7/15/2023 0 Comments Rita pierson![]() I hated it at the time but now I’m able to reflect - he taught me self-respect and discipline in a firm but kind way. ![]() As I slacked and rebelled, he never let me forget that I possessed a special talent. I knew all along that I wouldn’t build a career around playing the tuba, but he never allowed me to think like that. Koch, pushed me to reach my full potential. But he also taught us to ignore authority, so I’m writing it anyway.” - Ben Lillie, Writer/Editor He would have hated that last sentence, because the metaphor is strained. Every time we get together, we gush about the quiet, unassuming, force of nature that was Mr. People I know who took, and loved, that class went on to some of the most amazing careers. It was a whirlwind of ideas, and the constant writing forced us to wrestle with them, and (tritely but correctly) ourselves. The prompts were everything from simple questions like, “What’s your favorite memory of trees?” to readings from Rachel Carson or W.B. Except Wednesday, when we’d put the desks in a circle and everyone would read something they’d written. “Robert Baldwin’s class ‘Essay and Inquiry.’ Every day: Walk into class. I consider myself lucky to have had such an inspiring teacher. If only he had discouraged me from dressing up as the skunk in our annual school play.” - Amanda Ellis, TEDx Projects Coordinator He got me thinking about college early and what kinds of subjects I was most interested in. Fawess came up with all these ways to take my mind off that - he talked to me about bullying and how to let things roll off your shoulder and gave me books I could read outside of class. Middle school in general is basically Hades. I was extremely small, super nerdy, and had a unibrow, asthma and glasses - plus I left school once a week to take classes at the local high school. I got picked on a lot. “I still recall how awesome my 6th-grade teacher, Mr. ![]() I think she set the stage for future learning and she’s the main reason I have such good English right now, both written and spoken. This was my first year living in the U.S. She changed my life.” - Juliet Blake, TED TV (who executive produced TED Talks Education) She recommended books just to me, she made me feel special and I just couldn’t get enough of her. I went on a school trip to Amsterdam with her and she brought her husband, who was an artist. I was the younger sister of an already very successful big sister, and that was a cloud over my head too. She held my hand and brought me into the sun with her love of the English language. He exuded discipline, and that was contagious.” - Thu-Huong Ha, Editorial Projects Specialist He was the first teacher I had who made keeping up with current events mandatory, forcing us to read news sources on our own time and not just from the textbook. Eric Yang was only in his mid-twenties when I had him as my AP government teacher, but he was unforgettable. What she taught me stuck with me through college and beyond.” - Olivier Sherman, Distribution Coordinator Barbato taught me how to write eloquently (I hope!), and she had this unexplained faith in me that really galvanized me as a student. “The teacher who changed my life was, serendipitously, my English teacher for kindergarten, 7th grade and senior year of high school. In honor of Rita Pierson and TED Talks Education, I asked the TED staff: who is that one teacher who just really, truly influenced you? It will be an exhilarating night, featuring talks from educators and innovators with bold ideas, plus performances from host John Legend. Pierson’s talk will open our first-ever television special, TED Talks Education, which airs Tuesday, May 7 at 10/9c on PBS. I deserve the education that I get here’ … You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.” I was somebody when I came and I’ll be a better somebody when I leave. “I came up with a bright idea … I gave them a saying: ‘I am somebody. I wondered, ‘How am I going to take this group in nine months from where they are to where they need to be?” says Pierson, in this amazing talk. “I have had classes so low, so academically deficient that I cried. In this talk, Pierson shares the secret to teaching students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds - make personal connections with them. ![]() An educator for 40 years, she is funny, sharp and simply has a way with words - so much so that today’s talk feels a bit like a sermon. Rita Pierson is the kind of teacher you wish you had. Rita Pierson leads off TED Talks Education, our first televised event, which will air on PBS on May 7.
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