On Episode 579, I welcome Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Louisiana State University, to Teaching in Higher Ed. She explores the enduring legacy of Fred Rogers and the profound lessons his educational philosophies offer for higher education today. Jennifer shares personal memories of Mr. Rogers' comforting presence during her childhood and reflects on how his values (especially love, curiosity, and the importance of silence and trust) shape her approach as an educator.

Jenny discusses practical frameworks for bringing his spirit into college classrooms, such as the six fundamentals of learning: self-worth, trusting relationships, silence and solitude, curiosity, deep looking and listening, and play. She also offers creative ideas for nurturing curiosity and well-being among students, recounts innovative classroom activities, and reflects on her research at the Fred Rogers Institute. Together, we consider how higher education might transform if we embraced the practices of presence, empathy, and connection championed by Mr. Rogers.

Resources from the episode:

• Fred Rogers Institute
• Fred Rogers Institute at Saint Vincent College
• The Neighborhood of Make-Believe
• You don’t have to wait for the clock to strike to start teaching, by Peter Newbury
• Go Somewhere: Reimagining Technology in Education for a Better Tomorrow, Bonni Stachowiak’s Keynote at LSU’s Faculty Colloquium
• Speaking Freddish: How to Sound Like Mister Rogers, by Alexei Novak
• “Did You Know?” Song by Mister Rogers
• 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, by David Yeager
• Cartoon about writing
• Teaching C-I Substack
• Fred Rogers Archive
• OuiSi Original: Games of Visual Connection
• Thomas Dambo – Recycled Art and Troll Sculptures
• Trollmap – Locations of Thomas Dambo’s Trolls
• Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018 Documentary)

Episode topics:

• Lessons from Mr. Rogers’ Legacy in Education
• Love and Compassion in Teaching Practice
• Addressing Difficult Topics with Children and Students
• Speaking “Fredish”: Communication Techniques from Mr. Rogers
• The Six Fundamentals of Learning
• Understanding and Practicing Well-being in Academic Contexts
• Silence and Solitude as Tools for Learning
• Cultivating Curiosity in the Classroom
• Building Trust and Relationship-rich Education
• Embedding Playfulness and Routine in Higher Education
• Insights from Archival Research and Oral Histories

Discussion questions:

1. Personal Connection: How did Fred Rogers’ approach to children’s television and education personally impact Jennifer Baumgartner, and what memories do you have of Mr. Rogers growing up?
2. Slowness and Presence: The episode highlights the value of “slowness” that Fred Rogers embodied. How can educators in higher ed create more space for slowness and presence in our own teaching practices?
3. Controversy and Courage: What are some examples of bold or potentially controversial topics that Mr. Rogers addressed on his show, and how might educators today approach sensitive or challenging subjects with similar approaches?
4. Six Fundamentals of Learning: The Fred Rogers Institute describes six fundamentals: self-worth, trusting relationships, silence and solitude, curiosity, deep looking and listening, and play. Which of these do you find most meaningful in your teaching or learning experiences?
5. Building Trust and Relationships: What methods did Dr. Baumgartner discuss for building trusting relationships in the classroom? How can making your own experiences and vulnerabilities visible as an educator foster more authentic connections with students?

Related Episodes

If the themes about the legacy of Mr. Rogers with Jennifer Baumgartner resonated with you, these episodes offer further insight into joyful, relationship-centered, and justice-driven teaching:

• Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Through Joyful Curiosity (Episode 571) – Jackie Shay

  Shay explores how embracing curiosity and joy can help educators overcome imposter syndrome and find authenticity in teaching and learning.

• Joy‑Centered Pedagogy (Episode 566) – Eileen Camfield

  Camfield discusses integrating vigor and creativity into academic rigor, outlining joy as a renewable, resilience-building pedagogical resource.

• Relationship‑Rich Education at Scale (Episode 551) – Peter Felten & Kassidy Puckett

  This episode delves into how meaningful faculty-student relationships can thrive even in large courses, emphasizing empathy, storytelling, and active listening.

• Designing for Justice (Episode 549) – Rajiv Jhangiani

  Jhangiani shares strategies for embedding social justice in course design and pedagogy, ensuring students perceive and participate in equitable learning .

• Love, Wisdom, and Human Flourishing in Education (Episode 541) – Jeff Hittenberger

  Hittenberger emphasizes the transformative role of love and wisdom in educational spaces, aiming to foster environments where learners thrive ethically and emotionally .

• Working the Gardens of Our Classrooms (Episode 529) – James Lang

  Lang uses gardening metaphors to urge educators to tend to classroom ecosystems thoughtfully—promoting growth, patience, and the nurturing of learning communities.

Recommended

I wound up watching the documentary that Jennifer recommended on our way back from a family vacation. I encourage you to watch Won’t You Be My Neighbor, even if you don’t think of yourself as someone who enjoys documentaries. From the IMDB description:

An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.

The Won’t You Be My Neighbor trailer should give you a good idea of what to expect:

And be sure to bring your tissues, as it is incredibly moving. Most importantly, Mister Rogers’ legacy gets us asking a vital question of ourselves at the end. Not what he would do if he were alive today, but what should we do?

Quotable Words

From Snopes: “Fred Rogers often told this story about when he was a boy and would see scary things on the news:”

My mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.

For more on these famous words from Fred Rogers, see this snopes.com piece, verifying the “look for the helpers” quote.

Next Week’s Episode

On the upcoming episode of Teaching in Higher Ed, Leslie Bayers joins me to share about the joy of embodied learning.

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