Rita F. Pierson spent her entire life in or around the classroom, having followed both her parents and grandparents into a career as an educator. Rita passed away on June 28, 2013. https://www.ted.com/speakers/rita_f_pierson ## Notes - [[Every kid needs a champion]] ## Quotes - [[I am somebody. I was somebody when I came, I'll be a better somebody when I leave.]] - [[Kids don't learn from people they don't like]] - [[While you won't like them all, the key is that they can never know.]] - [[Will you like all your children? Of course not. And you know your toughest kids are never absent.]] - [[You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you]]