[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw[/youtube] Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, 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.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.
Pierson describes simple gestures like apologizing to students when you’ve made a mistake, focusing on their positives attributes and self esteem building. The funniest example of this attitude in action is illustrated when Pierson describes a student who got 18 questions wrong on a twenty question test. Pierson wrote “+2” and a smiley face on the top of the page explaining, “minus 18 sucks all the life out of you. Plus 2 says I ain’t all bad”
The take home message here: Every child deserves a champion and through the power of connection, learning is possible. Well worth watching.
this video is amazing!