Thursday, March 21, 2013

Keeping Up with the Neighborhood: Knowledge from Fred Rogers

Note: This post was inspired by a wonderful teacher, Talia Hurwich

"When I was very young, most of my childhood heroes wore capes, flew through the air, or picked up buildings with one arm. They were spectacular and got a lot of attention. But as I grew, my heroes changed, so that now I can honestly say that anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me."
From The World According to Mister Rogers (Kindle Locations 501-503).

In an earlier post, "Promoting Expressions of Care...Or... Where Has Mister Rogers Gone?" I posted a clip of Fred Rogers championing public television and his mission of "Expressions of Care"  when fighting bullies, dealing with disappointments, and when dealing with frustration.  I've often reflected on Mr. Rogers and Mister Roger's Neighborhood - how it was so soothing (while on the other hand there were those terribly entertaining SNL / Eddie Murphy spoofs and Jimmy Fallon's more recent spoofs).

The thing is though, that he really did care and we need champions like Fred Rogers so much more today. Interestingly, after the Newton horror, PBS quotes and images of Mister Rogers went viral:
"On Friday[PBS] posted the image and quote ["when I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news....']. since then, the post has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people and shared more than 90,000 times on Facebook." (posted PBS.org "Mr. Rogers Post Goes Viral December 18, 2012)
Fred Rogers so deeply understood the need for compassion towards others to not only build a better world but to better ourselves.  And, he understood the for loving each other as we are and the need for play as learning and not just for a release or reward.  The bottom line is that he knew kids  and the trials and tribulations of childhood and did so much to help build a strong, healthy neighborhood.

It's up to us as adults and parents now to model respect and expressions of care while raising our kids and students.  In honor of what would have been Mr. Roger's 85th birthday (March 20, 2013) and inspired by a super post by Dave Stopera at buzzfeed.com "15 Quotes That Show That Mr. Rogers Was A Perfect Human Being" here is a tribute to and from the ultimate champion of  kids, Mister Rogers:

 On Helping:

On helping:
From: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151563693650329&set=a.90324480328.112010.21898300328&type=1
On the Importance of Play:
On youth:
From:http://christopherjonesart.tumblr.com/post/45791793119
On play:
From: http://girltomom.com/fumbling-towards-ecstacy/inspirational-quotes/mr-rogers-quote-play
On Childhood:
On childhood:
From: http://www.pbs.org/misterrogers/share/

On Friendship:
On being yourself:
From: http://lemonyandbeatrice.tumblr.com/post/44165978506
On Reflection and a Sense of Humor:
On his show's characters:
via: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/mister-rogers%27-neighborhood
On Growing and Life Lessons:
On growing:
From: http://abcpastor.wordpress.com/2008/03/19/wont-you-be-my-neighbor/
On Individual Contributions:
On the people you meet:
From: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Quotes-About-Helping-Others-Quotes-About-Making-a-Difference/9
On What Ultimately Matters:
On fame:
From:http://i.imgur.com/
 On the Power of Love:
From: Kootation.com
And in closing from PBS digital studios:
"Do you ever imagine things?...Did you ever pretend about things?... Did you ever grow anything in the garden of your mind?  You can grow ideas in the garden of your mind... It's good to be curious...All you have to do is think and they'll grow... There are so many things to learn about in this world and there are so many people who can help us learn!!! "



Thank you for your visit.
Please share your memories, quotes or Mr. Roger memories in the comments.

19 comments:

  1. this is my fave one

    “Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me. ”
    ― Fred Rogers-

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  2. Love this! Thanks for sharing on my link up!

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  3. Hi - I'm your newest follower from the Aloha Friday hop! Love your blog!
    Monica
    http://monicasrrr.blogspot.com

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  4. Great blog! I found you from the Aloha Blog Hop and I'm your newest follower!

    Missy Inspired
    http://missyinspired.blogspot.com

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  5. what a beautiful tribute. thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite things hop xo

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  6. Lovely. When I was a child, I found it so comforting that he would always wear his change his shoes and his sweaters. I'm not sure why. It always made me smile. Thank you for this post. I found you via Aloha Friday Blog Hop. Please stop by: http://penpaperpad.com and say hi. Aloha!

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  7. New follower from the blog hop. Stop by Deezy Does It! blog and link up as well as have a chance at the give-a-way. We run a link up every Friday (ends Tuesdays) with a give-a-way at http://deezydoesiteezy.blogspot.com/ with a give-a-way.
    XX
    Deezy

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  8. Aww, great post. I love Mr. Rogers! I really need to find a place where my kids can watch his show. I wonder where I can find it.

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  9. My daughters always watched Mr. Rogers' Neighbourhood and I really admired the man.

    Leslie
    abcw team

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  10. Great post and reminder of just 'what is important' ~ Wonderful choice for K ~ Enjoy ^_^

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  11. I love the quote about the helpers. I've seen where he said that and it has stuck with me.

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  12. a good Presbyterian. I was struck by the quote about the bad news quote - that's one i've been dealing w since Newtown...
    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  13. Mr. Rodgers the anathema of our fast paced world.

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  14. Wonderful quotes! I love that he admitted the unfortunate naming of Mr. McFeely.

    ♥ aquariann
    Featured Photo: Purple Cabbage Flower in Snow

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  15. Fred Rogers is a fountain of wisdom. Most people are happy to help. I saw a documentary in which it was proven that even babies of 10 months old are helpful. A baby was sitting on its mom's lap and watching a table with four identical boxes . A man enters the room and puts a toy in the most right one, than he goes away and another man comes in. He takes the toy and put it in the most left box. The he leaves and the first man comes in and starts looking for the toy. The baby points at the right box.
    This exercise was repeated several times with more babies and always with the same results. These babies couldn't talk, but were ready to help. Fabulous , isn't it?

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  16. Ah yes, the cardigan man himself. Good one.

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  17. Happy Easter!
    visit and follow from Friday blog hop.
    Would be nice if you can visit and link up at my blog.
    Have a great weekend.
    Nan
    http://www.blogshe.net/2013/03/we-need-tutor.html

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  18. Love, love, love Mr. Rogers! Thanks for sharing and helping me reminisce! Following from the GFC ILMOF blog hop. Have a wonderful week!

    Michell @Prowess and Pearls
    www.prowessandpearls.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete