EVERY KID NEEDS A CHAMPION

RITA PIERSON
https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion

Rita Pierson works as a teacher for 40 years, once she heard a colleague say, "They don't
pay me to like the kids." Her response was: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" A rousing
call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human,
personal level.
Rita F. Pierson spent her entire life in or around the classroom, having followed both her
parents and grandparents into a career as an educator. She mentions some of the reasons students
don’t learn such as: poverty, low attendance, negative influence. One of the things that is almost
never discussed is the value importance of the human connection. Relationship should be the key in
the education process. George Washington said that: “Learning is understanding.” Students learn if
they like their teachers. She said she had low classes of students and she tried to find the best way
to arise their self- esteem. She started to motivate children and told them they were the best
students and that she was the best teacher. They had to show the other classes what to do. She
asked her students to be the best because they had things to do, people to meet and places to visit.
In this way she helped her students to be confident and learn. She thinks teachers should encourage
students even if they don’t obtain good marks because they could do better. A good teacher is the
one who makes a difference in student’s life. I think we should be grateful to all the teachers who
helps us develop and make us feel we are important.
Rita Pierson also says that it’s almost impossible to like all the children and that’s why
communication and a good relationship is important. Teaching and learning should bring joy. If we
have kids which are not afraid to take risks and if we understand how important is to have
connection than it’s possible to make a difference. Teachers should make the difference.
I think students are sometimes afraid to speak or to show their feelings because teachers
don’t understand them. As I am concerned I think teachers should try to understand students, arise
their self- esteem and help us become adults who are able to take risks. A good relationship
between teachers and students is the key to have success, peace an understanding in our life.