This TED Talk, in my opinion, directly corresponds to chapter 7 "Building a Community of Learners". Rita Pierson specifically talks about the four bullet points on the first page of this chapter when she states that students need to tell themselves that they deserve this education and they can succeed. This is my all time favorite TED for many reasons. The way she approaches situations with her students is absolutely incredible. The 20 question quiz she gave her class and one of her students missed 18 of those questions. She gave him a +2 and a :) on his paper because she said, "-18 sucks all the life out of you, but a +2 says I ain't all bad." She told this student that once they review and take another one he will do better and he said, "yes ma'am I can do better!" She inspires her students and is a positive influence on them because she realized that not all students receive that support. Mrs. Pierson talks about relationships and how important it is to have significant relationships with our students. Just like in the chapter it says, "Accomplished teachers understand how students develop and learn. They...are aware of the influence of context and culture on behavior." To know these things teachers have to develop relationships with their students, and the approach that Rita Pierson takes is inspiring.
"Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think and who had a champion. Every child deserves a champion. An adult who will never give up on them and who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possible be. Is this job tough? You betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We're educators. We're born to make a difference." -Rita Pierson
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Excellent blog, Kayeli. And thanks so much for sharing this inspiring Ted Talk. Teaching can be a difficult job, but one thing that makes it easier is positive teacher-student and student-student relationships. Teachers can often be in such a hurry to get into the content that they neglect relationships altogether. And some teachers will emphasize relationships on the first day or two through introductory activities, but then drop it after wards as the urge to "cover" takes over. We will always get more out of our students if they believe we want them to be successful and that we want to be good teachers for them. And as Ms. Pierson demonstrates, we can do that in the simplest ways, like leaving positive comments on student work.
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