Our year always starts with the same three words, “Come on over…” and they come. Surrounding me and my pile of books as we begin this seventh-grade journey together. They tend to be nervous, questioning what we are doing. They tend to be tired, not rambunctious like younger students who are eagerly awaiting the year. They tend to be filled with questions but lacking a voice to say them. That comes later. And so we gather around a pile of picture books, we choose one, and with each page read aloud, we build the foundation of our year together.
We are a picture book classroom. We have hundreds of stories surrounding us. We speak picture books. Our experiences are carved around the moments we discover within their pages. We marvel at the audacity of some writers to share stories never heard. We wonder about the process. The call to write. The how of writing. And we sink within their pages whenever we can.
The picture books we read become who we are, a part of our story. A part of this seventh-grade tapestry that seems to be ever evolving. Within the pages of these books, we find the threads of our own lives. Kids connect when they see stories that remind them of themselves. We start hard conversations about death, race, gender, and even the power of words as we read through our piles.
The stories surround us, call to us, wishing to be read. And the students quickly drop all pretense of being too cool for picture books once they discover what a picture book really is; a short story, a story that will touch you, a story that will change you if you let it. They are much more than just a book.
They become mood adjusters as children whose lives are much harder than my own come into class, the anger or sadness rolling off of them in waves. A quick stack of Elephant and Piggie and for a moment the life they are dealing with fades away. They are ready to join us, they are ready to try again.
They become equalizers as children whose second language is English, who have been labeled struggling readers, or even bad kids in the past, grasp their pages and fully understand what is going on and can speak about it with the best of them. They become safety, comfort when a child who is not sure how the world will feel about their identity finds themselves within the pages of a book and knows that the world sees them for their beauty. I see them for their beauty.
The messages that our picture books allow me to speak are many; you matter, I see you, we are in this together. I may only have so many ways to show my students that in this classroom they are welcome to be who they are, but the picture books surrounding us show them I mean it. So every year, and every child, I have a single wish in mind as we start our seventh-grade journey together; I hope the picture books lead them to joy, to meaning, to safety. I hope they all find a picture book to call home.
So come on over...our picture books await.
******
Since Pernille Ripp was a child growing up in Denmark, she knew she wanted to work with kids. She began her journey in education as a math resource teacher, then transitioned into the classroom as a 4th and 5th-grade teacher, and has now found her home as a 7th-grade English teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin. Pernille is also a speaker, author, blogger at pernillesripp.com, mom, and passionate advocate for education. She's an award-winning expert in literacy and technology integration, and dedicates her life efforts to uplifting engaged and empowered students. She is also the founder of The Global Read Aloud that has connected more than 4 million students in more than countries. Pernille's books and blogs are sources of tremendous inspiration and insight for teachers, parents, and educators around the world with her newest book, Passionate Readers - The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child, recently released. She believes in having the courage to change and even break the rules for the good of kids and education. Besides being with her own family, there is no place she would rather be every day than in the classroom, teaching her awesome students.
Since Pernille Ripp was a child growing up in Denmark, she knew she wanted to work with kids. She began her journey in education as a math resource teacher, then transitioned into the classroom as a 4th and 5th-grade teacher, and has now found her home as a 7th-grade English teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin. Pernille is also a speaker, author, blogger at pernillesripp.com, mom, and passionate advocate for education. She's an award-winning expert in literacy and technology integration, and dedicates her life efforts to uplifting engaged and empowered students. She is also the founder of The Global Read Aloud that has connected more than 4 million students in more than countries. Pernille's books and blogs are sources of tremendous inspiration and insight for teachers, parents, and educators around the world with her newest book, Passionate Readers - The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child, recently released. She believes in having the courage to change and even break the rules for the good of kids and education. Besides being with her own family, there is no place she would rather be every day than in the classroom, teaching her awesome students.
No comments:
Post a Comment