Henrico's Top Teachers – Nikki Ficor, Pinchbeck Elementary School, third grade

As a third-grade teacher, Nikki Ficor knows that she plays a small role in the full span of a child’s life. Once a student graduates third grade, he or she will go on to have at least 10 more years of school and countless teachers and mentors.

But some students have never forgotten her or the impact that she had on them. Even once they reach college, some still come back and find Ficor and thank her for showing up for them every day when they were younger.

“It’s a lot of fun to know that I played a really small part in helping to shape a person to become hopefully a better change in the world,” Ficor said. “Now they have formed their own opinions and they’ve decided things that they want to do that are going to help them become better people. It’s really cool to know that there are good things that happen.”

One group of fifth-graders who Ficor taught two years ago even visits her classroom every single morning before class and every single afternoon after the bell rings, reminiscing with her about third-grade memories that to them seem ages ago.

“They walk in and it’s the cutest thing, they go, ‘I remember being in here. Everything looks so much smaller.’ And they’re like, ‘remember when we would do that activity with the skittles?’ Or, ‘remember when we did bar graphs?’” Ficor said. “They remember things that you put a lot of time and effort into. And it might not be that big of a deal, but it was a big deal to them.”

Ficor has taught at Pinchbeck Elementary School for several years and in Henrico Schools for almost 17 years. For elementary-schoolers, everything is new, which means everything is exciting. They haven’t been “hardened by the world” yet, Ficor said, and the idea of her students growing up and going out into a hard world is both difficult and inspiring to think about.

“It’s sad to think that they’re going to change and things might be hard for them, and that there might be outside circumstances that change the trajectory of their life,” she said. “But it’s also one of those bittersweet moments that is really exciting and sad at the same time. Especially when you have kids that you know have worked so hard.”

At Pinchbeck, Ficor has a large number of both bilingual students and English Learners. In the past few years, students from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Egypt, and other countries have joined her classroom – some speaking no English at all.

It can be a challenge for Ficor, but she knows it is much more challenging for the new students, and encourages other students in the class to put themselves in a newcomer’s shoes.

“I tell them, take a moment and think about what it would be like to go to a completely different place and go into a school where you not only know no one, you don’t know what they’re saying, and you have to make your way around,” she said. “And I do tell my kids too, how cool would it be to know two languages?”

Ficor also recognizes the difficulties of being the shy kid. It can often be hard to will yourself to say something – even if you really want to – when you have been quiet for so long and feel almost locked into that label.

Oftentimes, Ficor will take a student aside and let them know that if they want to participate in an activity, but may be too shy to speak up, that she will make sure they are included.

“Just because they’re shy doesn’t mean that they don’t want to be a part of it,” she said. “It just might mean that they haven’t found their way to be a part of it yet.”

For those who may be incredibly shy, Ficor also wants to create a safe environment where anyone can feel free to speak out and where everyone’s voice is valued and appreciated.

“If somebody shares something out, or somebody does something, we honor that. And we make sure everybody feels like, hey, that was really cool when that person got up and they did that,” Ficor said. “That even if you’re feeling shy or you’re feeling withdrawn, you will be in a position where you feel secure.”

Ficor is known to be attentive to her students’ feelings and can quickly put it together when something is off, one parent said. When a student is having a bad day, she often brings them and their friends to have lunch with her, open to listen to whatever the student is struggling with, or to just offer a small moment of connection.

“She challenges her students to be the best they can be, and encourages them to reach higher,” the parent wrote. “She not only focuses on academics, but teaches and fosters positive character traits. Her students know that they can come to her to help problem solve, share wins and troubles, or even if they just need a listening ear or encouraging word.”

For Ficor, the best moments in the classroom are when she can make a student feel special. Every child deserves love, respect, and kindness, she said, and she hopes that her students can find that through their time with her.

“I really try to make our classroom a place where kids feel safe and loved,” Ficor said. “A lot of kids spend the majority of their days with me. So I really want them to know that there are people who do care, that there are people who just want what’s best for them, and who want to make sure that they are loved.”