Morning Nuggets – The Mister Rogers You Didn’t Know

Happy Monday!

Well, here we go. I told you I’d share little nuggets of gold I’m finding in books, articles, and courses on the subject of child development. I am starting off with a resource that may surprise you since most folks don’t think of him as a child development expert—

Please welcome Mister Rogers from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood! 😀

Today I’ll simply give you a few of his credentials and you’ll know why he’s worth looking into.

Wikipedia states “Over the course of three decades on television, Fred Rogers became an indelible American icon of children’s entertainment and education, as well as a symbol of compassion, patience, and morality. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood began airing in 1968 and ran for 895 episodes; the last set of new episodes was taped in December 2000 and began airing in August 2001. Rogers received the Presidential of Freedom, some forty honorary degrees, and a Peabody Award. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, was recognized by two Congressional resolutions, and was ranked No. 35 among TV Guide’s Fifty Greatest TV Stars of All Time.”

Ok, great. So he was a nice guy with a successful children’s television show, but what qualifies him as an authority in child development? Has he had any specific training in this area?  Well…yes! He studied the cognitive and emotional development of children. Ms. Hollingsworth notes in her book that Fred Rogers’ mentor in child development from his graduate studies was noted child psychologist Dr. Margaret McFarland at the Graduate School of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh. He worked under her supervision, and consulted with her for nearly 25 years on the show.

So there you have it! Mister Rogers was more than a nice guy who changed his sweater at the start of every show.

Check back tomorrow for what can be learned from Mister Rogers! Oh, and if you want to know more about the book I am currently reading, here it is– The Simple Faith of MISTER ROGERS, by Amy Hollingsworth

[The link to the book is an affiliate link]

 

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