If you were a young child sometime between the late 60s and early 2000s, chances are you have a great bit of fondness and nostalgia for a kind and gentle man you spent a lot of time with, but never actually met. The man in the red sweater – Mr. Rogers.
Fred Rogers’ famous TV show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” ran in the United States and Canada for over three decades. I was definitely one of the millions of children who grew up watching Mr. Rogers joining him for walks around the neighborhood and into the wonderful world of make believe. As an adult, my respect for Fred Rogers grew even more as I learned he wasn’t just a man with a TV show, but a visionary who was profoundly committed to people, to kindness, to the science of child development, and to meaningfully ministering to children and families in deep and simple ways.
Fred Rogers passed away in early 2003. Prior to his death, however, he articulated the goals and vision for an institute to carry on his work and his legacy. The Fred Rogers Institute was established at St. Vincent College in Fred’s hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania that same year.
In this episode, I’m talking with Dr. Dana Winters, executive director of the Fred Rogers Institute about how the work of Fred Rogers continues today.
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Notes from the Show:
(*May contain affiliate links.)
Check out the Fred Rogers Institute website.
(Plan plenty of time to check it out online – especially if you dive into the archive. The site is amazing! If you go visit in person, I want to hear about it!)
Learn more about Dr. Winters and her team.
Watch the Darmouth College Commencement Address Dr. Winters recommended. (Grab the tissues.)
Read the shorter biography mentioned:
Exactly as You Are: The Life and Faith of Mister Rogers by Shea Tuttle
Or the longer biography we discussed:
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King
I also love this article by the same author:
Mr. Rogers Had a Simple Set of Rules for Talking to Children by Maxwell King {The Atlantic}
Discover more about Mr. Rogers’ mentor, Dr. Margaret McFarland through this memorial article or this article and podcast from the University of Pittsburgh.
Learn about the Simple Interactions program and watch this overview video.
Did the Educator’s Neighborhood spark your interest? Read more about it here.
As Dr. Winters mentioned her concerns over soundbites saying early education doesn’t work, I thought of Episode 50, where I discussed the Tennessee PreK Study and the misinformed assumptions some made about it. Listen in and find the many resources linked to it here.
Previous Posts from Not Just Cute:
5 Lessons Mr. Rogers Taught Me About Being a Grown-Up
“Fred Rogers’ life story is an inspiring record of selfless service and genuine love of others. He knew from his life’s work– a work deeply rooted in developmental theory, music, and religion — that all disciplines pointed to the same end and sprang from the same source. Love.“
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