SO Proud

There are some days as a teacher that I look at my students and I think--THEY DID IT! They really really did it. They LEARNED something!

Our class has been really working with objectives and knowing what our "goal" or end result is. This week I threw out a challenge on Tuesday. I knew that with the short week we would cram in a spelling test, fluency test, and problem solver test (and start the mini math core test). My kids are 7! So, when we reviewed on Tuesday I pumped them. I said--I KNOW you can get a 2/2 on our rubric for problem solving. We have worked hard at developing strategies for sharing our thinking. We have worked HARD at talking about it with our classmates. We have worked HARD at slowing down, taking our time, and really thinking the problem through. I know--well, actually, I expect everyone in this room today to score a 2/2 on the rubric.

And guess what?

They did. I honest to goodness thought I was going to cry when I looked at the tests as they turned them in. They really rose to the challenge to show me what each of them has learned. The tests all looked different as far as showing his or her thinking. But--they did what they had to do to make the 2 points on the rubric. Write the answer--and show how the problem was solved. Pictures, number models, and word explanations with step by step directions were some of the ways students explained HOW they got the answer.

I couldn't be more proud and even more--they need to be rproud of themselves. Remember. They are 7.