Relationships Are Key!
Every Kid Needs a Champion
Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion
Building Relationships
Rita Pierson discusses many things in her speech Every Kid needs a Champion, but one that sticks with me the most is building relationships. I like to think that I am good at building relationships with my kids, but Rita reminds us that all kids need that relationship, especially the hard ones. She reminds me to always look for the good and stay positive so the students know you are on their side.
Power of Positive Thinking
One quote that I am taking with me from Rita's speech is "You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you." That line is so powerful and should make us stop and thing about we are telling our kids on a day to day basis. We should always be building them up and celebrating success. She mentions the impact a +2 can have as a score as apposed to a -18. We must always look for the good and praise our students, because whatever we say will one day be a part of them.
Leaving a Legacy
Rita speaks of her mother and how she impacted so many students. Her students remembered her as making them feel like their were someone special even though they didn't believe it themselves. This section of the speech inspires me to be a teacher who not only is remembered by my students, but who makes students believe that they are special.