"A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD" HAS MR.
ROGERS AND HIS SIMPLE PULL AND
EFFECTIVE TEACHINGS BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT.
BUT JUNLEI LI, A SENIOR LECTURER IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AT
HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION HAS LONG HELD ROGERS
IN HIGH REGARD.
LI'S WORK IS SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED AND INSPIRED BY THAT
OF ROGERS, WHO CREATED THE PBS SHOW OF "MR.
ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD."
LI RECENTLY JOINED ME IN THE STUDIO AFTER A SPEAKING
ENGAGEMENT IN OUR REENG.
>> WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF FRED'S WORK BASE HUSBAND WORK IS EARLY
CHILDHOOD, THEY THINK, WE WATCHED THIS PROGRAM WHEN WE
WERE CHILDREN.
THERE'S A LOT OF NOSTALGIA.
I THINK THE REASON PEOPLE FEEL CONNECTED TO HIS WORK IS NOT
JUST LOOKING BACK BUT THAT SOMEHOW WE ARE TRYING TO DRAW
SOMETHING FROM OUR MEMORIES OF HIS WORK, FROM OUR MORMS OF THE
WAY WE FEEL WHEN WE ARE WATCHING THE TELEVISION, AND WE ARE
TRYING TO APPLY IT TO TODAY.
HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES TODAY.
I THINK THAT'S THE IDEA OF FRED FORWARD OR WHAT WOULD FRED DO.
OR MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THE LESSONS WE THINK WE
HAVE LEARNED FROM MR.
ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD?
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BENEFIT FROM ASKING THEMSELVES
THAT QUESTION, "WHAT WOULD FRED DO?"
>> ANYBODY WHO IS EVER A NEIGHBOR TO SOMEBODY ELSE.
I GUESS THAT MEANS JUST PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE.
>> SO NOT JUST PARENTS OR CAREGIVERS OF LITTLE ONES.
>> ANYONE.
YEAH, ANYONE WHO, IN THE PROFESSIONAL WORK, IN THEIR
COMMUNITY WORK, IN THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE, ARE INVOLVED AND
INVESTED IN SUPPORTING OTHER PEOPLE.
WHETHER THESE OTHER PEOPLE ARE VERY YOUNG CHILDREN OR WHETHER
THE OTHER PEOPLE ARE ELDERLY OR THEY'RE PEERS OR JUST ANYBODY IN
THE COMMUNITY.
>> I READ THAT YOU GREW UP IN CHINA.
AND SO YOU DID NOT GROW UP WITH FRED RODGERS, LIKE SO MANY OF US
DID AS KIDS, RIGHT?
AND I ALSO READ THAT YOU FIRST SAW HIM IN AN EDDIE MURPHY
IMPRESSION ON "SATURDAY NIGHT LIFE."
IS THAT CORRECT?
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
>> I ALSO READ THAT YOU WENT AND WATCHED VIDEO OF ACTUAL FRED
RODGERS DOING, BEING MR.
ROGERS.
WERE YOU LOOKING FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD MODEL?
OR LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO TEACH?
OR WERE YOU JUST CHECKING THINGS OUT?
>> I WENT TO GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PITTSBURGH WHERE "A BEAUTIFUL
DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD" WAS PRODUCED.
SOME MORNS, IF NOT FIRST THING OFF TO CLASS I WOULD PUT ON MY
PUBLIC TELEVISION STATION AND THERE WOULD BE RERUNS OF
"MR.
ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD."
AND I INITIALLY APPROACHED IT AS SOMEONE STUDYING CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPMENT.
I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING VERY POWERFUL ABOUT HIS PROGRAM THAT,
IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT CHILD DEVELOPMENT.
IT WAS ABOUT WHO WE ARE AS HUMAN BEINGS.
AND I THINK THE SENSE SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO GREW UP IN -- IN
LITERALLY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD, WHO NEVER GREW UP
WITH THE PROGRAM, BUT NEVER THE NECESSARY FOUND A DEEP
CONNECTION TO WHAT HE HAD TO SAY, AS A HUMAN BEING, I THINK
THAT ITSELF SEEMS TO ME AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE KIND OF THE
UNIVERSAL DEEP IDEAS THAT FRED WAS TALKING ABOUT THROUGH FROM
ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> ONE OF THOSE IDEAS I HAVE HEARD YOU TALK ABOUT IS THE IDEA
THAT ANYTHING IS WORTH DOING, ANYTHING THAT'S WORTH DOING
TAKES EFFORT.
WHY IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU FOCUS ON AND TALK ABOUT?
>> I THINK WE THINK OF THE WORLD SOMETIMES AS KIND OF ALMOST A
BLACK AND WHITE WORLD, WHERE IT'S EITHER A GOOD PARENT OR A
BAD PARENT PARTY, A GOOD TEACHERS OR A BAD TEACHERS, AND
SO ON.
I THINK MOST OF OUR WORK IS IN THE CONSTANT STATE OF STRIVING.
PARENTS ARE STRIVING TO GROW AS PARENTS, EVEN AS CHILDREN GROW.
TEACHERS ARE STRIVING TO GROW AS TEACHERS.
EVEN THOSE OF US WHO ARE IN THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD OR WHO ARE
PRODUCING TELEVISION, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE ALWAYS GROWING,
RIGHT?
AND SO WHEN I THINK OF WHAT FRED TALKED ABOUT, KIND OF, YOU'VE
GOT TO DO IT, YOU'VE GOT TO TRY, I THINK IT'S THIS IDEAS THAT WE
ACTUALLY LEARN AND GROWTH THROUGH STRIVING AS OPPOSED TO
THINKING OF OURSELVES AS READY MADE AND YOU EITHER HAVE
SOMETHING OR YOU DON'T. >> SO THAT IDEA OF STRIVING,
JUST THE TRYING IN AND OF ITSELF, IS GOOD.
I REMEMBER HIM TALKING ALSO ABOUT JUST TRYING, EVEN IF YOU
FAIL, TRYING AGAIN IS VERY IMPORTANT.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT PARENTING AND PARENTS AND KIDS TODAY, DO YOU
THINK IT'S KIDS WHO ARE AFRAID TO FAIL?
OR PARENTS WHO ARE AFRAID TO SEE THEIR KIDS FAIL?
>> I THINK FOR FAMILIES AND FOR TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS, I THINK
SOMETIMES AS A CULTURE, WE ARE SO NARROWLY FOCUSED, A VERY
SMALL SET OF METRICS, OUTCOMES.
AND WHEN YOU NARROW THE FIELD LIKE THAT, AND PEOPLE NATURALLY
ARE AFRAID TO FAIL.
AND I THINK IN MR.
ROGERS' WAY OF THINKING ABOUT A PERSON WHO
IS GROWING, HE WOULD ALWAYS SAY, ANY ONE OF US IS MORE THAN JUST
ONE THING.
RIGHT?
SO A YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IS MORE THAN JUST A COLLEGE
THEY'RE ADMITTED IN. AND A FIVE-YEAR-OLD IS MORE THAN
WHETHER HE OR SHE CAN SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET.
THEY ARE JUST SO MUCH ASPECT OF OUR LEARNING AND GROWING.
I THINK THE MORE WE THINK OF OURSELVES, THINK OF CHILDREN AS
WHOLE HUMAN BEINGS THAT GROWS AND LEARNS, ALL THESE DIFFERENT
WAYS, THAT LESS I THINK WE WOULD BE SO ANXIOUS ABOUT FAILING THE
AT ONE PARTICULAR THING.
AND IT'S NOT THE FAILING THAT I THINK IS THE CHALLENGE.
IT'S THIS PRESSURE THAT WE FEEL IF WE FAIL, THAT MUST MEAN WE'RE
NOT GOOD AT IT AND THEREFORE IT'S NOT EVEN WORTH STRIVING.
I THINK THAT'S THE CHALLENGE, RIGHT?
THAT IF WE BELIEVE THAT, O. WE FAILED.
THAT JUST MEANS WE TRY HARDER.
>> OR TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
TRY A DIFFERENT APPROACH.
AND I THINK BELIEVING THAT OUR DEVELOPMENT, AS CHILDREN AS WELL
AS ADULTS, CONSISTS OF STRIVING RATHER THAN MEASURED
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE.
>> I WAS LOOKING ON YOUR WEBSITE, THE SIMPLE INTERACTIONS
APPROACH.
AND THERE'S A GRAPHIC THAT REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME.
AND ONE PART OF IT SAYS "CHILD DEVELOPMENT."
AND IT SAYS ACTIVE INGREDIENT.
HUMAN INTERACTION.
AND THAT JUST REALLY TOUCHED ME WHEN I READ THAT.
DO YOU THINK THAT WE OVERCOMPLICATE THINGS TODAY?
IN AND UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF THAT SIMPLICITY?
>> I THINK WE LIVE IN A WORLD THAT IS COMPLICATED AND THE
WORLD CONVEYS TO PARENTS, TO FAMILIES, A LOT OF NOISY
INFORMATION.
BUT SOMETHING THAT I'VE OFTEN LEARNED FROM FRED'S WORK AND THE
STANDARD BY WHICH HE HELD HIMSELF UP TO, HE WOULD SAY
SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT THAT, DEEP AND SIMPLE IS FAR MORE
ESSENTIAL THAN SHALLOW AND COMPLEX.
SO I THINK EACH OF US, NO MATTER WHAT WE DO PERSONALLY AND
PROFESSIONALLY, WE CAN KIND OF LOOK ACROSS OUR OWN LIVES, LOOK
ACROSS OUR CALENDARS AND GO, WE HAVE A LOT OF COMPLEXITY HERE.
BUT I THINK THE QUESTION WE ASK OURSELVES IS, WHAT IS DEEP AND
SIMPLE ABOUT WHAT WE DO AS A PROFESSION, AS A PARENT, AS A
MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY?
AND THEN THAT QUESTION INEVITABLY WILL TURN TO, WHAT IS
DEEP AND SIMPLE ABOUT YOU?
THE PERSON.
AND WHAT ABOUT THAT PART OF YOU THAT YOU BRING TO WHAT YOU DO?
AND I THINK THE CLOSER WE STAY CONNECTED TO THAT, THE MORE
WE'RE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THE SHALLOW AND COMPLEX WORLD,
AND HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO KEEP STRIVING REGARDLESS OF WHETHER
WE'RE SUCCEEDING OR NOT.