What Would Mr. Rogers Say?
Since Fred Rogers’ death in 2003, this question comes up regularly when tragedies and difficult topics arise that leave people reeling:Â What would Mr. Rogers say?
It has not been lost on many that the tragedy at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue happened in the very neighborhood where Mr. Rogers lived and filmed his television show – Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. And so, people have been wondering: What would Mr. Rogers say?
On the website for the Fred Rogers Center, it says:
Fred believed that the foundation of every child’s healthy development is the power of human connection. Whether we are parents, educators, media creators, or neighbors, each of us has unique and enormous potential to nourish children’s lives with positive interactions.
A well-known quote:
Anyone who has ever been able to sustain good work has had at least one person – and often many – who have believed in him or her. We just don’t get to be competent human beings without a lot of different investments from others.
At a young age, Fred was taught by his mom to always look for the “helpers” in your community in times of crisis and sadness. In these heart-breaking times, we could all benefit from looking to Mr. Rogers life’s work with children and families and putting into action his core mission to help children grow as confident, competent, and caring human beings – for this generation of Rashi students and their families and for the generations to come.
Further Reading:
Take a look at this story featured recently on NPR’s Here and Now.