The astounding energy, passion and power of educator Rita Pierson is a force to be reckoned with. This talk, which she gave at the TED Education Talks in May 2013, came only one month before her sudden passing away at the age of just 61. With Rita, you can see that every child she touched had a champion who would never give up on them, and we celebrate her vision of teachers who believe that education is about connection and that while minus 18 will suck all the life out of your student, a +2 will set them on the road to success.