Commonwealth Beacon: How Mr. Rogers changed the way I think about teaching

Katie Thomas, assistant director of field education in the Counseling and Behavioral Health department, participated in The Educators' Neighborhood, an initiative by the Fred Rogers Institute. Through this program, she engaged in monthly Zoom discussions with 500 educators, exploring Fred Rogers' Fundamentals of Learning and Growing.

In late August 2024, Commonwealth Beacon published an opinion piece about her experience and the concepts she now integrates into her work supporting master's students in clinical mental health counseling at William James College.

Reflecting on her participation, Thomas revealed that she hadn't watched Mr. Rogers as a child but was deeply moved by the experiences shared by other educators. "For many, Mister Rogers was the only adult who told them they were worthy of love and attention—that they were enough. In that moment, I realized why Mister Rogers didn’t resonate with me as a child. I was fortunate to receive those sentiments at home and didn’t have to search for that kind of love and reassurance. But children who needed unconditional acceptance could always find it with Mister Rogers."

Read the full opinion piece here. 

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