In the classroom, the smallest acts can take on tremendous significance.
“-18 sucks all the life out of you, plus 2 says I ain’t all bad.”
-Rita Pierson
Ask former students about their favorite teacher, they’ll most likely respond by expressing their most memorable experience. Their experience will usually arise from a “significant relationship” built in or outside of the learning environment. Rita Pierson, in her inspiring TEDtalk, suggest that teachers should make it their quest to relate to their students on a personal, human level.
Pierson, in her 40 celebrated years as an educator, says, “Every child deserves a champion — an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” She once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.”
Her assertion is true abroad. As an American EFL teacher in South Korea, teaching is very much a performance-driven task. Students respond better to enthusiastic educators who show an interest in their young, unpredictable lives.
“Teachers are great actors and actresses,” says Pierson.
Also, the small things teachers do usually create the biggest impact in a student’s life. Pierson shared another anecdote which was the highlight of the video for me. It expressed the importance of maintaining a student’s dignity in the face of tough academic challenges. She said:
“I gave a quiz — 20 questions. Student missed 18. I put a +2 on his paper and a big smiley face. He said, ‘Ms. Pierson, is this an F?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Then why did you put a smiley face?’ I said, ‘Cause you’re on a roll! You got two right, you didn’t miss them all. And when we review this, won’t you do better?’ He said, ‘Yes, ma’am, I can do better.’ You see, -18 sucks all the life out of you. +2 said, ‘I ain’t all bad.’ ”
Her TEDtalk video below also featured quotes from Stephen Covey, Dr. James P. Comer and George Washington Carver.