07/30/2026
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We can debate curriculum, screen time, standards, all of it. But none of it matters if a kid doesn't feel liked by the adult teaching them.
Rita Pierson said this in her TED talk and it's stuck with early childhood educators ever since, because it's true at every age — but it's foundational at this one.
A three-year-old doesn't care about your lesson plan. They care whether you're glad they're there.
Relationship isn't the soft part of the job. It's the whole job.
