Dr. Rita F. Pierson,
a teacher in Houston for more than
40 years, gives the kind of TEDTalk that makes TED rightly and spectacularly
famous. Watch it here: Rita Pierson at TED
If she isn't the "my favorite teacher" that you
remember, well, I hope your favorite was close to her level of sparkle….
She gives lots of believable advice on motivating young
children, the kind of stuff you'd like to believe that teachers say to each
other in the teacher's lunch room.
She remembers a colleague whose mantra was "they don't
pay me to like the kids." Pierson's rebuttal: "kids don't learn from
people they don’t like."
She recalls, with a smile, a youngster who muffed 18 questions
on a 20-question quiz….Pierson marked "+ 2" on the quiz and handed it
back.
She explains to the TED audience: "you know, a 'minus 18'
sucks the life out of you…a 'plus 2' says you ain't all bad…."
This TED talk is so short you'll feel like you want to watch it
again, right now. It's a rousing summons to educators to believe in their
students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.
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