A Fred Rogers–Inspired Approach to SEL

Fred Rogers taught us that each individual child is special, that every day is an opportunity to make a connection, and that the small, peaceful moments we share together have a huge impact. As an elementary educator for the past 23 years, I’ve found that the considerations necessary to make a classroom work are vast. Educators are inundated with ideas and new initiatives.

However, we may often forget that when it comes to young children, there are fundamentals necessary for them to learn. I believe that focusing on the basic facets of child development, as Fred Rogers did over 30 years and 900 episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, holds the key to a beautiful classroom neighborhood where students and the teacher thrive.

Identify The Fundamentals of Learning and Growing

As it turns out, this work was Fred Rogers’ passion. He originally wanted to be a minister, but later decided to take the energy he had, the love of others, and pour it into children’s television programming. He worked alongside Margaret McFarland, a child development researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, to discover and determine how to do this and what to do with the 30-minute block of time.

Seven fundamentals were embedded at the core of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: play, wonder, curiosity, solitude, looking and listening deeply, trust, and self-worth. As an educator of young children for the past two decades, I think these fundamentals have value and useful application in our classrooms today.

When I became aware of this list of fundamentals, I thought, “Yes to all of these.” I took the time to make this my professional goal. I chose to include these fundamentals in my classroom as my SPM, or student performance measure. I wanted to see if focusing on these fundamentals—while teaching the expected state standards—would have a positive impact on student behavior and lead to more positive academic outcomes. I was amazed at the results. When I focused on these elements, academic success soared and behavior issues were nonexistent.

In this article, I’ll unpack these ideas to help teachers create a shift in their teaching philosophy.

Play

Starting with the obvious, children need time to play. It’s a form of research for them, a way to learn more about themselves, hence improving metacognition. It’s a time to cooperate or solve conflicts with other children. Sometimes play can be alone, allowing for a time of solitude. Planned recess time averages between 20 and 30 minutes each day. I also take my class outside for one or two five-minute breaks a day. Giving them some unstructured time outside helps them focus. Finland is known to give students breaks after every 45 minutes of instruction. Sometimes, early finishers get to paint with watercolors or play with Legos. Integrating play with your lessons is also useful. Give students time to play with science materials, in the garden, and with paper so that creative energy can thrive. The thinking processes then transfer to academic work.

Wonder and Curiosity

Did you know that when you wonder, you’re learning? This is one of Fred Rogers’ songs and the motivation for the book When You Wonder, You’re Learning, by Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski. Wonder allows the joy of the human spirit to find its way into our classrooms. Wonder is where personalized learning and autonomous learning come into the scene.

I started noting and posting student wonders on our classroom wonder wall. It then became my mission to include answers, by way of learning experiences, to their wonders, so they could experience the joy of learning, and I could experience the joy of teaching them. Giving students time to be curious and ask questions promotes meaningful classroom discussions. Shifting the classroom toward students asking the questions is a beneficial way to allow their curiosities to come to life, and the more they are curious, the more they are prompted to naturally think about what is being discussed in the classroom.

One student wondered, “Do all pumpkins have the same seeds?” This helped to provide the purpose for a pumpkin exploration in our classroom. I purchased several different kinds of pumpkins, we made predictions, and we were very surprised to discover the seed types inside each one!

Solitude and Looking and Listening Deeply

Students need time to work and process on an individual and independent level. Independent work and projects help to foster the autonomy of each individual student and meet them exactly where they are. Recognizing the developmental expectations, differentiating for learners, and promoting student growth measures instead of standardizing expected outcomes yields powerful learning effects. Students also benefit from having delayed gratification tasks, which cannot be completed quickly. Some delayed gratification tasks include painting scenes from a story or shaping an object from a story out of clay, both of which take several days to finalize. It helps them manage time and feel like the work they are submitting has value.

I often play classical music or instrumental jazz in my classroom during independent solitude time. Students know it is time to focus and work on a project for a while without the noise of the world interrupting the flow of thought.

Trust and Self-Worth

The only way students can trust their teacher is if the teacher is consistent in meeting their needs. I start every morning with a morning meeting, adopted from the Responsive Classroom approach. We greet each other, share, review news and announcements for the day, and do a brief activity. I sometimes use this time to read a book focused on social and emotional learning. My students know what to expect each day. Consistency and flow, having a calm demeanor, and taking the time to be together each day help build a sense of trust.

When we take the time to focus on these elements, our students’ self-worth increases. After witnessing the benefits of integrating these themes, I’ve experienced a transformative impact on my students and on my teaching. They are clearly a necessary fundamental focus of a successful classroom neighborhood.