A repost:
Here are some quotes from the documentary on Mr. Rogers’ life that resonated in my own mind with the work we do. They point to the way in which we might design future curriculums, with more interest in what the child is really experiencing in our classrooms and less on the subject matter itself:
“It’s you I like, you yourself [ed. note: and not the grades they make]…”.
“You don’t have to do anything sensational for people to love you.”
“What people need most is to feel that others care about them and know that they are trying their best.”
“I felt [as a child growing up] that the adults around me were pressuring me to be what I couldn’t be yet. I was afraid that they’d laugh at me when I tried.”
“I feel that those who try to make you feel less than you are, then that’s the greatest evil.”
“Everybody longs to be loved and to know that they are lovable and capable of loving.”
“Children need adults who will protect them from the molders of their world.” ([ed. note: in our case that made me think of ACTFL which has never challenged the textbook, and all the teachers who want to mold their language students with grades and not with love and unconditional positive regard, as well as professional respect for the research]
“I don’t think that anyone can grow unless they are accepted exactly as they are.”
“I’ve always felt that I didn’t need to put on a funny hat or jump through the hoop to have a relationship with a child.” [[ed. note: this makes me think about how so many teachers wrongly think that our work is about making ourselves into entertainers which is not true at all]
“Love is at the heart of all learning.”