Did You Hear What Rita F. Pierson Said About Education??

1951-2013

Rita F. Pierson was a professional educator since 1972. Taught elementary schools, junior high, and special education. She was a testing coordinator, assistant principal and counselor. Mrs. Pierson always brought a special energy to her roles as an educator, she had a desire to knowing her students, show them how much they matter and support them as they grow.

The past decade, Mrs. Pierson conducted professional development workshops and seminars for thousands of educators. She mainly focused on students who are often deprived from their learning, she lectured on several topics including "Helping Under-Resourced Learners," "Meeting the Educational Needs of African American Boys" and "Engage and Graduate your Secondary Students: Preventing Dropouts."

Mrs. Pierson is an influential person to me because she was dedicated to her students and showed a bond with them that no one has done before. She was motivational and inspiring to thousands of educators. 

During her TED Talk, she mentioned her career as a teacher and how it was difficult, but she enjoyed teaching every single student because she learned something from them as well as they did from her. Mrs. Pierson knew that students of color and who came from poor backgrounds did not receive the same education and benefits other students had. Therefore, she worked with those students in receiving the best education and resources she was able to provide for them. She never looked away to the problems the schools and students faced, instead, she reached out to the students and teachers for their support and her help to better the education of the students and be able to educate the students further.

“Parents make decisions for their children based on what they know, what they feel will make them safe. And it is not our place [as educators] to say what they do is 'wrong.' It's our place to say maybe we can add a set of rules that they don't know about.” — Rita Pierson