Simple and Straightforward

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civility, ethical reasoning, feelings, Fred Rogers, live together, Mr. Rogers, self-worth, sharing, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tolerance

Brian Johnson had his son, Emerson, on his optimize.me video blog today to share a message about Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Fred Rogers, as most people know, was a great influence for positive thinking for children over 33 years on his television series, Mr Rogers’ Neighborhood, and since then in his books.

So I took a bit of a divergent path into his biography to see what I didn’t know (see “Fred Rogers” on the internet) and found that much of what he taught to children could be helpful for adults today as well. The article I read about him emphasized not only the child’s developing psyche but also “feelings, sense of moral and ethical reasoning, civility, tolerance, sharing and self-worth,” topics that we all might want to spend some time pondering these days…

Brian and Emerson were talking about a Mr. Rogers’ song called “It’s You I Like.” It goes like this:

It’s you I like. It’s not the things you wear/ It’s not the way you do your hair/But it’s you I like. The way you are right now/The way down deep inside you/Not the things that hide you/Not your toys/They’re just beside you./But it’s you I like. Every part of you/Your skin, your eyes, your feelings whether old or new. I hope that you’ll remember/Even when you’re feeling blue/That it’s you I like/It’s you yourself/It’s you/It’s you I like.

Maybe you don’t know the tune but is there someone with whom you might share those lyrics or some similar sentiment today? Why not take a lesson from the children or the man who taught them – and us – so much about how to live together in this world? After all, there’s always someone who might need to hear the words, “It’s you I like; it’s you!”

The Whole Person

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Catholic school, education, Eucharist, job-training, saints, self-worth, St. John Bosco, teacher, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trade schools

When I was young, there were saints that held a special place in the hearts of Catholic school children, especially those holy people who were dedicated to education or who were young themselves when their “saintliness” was already evident. Most often, their influence was obvious at the end of the school year when final exam time rolled around. Today is the feast of St. John Bosco (1815-1888), one of the influential inspirations to whom we prayed for help with the answers on our tests!

St. John Bosco was dedicated to teaching children, first preparing them for receiving the sacrament of Eucharist and then gathering young apprentices and teaching them catechism lessons as well. Realizing the importance of a well-rounded education, he sought to connect the spiritual life of students with work, study and play. A novel idea was the addition to the curriculum of two workshops in shoemaking and tailoring; later he added a printing press for publication of religious and catechetical pamphlets. Fr. Don Miller, OFM reflects on John Bosco’s interest in vocational education saying, “Because John realized the importance of job-training and the self-worth and pride that come with talent and ability, he trained his students in the trade crafts too.”  (http://www.franciscanmedia.org)

As we consider the value of institutes of higher learning, we also ought to be thankful for those graduates of trade schools who influence our lives in so many positive and sometimes essential ways: plumbers and electricians, skilled carpenters and roofers – and, in this modern world especially, those technicians who can fix the computers that have become such an omnipresent component of our lives. May we honor the diversity of the streams of education and celebrate the talents that animate gifted crafts persons who bring excellence to their work for the benefit of us all.