It's the Little Things...

Sometimes, the best part of being a teacher is being involved in the little things.  One of my sweet girls lost a tooth last week, and here is the proof to show it!  I love seeing the excitement take over their emotions when things like this happen!  Being a teacher is so much more than…being a teacher.  Being a teacher is a career that involves many hats.  As teachers, we wear the teacher hat (of course), the biggest fan hat, the mediator hat, the listening ear hat, the encourager hat, the character builder hat… I could go on and on, but you get the point.  It is a dream job that I wouldn’t trade for the world.  Moments like THIS make my “job” a little more sweeter!

3rd Grade Math Night

Last Friday, we had the awesome opportunity to have parents come out and be a part of Common Core Math!  We played different games (focusing around multiplication) where the students were able to teach their parents!  We had an AMAZING turn out with about half of the third grade in attendance!  Below are some pictures from Friday night! 

I’d like to give a personal “thank you” to every parent that came out on Friday night.  Teaching wouldn’t be possible without the support of incredible parents.  My classroom thrives due to the parents that are involved and in communication with me on a daily basis!  Parents, I couldn’t do it without you!  You guys mean more to me than you will ever know!  Nothing is better than forming friendships with your students’ parents.  To all other teachers, I encourage you to KNOW your parents just like you know your students!  In order to teach the whole child, we must know about the whole child!  Thank you parents for being the rock of Miss Fincher’s classroom!

5's, 10's, and 9's Multiplication Raps

Rappin Our 5’s

Ah, ah, ah, ah, sayin’ our 5’s, sayin’ our 5’s

Ah, ah, ah, ah, sayin’ our 5’s sayin’ our 5’s

5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60

Ah, ah, ah, ah, sayin’ our Fiiiiiives!

Rappin our 10’s

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh—Can’t stop us

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh—Can’t stop us

10, 20, 30, 40

Oh, oh, oh—Can’t stop us

50, 60, 70, 80

Oh, oh, oh—Can’t stop us

90, 100, 110, 120

Let’s stop this!

Rappin’ Our 9’s

We know our 9’s, that’s mighty fine!

We know our 9’s, that’s mighty fine!

9, 18, 27

36, 45, 54

63, 72, 81, 90, 99, 108

And you know we’re great!

 

 

Seeing Needs, Seizing Opportunities

       Third grade is such a monumental year.  There are so many standards to teach, so many new concepts the students learn, yet they do it every single year... and they do it well.  As important as these standards are for them to learn, there is so much more a teacher instills in their students.  We have the opportunity to instill hope, potential, and character into their lives.  I want to take every one of those opportunities and seize them.  
       It would only make sense for me to teach my students to do the same.  Having these frames displayed in my classroom and talking about them, gives my children the opportunity to see needs and seize opportunities.
       What's a need?  A need is anything they see that needs to be done that may not be their responsibility.  For example, stacking a chair that's not theirs, picking up a pencil that doesn't belong to them, offering to help pass out papers or hand out glue.  Anything that they aren't asked to do.  They see that need and seize the opportunity.  And just like that, they've built character.
       Building character becomes a habit.  We start to want to help others because it has a positive impact on us.  Once it becomes a habit, other people start to notice.  When other people start to notice, they want to be that way too and do what their friend is doing.  Then building character becomes contagious.  By this point, everyone is doing "it".
       My precious third graders have done just that.  They see needs and seize opportunities daily.  Little do they know that their character is contagious, and others are wanting to be like them.  Once character is built, it's hard to break.  We are building strong, foundational character that no matter what tries to shake it, it won't weather.