Bittersweet day in the neighborhood
I heard on news that Fred (Mr.) Rogers passed away yesterday.
With him goes an age of children's television as we'll never see it again.
Some of my earliest memories of television were of his show... with the trolley and the fishtank, the shoes and the sweaters, the "field trips," the World of Make-Believe, and the heart-to-heart talks in that kitchen that looked as it had when the show began some 30 or 40 years ago.
Mr. Rogers didn't use flashy graphics or crazy songs, and he didn't adhere to the modern notion that programming must cater to children's alleged 10-minute attention span. He used a live, off-camera pianist as a soundtrack, and the same hand puppet characters for decades. (It took me until I was in middle school to realize that he played each and every one of those puppet characters himself! (; )
He spoke gently and openly, never condescending, never overwhelming, and he always seemed to know the right thing to say in any situation. I once wrote him a letter, when I was a student clinician, expressing my gratitude to him as a role model in more ways than one.
I remember how he indirectly assisted me in the speech clinic. Whenever we wanted our young clients to concentrate on using slow, deliberate speech, we would say, "Use your Mr. Rogers Speech," and they would know exactly what we meant. I never expected to hear anything more, but one day, I opened my mailbox and found an envelope with a Pittsburgh return address on it. I opened it up, and there was a letter from Fred, himself, thanking me for my letter, and remarking how he was glad that he could "help out"... and praising me for wanting to work with young people.
Call me corny, but that made me feel warm and fuzzy for quite some time! (;
I also came to learn that he spoke that way in real life, too! He gave the commencement address at my college graduation several years ago, and he spoke of encouragement and honesty and dedication, and emphasized the importance of educating children so that they can grow up to be creative, well-rounded individuals.
I know that a lot of people poke fun at his show... and I'll admit that once I got past the age 7 or 8, I really didn't watch it on a regular basis, and even turned up my nose at the "childishness" of it all... but as I grew older, I came to realize the incredible contribution of this quiet, gentle man.
With him goes an age of children's television as we'll never see it again.
Some of my earliest memories of television were of his show... with the trolley and the fishtank, the shoes and the sweaters, the "field trips," the World of Make-Believe, and the heart-to-heart talks in that kitchen that looked as it had when the show began some 30 or 40 years ago.
Mr. Rogers didn't use flashy graphics or crazy songs, and he didn't adhere to the modern notion that programming must cater to children's alleged 10-minute attention span. He used a live, off-camera pianist as a soundtrack, and the same hand puppet characters for decades. (It took me until I was in middle school to realize that he played each and every one of those puppet characters himself! (; )
He spoke gently and openly, never condescending, never overwhelming, and he always seemed to know the right thing to say in any situation. I once wrote him a letter, when I was a student clinician, expressing my gratitude to him as a role model in more ways than one.
I remember how he indirectly assisted me in the speech clinic. Whenever we wanted our young clients to concentrate on using slow, deliberate speech, we would say, "Use your Mr. Rogers Speech," and they would know exactly what we meant. I never expected to hear anything more, but one day, I opened my mailbox and found an envelope with a Pittsburgh return address on it. I opened it up, and there was a letter from Fred, himself, thanking me for my letter, and remarking how he was glad that he could "help out"... and praising me for wanting to work with young people.
Call me corny, but that made me feel warm and fuzzy for quite some time! (;
I also came to learn that he spoke that way in real life, too! He gave the commencement address at my college graduation several years ago, and he spoke of encouragement and honesty and dedication, and emphasized the importance of educating children so that they can grow up to be creative, well-rounded individuals.
I know that a lot of people poke fun at his show... and I'll admit that once I got past the age 7 or 8, I really didn't watch it on a regular basis, and even turned up my nose at the "childishness" of it all... but as I grew older, I came to realize the incredible contribution of this quiet, gentle man.