to be a little tough.  And yet, when I came across the post "15 Life Lessons They Don't Teach You in School" my hair stood on end just a little bit.  Besides the obvious referral to "They" which I absolutely can't stand, I couldn't believe what the author thought we didn't cover in school.  SO while the lessons are sound, the assertion that these are not taught in school is simply false, read on for my counter arguments.

1.  Author states:  "Don't sweat the small stuff." 
School is one big exercise in not sweating the small stuff, we teach kids to deal with day-to-day bumps in the road whether deliberately or not.  Your pencils are all missing; here is a new one.  You dropped your milk in your backpack; let's clean it up.  So and so aren't talking to you; let's figure this out together.

2.  Author states:  "Life can be unpredictable and throw you some curves." 
Anyone who has ever taught a day in their life have to laugh a little bit at this statement.  Most of our day is spent dealing with curveballs and so is that of the students.  No matter how much planning we do, how well crafted our intentions are, something usually goes amiss.  Presentation tools don't work (ask my 5th graders about that one), a child flips a chair in anger, or your friend throws up all over your project, oh yes, my kids know how to deal with curves; suck it up and make the best of it.

3.  Author states:  "The most boring word in any language is "I."
I would love to know which school this author went to where students didn't have to interact and work together throughout the day because I don't think it exists in the USA.  School is not about being self-centered but being a team player that creates a community of learners.  Of course, we have to teach self-reliance and self-esteem but even that is done as a team.

4.  Author states:  "People are more important than things."
Need I refer back to how much time we spend building community in our classrooms and schools?  Enough said.

5.  Author states:  "Nobody else can make you happy." 
I know we frequently discuss this in our classroom, how you are responsible for your own school experience and whether it is a good one or not.  By providing opportunities to discuss ownership of state of mind we are exactly teaching this lesson.

6.  Author states:  "Character and integrity count."
I had a child plagiarize not once but twice in a year.  His biggest take away wasn't the punishment aspect of the ordeal but what it made him look like; how it affected his character.  This major teaching point of school is something we deal with on a day-to-day basis by setting ourselves up as role models and pointing out model behavior.

7.  Author states:  Forgive yourself, your friends, and your enemies."
Another major component of lesson taught in school.  As a 5th grade teacher this is a regular conversation after recess incidents and friendship issues.

8.  Author states:  " A good joke can be better than any pill"
My main goal of teaching is to make sure students still love school when I am done with them.  This is accomplished through a lot of laughter and personality.  By building a sincere community founded on happiness and showing students that school is indeed fun we maintain kids that love to learn.

9.  Author states:  "There are no substitutes for exercise, eating well, and fresh air and sunshine."
Which is why we fight to keep PE in our schools and teachers take their kids outside as much as possible.  I teach most days with the lights off to allow the natural light to dominate and any chance we can get to move a lesson outside we take.

10.  Author states:  "Persistence will eventually get you almost anything."  
While I love the sentiment of this statement I don't believe it.  Even if I persisted at doing gymnastics I would never make the olympic team or many other things.  However, I do believe we teach our children to not give up and try again every day.  In fact, many of us celebrate all of the times something did not work and the lesson learned from that.

11.  Author states:  "Television probably ruins more minds than drugs."
What is this, a 1980's PSA?  Of course mindless channel surfing limits intellectual stimulation; how many TV's running incessantly has the author seen in our nation's schools?

12.  Author states:  "It's ok to fail."
Yes!  And this is stated almost daily in our classroom.  Failure is embraced as a natural part of life and celebrated as the opportunity for exploration it is.  I don't believe in a school where failure is not allowed if that failure is viewed as a learning opportunity rather than a detriment.

13.  Author states:  Learn from the mistakes of others."
This is called classroom discussion, an integral part of any good lesson.

14.  Author states:  "Don't be afraid to show and tell others you love them."
Love is one of the key tenets of a classroom; love for your job, love for your students, and love for yourself.  Without love in a classroom it becomes a factory model of fact churning, not a rich learning environment.  You must invest yourself for the students to invest themselves.  You want love?  Come to an elementary school on the last day of school and see the tears, the hugs, the smiles.

15.  Author states:  "Live so that there is only standing room at your funeral."  
Be the best friend you can be, be the best you you can be.  You matter indeed.  All words uttered in may classrooms around the nation.  Lifelong relationships start before we enter school and only progress from there.  Of course, school is one of the key places you meet all of those people that one day may be at your funeral, why wouldn't it be?

So there you have it, nice sentimental sentiments that would be a cute article if it wasn't for the assumption that none of this is taught in schools.  Who said being a teacher was only about the curriculum?  And if you don't believe me, drop on in to room 111 any day, I will prove it you and so will my students.

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So You Got the Teaching Job - Now What?

Me in front of my very first welcome wall

As summer continues to lull us into long days filled with ice cream, books for fun, and nights spent on a porch, I can't help but think back to the first summer as a teacher.  That summer when I had made it through those grueling interviews, where I had finally landed my dream job and I now stood facing an empty classroom, slightly panicked, but oh so very excited.  I remember the joy.  I remember the delight.  And boy, do I remember thinking, "Now what?"

Don't get me wrong, I had read Harry Wong's book, I had substituted, I had even taught summer school, and yet, it just wasn't enough.  I had no idea where to go from there, so to all those new teachers, with all those new jobs, I offer you my advice.

• Reach out!  Remember that interview team you sat across trying to connect with, well, now is the time to make the actual connection.  So email them, find them on Twitter, Google them, but do something and reach out.  Set up a time to meet whether formally or informally.  Don't wait until the first day of school there will be so many others to connect with then.
• Ask questions.  When you reach out, ask questions about curriculum, ask questions about school quirks.  Truly there is no such thing as a dumb question in this matter.  I still remember my long list and just how gracious my team members were to me.
• Ask for resources.  Don't re-invent the wheel with every single piece of paper.  I created so much on my own that first summer until I found out how much of this stuff my team already had made that was much better than my stuff.  Bring your ideas to the table but also ask to use some of theirs.  There will plenty of stuff to do on your own.
• Do your homework.  However, do figure out what you can on your own too.  Things like math curriculum and other major district decisions can probably be discovered through a quick website search.  That way you can get to those things that are a little more complicated then that.
• Start dreaming about your room.  Your room is really important, it signals to the world what type of teacher you are and what your educational philosophy is.  Where do the desks face?  Do you have a desk yourself?  Are there posters or will you have students take over the walls?  All of these seemingly innocent room questions are actually pretty major things to consider.
• Take classes.  Again, this may be something a teammate tells you, but see if there are classes you need to take.  This year my district is implementing the writing workshop and we are all encouraged to take a 2 day class on it, my new team mate knows this because I told him.
• Reflect.  Now that you have the job; what is your primary goal for your first year (and please don't say survive - teaching shouldn't be about survival but about thriving)?  What do you hope to pass on to all of those kids, your teammates, your school and yourself?  Where do you want to see yourself next year?
• Stop with the prep work.  I made so many copies and spent so much time laminating my first year, why?  I am not sure.  It seemed like a full-time job some times but I was so sure that everything needed to be protected and copied, crazy really.  So figure out what is important to you, take stock of what you will be doing in your prep time, and ask yourself this; "Does it really need to be laminated?"
• Enjoy!  There is no time like the one you are in, all fresh and ready for those first students.  So get yourself psyched up, because it is truly a memorable experience.  Allow yourself to trust yourself.  Allow yourself to feel like you have something valuable to add.  And finally, allow yourself to be just a little bit freaked out.  You cannot prepare for everything but you got the job because you are capable, so trust that.

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The Secrets of Your Classroom - What Your Set Up Says About You

image from icanread

I finally made it into school today and saw to my amazement that all of my furniture had been moved back in, the floors were waxed, and now all of those boxes were ready to be unpacked.   I couldn't help but be excited, and then I realized that I am hugely pregnant, and didn't even know if I could stand up for the time it would take me to set it up.  So what is a girl to do?  Try anyway.  As I unpacked, arranged, and dreamt a little of the new year, I realized once again how much the way we set up our classroom reflects our educational philosophy.  How much those seemingly innocent decisions of table placement, wall decorations and so on really reveal to the world.  So these are the questions I asked myself

• To desk or not to desk?  I was offered the granddaddy of desks this year; huge, sleek, brand new and I turned it down gladly.  last year I decided to go deskless and I have never looked back.  Instead I have a table for my computer and planner, one where I can meet with kids but it is tucked into the corner, somewhere where I don't get drawn behind, isolating myself from the kids.
• Tables or desks?  I used to have small desks that we would scoot together to create pods, now I am fortunate enough to just have big tables for the kids to use.  They move their chairs as they see fit to work with the lesson and I don't ask questions when they do.  They just pick up their pencil can and go.
• What's on your walls?  I used to have all of those awesome posters with the animals saying cute motivational things plastered all over my walls.  That way wherever you looked you would be motivated to hang in there, work hard, and make great decisions.  I took them down two years ago and now have three posters hanging; a world map to push pin our connections, a top ten of my room created by former students, and a calendar.  Everything else we add as we go.  
• Are you in the room?  Those kids become part of my family so I have framed pictures in my room of newspaper articles from former years, all of the kids I have ever taught, two fantastic student art pieces that still choke me up and two quotes from the Little Prince.  These mean more to me than motivational poster ever will and show the kids who I am, that is so important.
• Which way do your desks face?  My former students told me they didn't want to face the Smartboard but rather the whiteboard because we used that much more.  So this year that is exactly how they face.  However, once again, the students can move about as they like so in all honesty I am not too bothered how they face.  I don't need to be the center of attention so the desks don't need to face me so I can lecture.
• Other areas?  Are there places for the students to work that doesn't include their desks?  I used to have cushy bean bags and comfy chairs but lost them all to fire code.  Now we have carpet squares, random chairs from my house, a big reading carpet, two stand up desks and lap desks that the students can use whenever they want.  I don't ask questions, if they need them, they use them.
• Sign in and out.  Some teachers ask students to sign out when they go to the bathroom etc.  I don't, instead they put the pass on their desk so in case of a fire drill I know where they are.
• Can they get what they need?  I used to hide all of my extra supplies and would get really upset if students dared ask for a pencil.  Now, I have bins of stuff they may need which they can grab and they know to just ask if they need something that isn't out.  My goodness, who hasn't ever needed an eraser?
• Where are those rules?  Anyone who walks in will notice there is no class constitution, no rules, no what happens when... posters in our room.  Expectations are discussed by the students and changed as needed.  With only 20% of the walls up for use due to fire code I am not wasting that space on rules.
• Where's the tech?  I am fortunate to have a 4-in-1 computer set up for students, but we also have some flip video cameras, headphones, microphones, and camera for them to use.  Do you hide it or can students just use it?  What is your level of trust with technology and putting it in the hands of students?

By no means a final list but things that flashed through my head today as I unpacked.  What did I miss?

How Do You Assess Without Grades? 5 Tips to Ease the Transition

Two great questions came my way yesterday in regard to assessing without grades and then communicating that information.  We are so used to the ease of a letter grade that gets recorded in a book, averaged out and then translated into a letter, that moving away from that can be daunting and just a bit overwhelming.  So two years into my process I thought I would share some tips I learned the hard way.

1. Discover your goal.
 Whether they are based on district standards, common core, school outcomes, or even those listed in the curriculum, figure out what the goal is for each thing you teach.  These can be large or small (don't do too many small ones though, trust me) and then figure out what the outcome should be.  Everything you do should have a learning goal because without that there is no point to the lesson.
2. Determine the product.  What does it look like when students have accomplished the goal?  What is finished?  What is just another stepping stone?  How will students show that they have mastered the goal?  I love to have this discussion with my students, they have amazing ideas for this.
3. Determine assessment.  Will it be written feedback?  Will it be a rubric?  Will it be a conversation - great tip; record these with a Livescribe pen and you have it for later!  Once again, ask the students, what type of assessment will help them?  How do they learn best?
4. Keep a record.  This has been my biggest hurdle.  I have had charts, Google Docs, grade book notes, relied on my faulty brain, and yikes.  This year I am bringing my iPad in and using Evernote to keep track of it all.  Students will each have a portfolio in Evernote with conversations, pictures of work, links to blog posts, as well as videotaped events.  This way, everything will be at my fingertips when needed.  
5. Communicate!  Assessment is not helpful if kept to yourself so have the conversations with students, take the time, write things down, communicate with parents.  All of these things need to be taken care of for this to work.  The allure of letter grades is just that; the ease of communication, nevermind that they can mean a million different things.  So when you step away from those make sure you replace that with communication.  Give students ownership of their goals and have them write a status report home, send an email, make a phone call.  Something.  Everybody should know where they are at and where they are headed throughout the year.

My 5 biggest tips for today and something I continue to work on.  Whatever your system is, take the time to reflect upon it, refine it, and make it work for you.  Ultimately stepping away from letter grades should lead to a deeper form of assessment, not a larger headache, but for that you have to have systems in place.

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I Need to Let Go, But Not of Everything

With the babies arriving any day now according to the doctor I have been mentally preparing to let go of my classroom, at least for the first two months of school.  This task is proving much harder than I ever envisioned.  Don't get me wrong, trying to mentally prepare for twins is strenuous, but letting go of how I set up my room and community, yikes.

Those first two months are vital, ask any teacher and they will tell you just how much they matter, and yet I have to forget about that.  I have to trust my sub, who by the way is brilliant, but still...how will they know how fantastic 5th grade will be?  How will they know what my expectations are?  How will they know the kind of classroom I envision?  I swallow my fears and focus on the positive; the babies, the new life awaiting all of us and I realize I have had to let go.  I have had to let go of how the curriculum is taught, how their day to day lives will be, how the sub will treat them and build community with them.  I have to let go.

Yet, there are three things I cannot let go of, 3 things that I refuse to lose control over, as I reiterate to my sub just how important these are.

1. Limited homework.
2. No rewards/no punishment.
3. No grades.

Is there more, well of course, but these 3 things are deal breakers, pillars of my philosophy, the things that cannot be sacrificed whoever is teaching.  And I need the students and parents to know that from day one, not day 40 as I venture into the room.  I need the parents to feel comfortable with the why behind these decisions and I need the students to know what is expected of them.  I need them to know that they set the rules, that we work together, not that learning will be forced with a carrot and stick method.  I need them them to know that work will be at school and they should see very little outside work if they spend their time wisely.  I need to get them ready to set goals, think about their learning and take control of it.  So those 3 things, those I am not letting go of.

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We Cannot All Be the Best

Be the example!  Set the bar high so others will rise to it!  We want to be a beacon school!  How often do we hear all of these statements in education.  Be the best teacher you can be...Be the one others want to emulate...Be the best school...the best team...the best everything.  And yet, we cannot all be the best. The whole notion of the term "best" automatically excludes most of us.

So instead of striving to be THE best, how about we strive to be better?  To change things?  To inspire others?  To motivate? To set grand examples while still learning from others?  The truth is if we were all beacon schools no one would be able to see us from the glare.  So shine bright yes, but that doesn't mean you have to shine the brightest because then all you do is blind others.  

It Is Those Little Things

image from icanread

I wake up and spot it right away; my phone plugged in charging next to the bed.  Not a big thing, just one of those little things.  I get downstairs, which takes a while this pregnant, and again; a cup of tea sitting there.  My husband may have left for the day but the reminders of his presence stays.  It's those little things that make me smile.  Those things that take maybe 30 seconds or a few minutes but that carry me through the day; I am loved.

At school, I fill the copier with paper.  I sort the recycled paper and bring scraps back for the kids.  I clean the sink, turn off the lights, change a dried out printer cartridge.  None of it is in my job description but it is those little things that make others have an easier day.  I greet everyone I meet with a smile, I stand and listen while looking someone in the eye.  I email out a website that another grade may be able to use.  Those little things that help, those little things that show others concern.  I don't make it a priority, I have enough of those, but I make it a part of my day, i take the time, invest it and move on.

Imagine if we all did little things every day.  If instead of hurrying through the day, concerned only about the happenings within our walls, within our brain, we took those seconds and did a little thing?  Imagine the example it would set for the kids, for each other, imagine what school would feel like?  

Have You Found Your Soul? My Advice to a New Teacher

image from icanread

The new year may be coming or it may be far away from you, but I sit here and ponder, what would I tell someone starting school?  What "wisdom" would I share with a brand new teacher or a teacher that has been around for a long time, not quite sure that they are ready to go back?  I think i would ask them this; have you found your soul of teaching?  Your essence?

I'm not talking mantras, although Angela Maiers' "You Matter" hangs proudly above my door.  I am not speaking of teaching style or tips, classroom management ideas, or even your teaching philosophy.  I am talking the inner core, the you that you bring into the classroom.  Have you found it?  Have you listened to it?  And what does it look like?  Yes, we can get caught up in seating charts, grand ideas, and new programs to be implemented, but all those fall away if you don't have you in the classroom.   If you're not ready to bare yourself, invest yourself, and give those kids all of you.

What does it mean to be you in a classroom?  To truly put yourself out there, invest fully, wholeheartedly, some would even say foolishly.  What will you give to the students, because teaching is about giving and not just knowledge, but giving the essence of you?  Kids spot phonies from miles away, they see those that are there for the paycheck, those that bring in the baggage, those that cannot wait to leave once the day is done.  And they react, swiftly, without mercy, and we stand there wondering what went wrong?

So I hope you find your essence before the new year arrives, or if it is in the middle of the year for you then I hope you still have it.  I hope you take the time to figure out what you are and who you are and how that will play out with the kids whose lives you touch.  Think of the impact you can have and then use it for good.

Find your soul, find your essence, and then have enough faith in yourself to go in there and share it.

Introducing www.pernilleripp.com

This morning I got up way to early and decided I was sick of my web site address.  Such things happen when you are very pregnant, in full nesting mode, but unable to do anything in your house.  So what happened?  Well, this blog is now housed at www.pernilleripp.com

I feel so grown up.

Now what does that mean for anyone who reads it?  I am pretty sure absolutely nothing.  The old address still works, but hopefully this will streamline things a bit.  Am I now a brand?  Well no, because I have nothing to sell.  But I do have a much shorter blog address and that makes me feel accomplished.

So the ideas will still keep coming, just on a sleeker website name.  And now I am off to tackle something in my house.

Oh, and I couldn't just leave it at that.  The Global Read Aloud also now has a much shorter name:  www.globalreadaloud.com and that is something I am very proud of.

Will School Rob My Daughter of Her Voice?

There she is, my daughter, not caring one bit who hears her or whether they approve of her actions.  She saw a piano, saw an opportunity and knew she had to sing.  I sit there, slightly mortified at first and then slowly relishing this moment.  She doesn't care, she is performing, doing what she loves, making up songs that take their truth from the pictures.  She is just being her...

I worry what will happen to this part of her personality as she grows up.  will she continue to do what feels right at that very moment?  Will she have opportunities to create when she has that urge?  To sing and play and do what makes her her?

Will school allow her to stay herself or will the rules of the classroom tell her to be quiet, to sit down, to do what is prescribed and follow the program.  Will her only chance of individuality be choosing what color pen to write in or the picture on her binder?  Will she be lucky enough to have teachers that will continue to offer her opportunities to explore herself, to continue to build her confidence while teaching her the rules of society?

I do not expect for her to be given a free pass to perform like the kids in Fame, but I hope someone recognizes that this little girl is not afraid to share.  Not afraid to express herself.  Not afraid to raise her voice, and that they will celebrate it rather than roll their eyes and tell her to sit down and listen.  I hope school doesn't take my little girl out of her.  I hope school becomes a place for growth and not for reigning in and quieting down.  I hope she gets an opportunity to create and express herself in some way.

Flipping for the Flipped Classroom Seems To Be the Trend but Not for Me

from icanread

Hey Pernille, we watched a video on the Khan and the flipped classroom model today.  I think you would love it!

Oh, yes I am already familiar with it, why do you think I would love it?

Well, you love technology....

It's true, I love technology for what it does for my students and I.  I love that we can grab cameras and document our learning.  I love that we can blog and start conversations with others.  I love that I send my students out the door with tools that others may not know about in middle school, thus spreading their knowledge and giving them options.  But I don't love the flipped classroom, it's not for me, sorry.

Sure, it is a cool concept.  Videotape your lecture so that it can be accessed anywhere and then use the class time to discuss and investigate and really learn more.  I love the classroom part.  I love the idea of not standing in front of students talking and instead getting to the actual work stage, the exploration, the stage that the kids so desperately want to get to anyway.  But the lecturing is not for me.  Sure, there are times when I have to provide background for my students, in fact, every day that happens, but the idea of taping a lecture and then forcing them to watch it on their own time upsets me.

When I do my background providing, or "teaching" in class, we have discussions.  The students ask questions, clear up misconceptions, and sometimes we end up in a totally different arena then we intended.  I know I need to keep it short, I know I need to keep it relevant so that we can do the work, so that the kids can have time to explore.  I know I could talk a lot longer if I had the opportunity.  Being on live in front of the kids mean I have to be a story teller, I have to be at my best so that they stay with me and stay engaged.  Sure, there are times I wish I had it recorded so that they could watch it again because they didn't get it the first time, but then I realize that they didn't get it because I didn't do a good enough job explaining it.  And having a recording of me explaining it poorly is not going to do them any favors.

Then there is the homework aspect of the flipped classroom.  We expect students to use their time outside of school to watch all of these videos. Can you imagine how much time that would be if every class in a high school setting required this?  My teenage rebel self rolls her eyes.  I would never have been into that as a teen and in college I did my homework on my breaks at work, my breaks between school and work and wherever I could.  I didn't sit in front of a screen, nor did I have access to it.  I worked full-time while going to school full-time and did much of my reading in my car.  Flipping my classes would have meant that was not an option.  Sure, times have changed since I graduated 5 years ago, students have more access to portable computers, yet we are still asking them to take their outside time and do the work in a matter determined by us.  We are still taking their time.

So I leave you with this simple question, why not skip the lecture altogether?  Perhaps we wouldn't need the concept of the flipped classroom if we just stopped talking and got to the point?  Perhaps if we actually honed our craft as story tellers, not as lecturers, students would have the opportunity to get the teaching and the exploration all at once?  I know it sounds crazy but I think it can be done, we just need to stop talking so much.

So You Say You Don't Have the Time - PD for Busy People

image from icanread

One thing I know we all face in this multi-tasking world is the concept of not having enough time.  Even when we save time, there still isn't enough left over for us to feel like we are caught up, like we relaxed, like we actually had time to spare.  We just add more things to our day and then hope that by the end of the day we will feel fulfilled, we will feel in satisfied, we will feel time balanced.

When I speak to people about Twitter and having a PLN, they never get where I find the time.  Besides the fact that I make both of those things a priority, I am always trying to explain that being part of both actually save me time in the long run.  Time I then get to spend somewhere else, while still growing as an educator.

So when someone says they don't have the time to get inspired or that PD is too time consuming, how about trying this...

• Set up a reader with people that inspire you.  I access my reader in the morning when I have my cup of tea.  I read those that I feel like, share others that inspire me, and sometimes even leave a comment.  It all depends on how much time I want to spend.  And sometimes I just mark all as read because I just didn't get to them and that's ok too.
• Take 5 minutes on Twitter.  I don't spend a whole lot of time on Twitter interacting, it is hard for me to focus on it with a 3 year old at home but every day I tune in for at least just 5 minutes and try to reach out to someone, to have a human connection, rather than just share my ideas.  
• Listen to a Ted talk.  I know people think they have to watch all videos, but the truth is I find it much easier to just listen to most of the.  that way, while I am cleaning or playing, I at least can hear some of the great things being said by others much smarter than me.
• Subscribe to the most emailed stories on NPR.  I love this podcast and listen to it in the car.  we run a lot of errands in the summer and the radio drives me nuts after a while.  NPR continues to be my favorite for staying on top of news, but how about subscribing to other podcasts.  NerdyCast is another favorite of mine or even Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me.
• Ask someone a question.  I have learned so much about myself as a teacher or even my teaching style from asking my husband questions abut his experience as a student.  When I was just in the hospital many of the nurses told me about their children's schools, their own schooling, and their expectations.  The point is, ask someone about school and you will probably learn something, I know I do.
• Read something non-educational, like a really great book, a magazine, or whatever floats your boat.  I just finished The Strain trilogy and found myself wanting to blog about several sections in it even though those vampire books have nothing to do with education.  That's the beauty of inspiration, it doesn't have to come from somewhere scholarly but just from somewhere.
• Pay attention to your surroundings.  Do you know how often I come up with a blog post from reading a sign, seeing a bumper-sticker or even overhearing a snippet of conversation?  When we pay attention to the world around us, we can learn a lot.

Related articles

• Not All Teachers Have to Blog or Even Be On Twitter (mrspripp.blogspot.com)
• From Teaching to Learning (coopcatalyst.wordpress.com)

Top 10 Reasons You Should Join the Global Read Aloud #Glread12

Besides the babies we are expecting some time this month, I have another baby; The Global Read Aloud.  The premise is simple; we pick a book to read aloud to our students during a set 4-week period and during that time we try to make as many global connections as possible.  Each teacher decides how much time they would like to dedicate and how involved they would like to be.  Some people choose to connect with just one class, while others go for as many as possible.  The scope and depth of the project is up to you.  In the past we have used Twitter, Skype, Edmodo, our wiki, email, regular mail, Kidblog, and any other tools we can think of to make these connections.  Teachers get a community of other educators to do a global project with, hopefully inspiring them to continue these connections through the year. 

So why should you join, well, let me count the ways:

1. It is free.  There is nothing to buy besides the book, there is nothing you have to pay to be a part of it, and for free you get access to educators all over the world.
2. It brings the world in.  Every year, educators who participate in it cannot believe how many connections they make, whether just in the US or around the world.  Having a common project provides you with a platform to start collaborating with others that you can then use the rest of the school year.
3. You decide.  This project is great because of its simplicity, I don't tell you how to connect or what tools to use, just which book you should be discussing.  Different teachers have different time to dedicate so this fits in with any curriculum anywhere.
4. Students get it.  The reason I keep doing this is because my students cannot wait to hear what others think of the book we are reading.  They cannot wait to connect, they cannot wait to share, they cannot wait to reach out and learn with others.
5. It is only 4 weeks.  We keep it short because we know how busy we all get.  4 weeks is just the right amount of time to discuss, elaborate and dissect a great book without getting overwhelmed by all of the to do's. 
6. There is a book for your level.  Last year we expanded into two separate books, one for younger grades and one for upper grades.  This year we will continue to do that so you get to pick which book you feel the most comfortable with for your students.  There is even a French version of the project for those who would rather do it in French.
7. It provides a way to introduce tech tools.  I use the project to introduce students to Skype, KidBlog, Animoto and other tools.  This way I am not trying to reinvent the wheel but get to use the tools in a meaningful way with my students for their intended purposes.
8. You get a voice.  I invite others to make it their own and share their ideas.  This is not just "my" project, it is for everyone to make their own.  I love all of the sharing and great ideas that come from being part of this project, it really sets me up for great collaboration and idea creation for the the rest of the year.
9. You don't have to be a techie to do it.  Sometimes technology is really overwhelming and the great thing with this project is that you don't have to use a lot of it if you don't want to.  You can email one other class, or even use regular mail to share observations and discussions.  However, if you are feeling adventurous, this is a great project to get your tech feet wet because there is a whole group of participants that would love to help you!
10. It's fun!  The biggest reason for why you should join, it is a great project!  Many teachers have embraced this project and made it their own, using it receive grants and propel their own teaching. The students love it, the books are always thought provoking and who doesn't love a great read aloud.  So why not take something you probably already do and make it even better.

I could keep going, but I hope some of these reasons have at least sparked your curiosity.  So to get more information head over to the Global Read Aloud blog.  To sign up go right here, or to even be a part of the planning committee, go here.