Chalk + Ink: Season 2; Episode 24

Banner design by Sarah Brannen and slide design by Jimena Catalina and Slides Carnival.

Interview with Seventh Grade ELA Teacher, Public Speaker and Author, Pernille Ripp

On today’s episode the flexible and innovative Pernille Ripp talks about how there is no such thing as a perfect teacher, how when she writes she strives to create from an authentic and honest place, and how as educators we need to prioritize conversations with students to make sure we don’t lose sight of the kids as we cross off items on our curriculum to-do lists.

Lots of people say, "Progress not perfection," but Pernille practices it every day in her classroom. She knows, "Change can literally happen any moment. It's just in how you interact with kids." And that's the truth. We don't need to wait for more resources, permission from admin, or the start of a new year to shift the energy in our classrooms. We just have to decide that the kids are more important than the curriculum and act accordingly.

During the episode we spent some time discussing Pernille's book, Passionate Readers. Pernille wisely advises teachers to make time for independent reading by taking a time inventory. If we figure out how we're spending our time in the classroom, we can cut out what we don't need and spend more time creating a compassionate, community of learners and implementing imperative literacy practices such as independent reading blocks.

Pernille started The Global Read Aloud which is happening right now in 2010. Here are her 2021 picks:

​Picture Books: Anything by Duncan Tonatiuh. Pernille always learns about something or someone new when she reads his work and his art is stunning.

Chapter Books: Zetta Elliot's Dragons in a Bag. This early reader doesn't shy away from tough topics and does an incredible job developing character in one hundred pages. Ms. Elliott wanted to see black heroes in fantasy series, so she created one.

Early Middle Grade: The Jumbies Series by Tracey Baptiste. The perfect amount of creepy for young readers. 

Upper Middle Grade:  The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson. I'm late joining The Global Read Aloud but this is the title I'm going to read with my class. The publisher describes it as, "Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations." I'm a huge Narnia fan and I have students this year who are obsessed with space. So, it seems like a great pick for us.

Young Adult: Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. Get this author's books on your to-be read list. Her second title that debuts this fall, A Snake Falls to Earth, is on the National Book Awards longlist.


I’m donating a copy of Passionate Readers to a lucky podcast listener. There are several ways to enter: 1) Tweet or retweet this episode and be sure to tag me and Pernille, 2) Go to www.katenarita.com/podcast and make a comment on this episode’s post, 3) Make a comment about the episode on our Chalk + Ink Facebook page; and 4) Become a Chalk + Ink Patreon supporter. Patreon supporters are automatically entered into each giveaway. Each one of these actions is the equivalent of one entry which means people could have up to four entries for each giveaway. In order to enter the giveaway, these actions must be completed by midnight on Friday, October 29th. Wow! I can’t believe October is almost over. The winner will be announced on Friday, November 5th, on the podcast as well as on Twitter and on our Facebook page.

I have a favor to ask, if you enjoy this podcast, please leave a positive review wherever you listen to your podcasts. That will help other listeners find us.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Sarah Brannen for Chalk + Ink’s podcast art. Sarah’s latest book, Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, earned a starred review from Kirkus.

Happy listening!