Every Child Deserves a Champion – Video by Rita Pierson

Why is it so important for every child to have a champion?

Think about the kids who are late to class, are unkind to others, push your buttons, are disruptive or struggle academically. These are the kids who get lost in the system because they don't give you the warm and fuzzies. These are the kids who need a champion more than anyone else.  

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Without someone to support and encourage them, the less likable kids are more likely to fail. But when they have someone who shows them how incredible they are, and who inspires them to be and do better, they have a chance to flourish!

Rita Pierson's TED Talk

Rita Pierson had it right when she said that relationships are everything. They can turn a child who won't try and doesn't believe in themselves into someone who achieves far more than anyone ever thought possible. A special someone who believes, encourages, notices... they can make all the difference to a child's success or failure and every child deserves one. 

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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.

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And it's not just children who struggle who need someone to boost them up. Everyone needs to know that someone's in their corner and there for them when they need support.

A champion connects with every child on an emotional level to help boost their confidence and nurture the emotional intelligence that is so critical for success throughout their life.  

A Range Of Lessons, Worksheets, Posters, And Coloring Pages To Teach Elementary Students How To Manage Emotions Such As Anger And Anxiety.

How to Be a Champion for Your Students

Build Relationships with Every Child

  • Start with Positive Assumptions: Approach each day with the belief that every student wants to and can succeed. This mindset can transform the classroom atmosphere and encourage students to meet your positive expectations.
  • Personal Connections Matter: Make an effort to understand each student's interests, challenges, and dreams. This could be as simple as asking about their weekend, acknowledging their efforts, or sharing a bit of your own story.
  • Celebrate Every Victory: Recognize not just academic achievements but personal growth and effort too. Small acknowledgments can boost a student's confidence and motivation significantly.
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We know why kids drop out. We know why kids don’t learn. It’s either poverty, low attendance, negative peer influences. We know why. But one of the things that we never discuss or we rarely discuss is the value and importance of human connection. Relationships.

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Support Students Who Are Struggling

  • Identify the Struggles: Keep an eye out for changes in behavior or performance that may indicate a student is facing difficulties either at home or school. Early identification is key to providing timely support.
  • Foster a Safe and Inclusive Environment: Create a classroom culture where all students feel safe to express themselves and their challenges without fear of judgment. This includes promoting kindness, empathy, and respect among students. Morning meetings can be a great time to foster support among peers.
  • Provide Tailored Support: Understand that each student's situation is unique. Some may need academic support, while others might benefit more from emotional or social assistance. Work closely with school counselors, psychologists, and parents to create a comprehensive support plan.
  • Be Their Champion: Advocate for your students. Believe in their potential even when they struggle to believe in themselves. Your support can make all the difference in helping them overcome their challenges.
Positive Affirmations Coloring Pages For Kids By Ripple Kindness Sel Activities

Action Plan for Teachers

  • Weekly Check-ins: Dedicate time each week to check in with each student individually. This can be a quick conversation to catch up and offer support.
  • Positive Notes Home: Regularly send positive notes or emails home to share something positive about each student with their families.
  • Student Recognition Board: Create a board in the classroom where students’ efforts, achievements, and kind acts are recognized.
  • Professional Development: Participate in workshops or training on building relationships in the classroom and supporting students with diverse needs.
  • Peer Support System: Implement a buddy system in your class where students are paired up to support each other, promoting a sense of community and mutual respect.
  • Teach Kindness: Use resources where students participate individually or collaborate in activities that teach them to be kind. Creating a kind, caring, and safe classroom helps students want to come to school. 
These Self-Esteem Notes Or Student Encouragement Cards Are Wonderful As Incentives Or To Boost Self-Esteem In The Classroom By Ripple Kindness Sel Activities

Rita was all about forming connections and building relationships with her students. It was her wish to inspire other teachers to do so too. Sadly, she passed away only 3 months after her TED talk but imagine how proud she would be to know that her words inspired teachers to be the champions their students need!

If you would like to read more from this inspirational woman, check out this Huff Post article. 

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For every student that finally "got it," for every rookie teacher that said, "you inspired me to stay," I get the raise that never quite made it to my paycheck.

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Transcript of "Every Kid Needs a Champion" by Rita Pierson

I have spent my entire life either at the schoolhouse, on the way to the schoolhouse, or talking about what happens in the schoolhouse. Both my parents were educators, my maternal grandparents were educators, and for the past 40 years, I’ve done the same thing.

And so, needless to say, over those years I’ve had a chance to look at education reform from a lot of perspectives. Some of those reforms have been good. Some of them have been not so good. And we know why kids drop out. We know why kids don’t learn. It’s either poverty, low attendance, negative peer influences. We know why.

But one of the things that we never discuss or we rarely discuss is the value and importance of human connection. Relationships. James Comer says that no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship. George Washington Carver says all learning is understanding relationships. Everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult. For years, I have watched people teach.

I have looked at the best and I’ve looked at some of the worst. A colleague said to me one time, “They don’t pay me to like the kids. They pay me to teach a lesson. The kids should learn it. I should teach it, they should learn it. Case closed.”

Well, I said to her, “You know, kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.”

She said, “That’s just a bunch of hooey.”

And I said to her, “Well, your year is going to be long and arduous, dear.”

Needless to say, it was. Some people think that you can either have it in you to build a relationship, or you don’t. I think Stephen Covey had the right idea. He said you ought to just throw in a few simple things, like seeking first to understand, as opposed to being understood. Simple things, like apologizing. You ever thought about that? Tell a kid you’re sorry, they’re in shock.

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. - Rita Pierson

I taught a lesson once on ratios. I’m not real good with math, but I was working on it. And I got back and looked at that teacher edition I’d taught the whole lesson wrong. So I came back to class the next day and I said, “Look, guys, I need to apologize. I taught the whole lesson wrong. I’m so sorry.” They said, “That’s okay, Ms Pierson. You were so excited, we just let you go.”

I have had classes that were so low, so academically deficient, that I cried. I wondered, “How am I going to take this group, in nine months, from where they are to where they need to be? And it was difficult, it was awfully hard. How do I raise the self-esteem of a child and his academic achievement at the same time? One year I came up with a bright idea I told all my students, “You were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students, they put us all together so we could show everybody else how to do it.”

One of the students said, “Really?”

I said, “Really. We have to show the other classes how to do it, so when we walk down the hall, people will notice us, so you can’t make noise. You just have to strut.” And I gave them a saying to say: “I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. I’ll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go.”

And they said, “Yeah!” You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.

I gave a quiz, 20 questions A 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’d you put a smiley face?”

I said, “Because you’re on a roll. You got two right. You didn’t miss them all.” I said, “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.” For years, I watched my mother take the time at recess to review, go on home visits in the afternoon, buy combs and brushes and peanut butter and crackers to put in her desk drawer for kids that needed to eat, and a washcloth and some soap for the kids who didn’t smell so good.

Every Child Needs A Champion By Rita Pierson - An Illustration By Sylvia Duckworth

Every student deserves a champion and this wonderful illustration by Sylvia Duckworth is known and loved by teachers. If you'd like a copy of the poster, you can get one on her site.

See, it’s hard to teach kids who stink. And kids can be cruel. And so, she kept those things in her desk, and years later, after she retired, I watched some of those same kids come through and say to her, “You know, Ms Walker, you made a difference in my life. You made it work for me. You made me feel like I was somebody, when I knew, at the bottom, I wasn’t. And I want you to just see what I’ve become.”

And when my mama died two years ago at 92, there were so many former students at her funeral, it brought tears to my eyes, not because she was gone, but because she left a legacy of relationships that could never disappear. Can we stand to have more relationships? Absolutely. Will you like all your children? Of course not.

And you know your toughest kids are never absent. Never. You won’t like them all, and the tough ones show up for a reason. It’s the connection. It’s the relationships.

So teachers become great actors and great actresses, and we come to work when we don’t feel like it, and we’re listening to policy that doesn’t make sense, and we teach anyway. We teach anyway because that’s what we do. Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion? 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.

Is this job tough? You betcha. Oh God, you betcha. But it is not impossible. We can do this. We’re educators. We’re born to make a difference.

Thank you so much.

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