The orator’s use of different volumes, tones, rates, and vocal variety makes things interesting throughout her speech. Nevertheless, Rita’s entire speech is infused with values such as the power of love and human connection, which she holds dearly. The use of personal stories about her interaction with children in class makes the audience empathize with her and the kids that she has taught. She engages with and is passionate about everything she says. Thus, the speechmaker develops her main point from personal examples and concludes by telling people how they can positively influence children.īesides her excellent organization, the speaker’s use of various speech dynamics is great. The speaker then makes a great transition by citing various examples of her real-life experiences as an educator, which further enhances the audience’s attention. For instance, the orator states that her grandparents and parents were educators before saying that she has been an educator for forty years. She introduces herself as an educator to build her credibility on the topic that she addresses. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Rita’s favorite children’s charity, Communities In Schools of Houston, 1235 North Loop West, Suite 300, Houston, TX, 77008.The organization of the speech is excellent as Rita uses the introduction and transitions to maintain her audience until the end. Ralph Douglas West, Pastor/Founder, officiating. A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, July 13, 2013, 10 AM, at Brookhollow Baptist Church, The Church Without Walls, 5725 Queenston Blvd., Houston, TX, 77084. Pierson announces her sudden passing on Friday, June 18, 2013. It is with great sadness that the family of Dr. Pierson’s family sends this message to the TED community: Yet, in spite of the highs and lows, I cannot think of another profession that brings both joy and challenge on a daily basis.” The celebration is often cut short by some catastrophe the next day. Most of the time, their major accomplishments are shared only with colleagues and family members and not the media. They are usually not deemed worthy of news coverage unless there is a scandal or a strike. Read a beautiful essay from Pierson on Huffington Post, in which she writes, “Teachers don’t make a lot of money. Listen to Rita Pierson on TED Radio Hour from NPR » Watch Rita Pierson’s talk, full of chutzpah and a deep wealth of experience » I shared a few of them with her, and with her quiet modest voice, she just said: “Oh my.” Over a million views, with many comments. She said she was very excited 75,000. I told her to look again. And of course her talk will live on.Ī few days after the show aired on PBS, I emailed Rita to thank her and asked her if she had seen how many page views her talk had received on TED.com. Rita touched so many people’s hearts in the short time she was part of our TED TV recording - I can only imagine how many students lives she has altered over the years. It was an honor to know her and to have her become a part of TED. “I don’t rehearse,” she said, “and I haven’t learnt it.”Īnd that’s what she did. She was everything we had hoped for and not for a moment did I doubt she would steal the show. When she arrived in Brooklyn a couple of months later for the recording of the show, she hugged me as if we were old friends and I knew that TED had been given a gift. We talked many times on the phone as we worked on her talk. In truth, she had never heard of TED, but she was so excited to come to New York with her husband and to be part of the program. She didn’t have to say another word, she was booked to open the show - she exuded that much warmth and spirit. She replied, “I sure am”… and she sure was. One evening my phone rang: ”Are you looking for me?” I called various schools in Texas and I waited and waited. But I hadn’t found her it took a good few weeks to track her down. I searched for someone with heart and humor for our TED Talks Education TV show and, when I saw Rita Pierson on YouTube, I knew I had found her. Here’s what Blake wrote, in Pierson’s honor: Hers is truly an idea worth spreading: that every child, rich or poor, deserves a champion. We asked TED TV producer Juliet Blake, who cast Pierson for our PBS special, to share a few words about this woman who became a friend to so many of us here. It was truly an honor to help share her message with the world. The TED community was deeply saddened to hear that Rita Pierson, whose powerful, funny, heartfelt talk kicked off TED Talks Education just a few months ago, died today in Texas, at age 61.
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