Around this time of year, a number of years ago, I received in the mail a drawing from my 3-year-old granddaughter. It was sent from her child care center. At the top was a note she dictated to her teacher, letting me know that the scribbles, lines and circles said “I love you, Grandma Hedda.” What a treasure!
I thought maybe the letter was part of a Thanksgiving Day activity. But it wasn’t. It was about the mail. The children were to make pictures to send in the mail to people they love. And I have to say that, with all the e-mails and text messages these days, there’s still something heartwarming about receiving a handwritten “love note” or a “thank-you note” in the mail.
I told my granddaughter how much it meant to me to get her caring message in the mail. I also made it a point to thank her teacher for giving her (and the other children) the encouragement to express their love – and not just on birthdays, Thanksgiving Day or other holidays. I couldn’t help but think about one of our favorite Neighborhood songs about “Many Ways to Say I love you.”
Grown-up learning from Fred Rogers: Authenticity
When I was a young child I often played "teacher." I loved to line up my stuffed animals and dolls and read to them the way my teacher read to my class. I loved the idea of grading papers with a red pen and singing songs at circle time. These are the actions that meant "teaching" to me as a young child as I observed...
Compassion fatigue is the toll of sharing in the emotions and concerns of the people that you care for. Compassion fatigue is more than burnout or weariness.
Educators and caregivers who look to Fred Rogers for inspiration often ask the
question, "how would Fred Rogers respond to today's landscape of social media and
personal devices?" Fred Rogers was certainly a pioneer in using technology ...
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