Passionate Learners: How to Engage and Empower Your Students With Guest Host Pernille Ripp

by Jenn Hayhurst

On Thursday February 23, 2107 we welcomed Pernille Ripp into the #G2Great community. Pernille launched a dynamic conversation centered around what it means to embrace learning through a close examination of our own teaching. As I write this post I am thinking about Pernille’s brave question: “Would you like being in your classroom?”

Pause a moment to think what these reflections from @lyonsroar and @ButlerNgugi and @JillDerosa mean to you:

There are many ways to link their thoughtful responses. But for me the linchpin is their open curiosity for student learning and a willingness to change upon reflection. In a very real sense their responses are at the heart of how #G2Great came into being. Yes, for those of us who were called to teach, our work is extremely rewarding. However, that is not the driving force for what we do every day. Our work was never really about our personal fulfillment. A teacher’s work is always done in service of our students:

One small question leads to another and another and all at once we find ourselves immersed in curiosity leading down unexpected paths. Questions are the catalyst for growth. A teacher who creates a classroom that invites discovery is a teacher who is a muse for wonder. You may wonder how might this become a reality in my classroom? Pernille reminds us that the most important work begins with a small shift when she asks us,“What is your small change for monumental differences?” Read @emilyfranESL, @katie_spadori, and @hodge_dv to see how they responded, what do they share?

Expert teaching is a marriage of art and science and is bound by careful observation. The content we need to know above all else are the students we are so fortunate to serve

Thank you Pernille. Your words sparked an amazing conversation that cut to the heart of what teaching is really all about. You reminded us all of our ability to influence our students through careful reflection and observation. We make a difference every day we enter the classroom as we open up our minds and hearts to what students need most: