Mr. Rogers

Internal Blog Post

With a newly published book “The Good Neighbor” and the recent documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” I have been thinking about Mr. Rogers and the impact and influence he has had on the education of young children and the example he has set for those of us who work with children. 

I remember watching Mr. Rogers as a preschooler and then off and on again with my younger siblings.  One of my favorite parts of the show was when he would use Picture, Picture so I got to see how things were made, such as colored constructions paper and crayons.  Those real life things fascinated me!  So I enjoyed when we went on a “field trip” with him too.

As I have reflected on Mr. Rogers and his television show I have come to truly admire him and thought about how I can emulate some of his traits during my own storytimes.

1. Slow  Mr. Rogers was never in a hurry.  He took his time—his speech was slower, his words in his song were slow and clear, he took his time showing us something. I never felt rushed during my time with Mr. Rogers.
2. Pause  Mr. Rogers would pause.  He would make a statement and pause so it could “sink in”.  He would ask a question and he would pause, waiting for me to respond.  He would pause while he was showing us something.
3. Quiet  Mr. Rogers wasn’t afraid of letting it be quiet for a few moments.  He didn’t fill every moment with action or talk, which goes right along with slowing down and pausing. 
4. Eye Contact  Mr. Rogers would talk to me and look straight in my eyes.  He would pause and look at me and wait. 
5. Words  Mr. Rogers put feelings and thoughts into words.  He acknowledges feelings—sometimes you feel angry, sad, or confused.  He taught me that those feelings are not wrong or bad but instead to learn to acknowledge those feelings and learn how to express them appropriately.  Mr. Rogers didn’t talk down to me.  He used clear, concise language but never in a demeaning way.  He also “narrated” what he was doing or thinking.  “Let’s feed the fish.”  He also expressed words of affirmation to each child—“You are special” and “I like you just the way you are”.

How can we apply some of these principles as we conduct storytime at the library? 

Two ways I am going to follow Mr. Rogers’ example:

1.       Slow down during storytime.  Give the children time to digest the story or song.  I’ll try not rush from one book, song, activity to another.  Enjoy the moment of learning!

2.       Be more attentive to children by looking them in the eye and pausing to let them say what they would like to say.  This may be easier during play and learn if the storytime is large.

How has Mr. Rogers had an influence on your own interactions with children?