Wisdom, Stories and a Red Sweater
“In every neighborhood, all across our country, there are good people insisting on a good start for the young, and doing something about it.” Fred Rogers.
“A “small moment” is one place, one time.” Lucy Calkins.
The work and words of these two luminaries have always been a source of motivation and a focus of admiration for me. I remember growing up watching Mister Rogers and feeling like he meant it when he said he liked me just the way I was. I remember feeling reassured in a big world when he told stories about the land of make-believe where everything would always work out all right in the end. I remember wishing I could have a red sweater like the one he wore.
Even though I was all grown up, I remember crying on the day he died because the world would never be quite the same without his kindness and the warmth that not even his red sweater could provide without him. Still, he left behind a beautiful gift. He taught me how important it is to reach out and remind the children around us that each one of them is precious and valued.
Not long after that I had the good fortune to receive another gift. A teacher friend of mine gave me a book called Raising Lifelong Learners, by Lucy Calkins. In this amazing book I found a treasure trove of methodology and validation that convinced me that children of all ages not only could express themselves, but absolutely had to express their ideas in order to learn and grow. Putting a mark on a paper, leads to forming words and words are to be valued by the writer and the reader. Listening to stories told by emerging readers and writers is a sacred trust. It is a front row seat to empowerment and one of the few places in life where we can actually witness growth happen right before our eyes. Writing helps a child make sense out of the world and children have stories worth telling. Being heard and understood is not just one way communication from the child to the audience. It is also the communication to the child that what he or she has to say is valuable to others. To feel heard is to feel valued.
For all of us life is a series of “small moments” as Lucy Calkins describes and these moments can become stories worth telling. For me, the art of the story can be written or oral or expressed in countless other ways, but I am a writer and so I write. I have the privilege of writing for children and because I learned a lot from my two heroes, I want to write stories that empower my readers to keep expressing their feelings and telling their own stories.
That is a big part of the reason I write books about Fuzzwippers. These wonderful creatures whisper to the imagination of a child, choose to be with that child and depend on that child to share their story. When a child gets a Fuzzwipper, even a child who cannot yet read or write, he or she can still tell the story that is inside them. To be chosen and loved is reassuring. To be heard and valued is empowering. To have both is to be in an ideal environment for growth. To grow up with Mister Rogers and parent with Lucy Calkins is to have unmitigated gratitude for their generosity of spirit and willingness to share their respective gifts.
Sometimes people ask me why I write for children, why I founded 4 Sunflowers Media? The answer is simple, because the world still needs the warmth of Mister Rogers and because the world still has the wisdom of Lucy Calkins. The best way I know to thank them both is to spend my life in service of children reminding them that each one is loved and has a story that the world needs to hear.
Thank you to Mr. Rodgers and Mrs. Calkins for teaching me to keep my face to the sun.
Marilynn
Categories: General
