Mister Rogers Research Paper

Mister Rogers Serves his Neighborhood Little did the world know that on the day of March 20th, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania a television legend would be born. This man would later, single handedly change the way children learn in America. Even after the death of the beloved Fred Rogers, his legacy continues to help shape educational television. Not only has he changed the American education system entirely, Mister Rogers affected the lives of the young and old through his innovative teaching methods and creative ideas about the way children learn. To start with Fred Rogers early life, he spent most of his spare time with his grandfather. Rogers mother forbid him to play outside because she was frightened of him becoming ill. However, his
He did not feel as though the children shows were living up to their full potential. He described them as “loud” and “hyper” he wanted to slow things down and have a show that was calm and organized (“Fred McFeely”). Mister Rogers talked in a slow passive voice, he believed that children would respond better to a gentler approach (Bowling Beatniks 908). All of the guests, field trips, and songs all had a purpose, they were to help children to cope with often scary challenges (Misko). Even the main theme song had a deeper meaning. The song, “Wont You Be My Neighbor” was formed to make the viewer’s feel at home and comforted in his presence (Bowling Beatniks 908). Another example, one of the puppets in the show, Daniel Striped Tiger asked “What does assassination mean?” That was a shock to parents watching the show considering President Kennedy had previously been assassinated days before that specific show aired (Mister Rogers” 27). He talked about a variety of subjects, moral and immoral. Death, war, poverty, disabilities, divorce, even the 9/11 attacks were all mentioned at one point (“Fred
Some made just for kids but others were for their parents. He wanted kids to feel safe, as Hedda Sharapan said, “He gave a sense that adults care about children and will do all they can to help them feel safe” (Lietz 129). He wanted to help the parents know how to care for their kids. He wrote a book dedicated to parents to teach them how to cope with their own feelings so that they can best help their children (Lietz 132). He also, had people send in letters explaining their problems and what they needed his help for. Rogers preceded to write another book with all of the letters he received and wrote his responses to them. Same as his TV show, Mister Rogers wrote books to help kids deal with challenging tasks. For example, he published books named “When a pet dies” and “Divorce” (Lietz 130). Children needed someone who they trusted and that’s who Rogers was, a dependable