Rita Pierson: Educator and Inspirational Speaker

Rita Pierson’s speech encompassed humor, honesty and passion. She left us with a powerful message that continues to inspire others since she gave her speech in 2013.

I admire Pierson because as she gave her Ted talk her eyes lit up, her energy came right through the screen and you could feel that she truly cared about her message. When I first saw her Ted talk years ago I immediately felt her passion, her empathy and fell in love with her speech/talk.

Pierson’s Communication Style and Speech Explained

Pierson began with humor, in such a humble comedic way that immediately brought the audience in. She opens up by telling the audience about her work as an educator of 40 years and following the footsteps of her parents and maternal grandparents. By doing so she let’s her audience get to know her and explains what she does, and why she does what she does. She then tells a quick story…an example really of what it means to be a teacher, it’s to build a relationship with your students and to empower them. In a way, she re-enacts a past event and keeps the audience engaged by doing so.

Although her speech was on the shorter side, Pierson showed her humility, her sense of humor and the lessons she learned throughout her years as an educator in a short amount of time. She spoke about raising her students’ self esteem and about the social inequalities students endure. She gave imagery, great storytelling and energy. Every sentence,nay, every word she said had meaning;

“I gave [my students] 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.’”

Pierson automatically allures the audience, her smile from within, her relatability, storytelling and her passion to help students shines through.

Image: https://www.nh4progress.org/2013/05/rita-f-pierson-how-teacher-encouraged.html