Why I'm Still in Love with 'Sesame Street' and 'Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood' Today

“Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness.” - Katherine Henson

The Public Broadcasting Network (PBS) was the primary provider of educational television to the public. Watched by millions of children before the days of online streaming; the ones that I hold near and dear to my heart are Mr.Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street. The core values that I live my life by are obtained from what I learned from these two shows. Helping kids grow into kinder human beings; without them I know for a fact that I would be a completely different person today.

'Sesame Street' (1969 - Present)

Although Sesame Workshop is a non-profit organization, they managed to sell millions of copies of VHS and DVD. I had an amazing childhood collection, but gave it all away and now all that remains is Elmo Saves Christmas (1996). Produced in over 150 countries, in 2017 Sesame Workshop had been awarded $100 million to bring early education to refugee children. Every project that they take on is inspiring and it's a secret of mine to be on an episode of Sesame Street, preferably in a scene with Burt and we are taking about birds (Yes, I've thought about this many times).

Growing up there was not a lot of depiction of Asian American on television and when your own third grade teacher referred to you as a "chink" there's no surprise that it was hard for me to feel connected or be proud of my own culture. So when Mr. Rogers watched Yo Yo Ma perform or when Big Bird traveled to Japan and China, I finally felt like I existed. Also, it was quite amusing to watch Big Bird mistake everyone in Japan to be from Ohio when they said hello to him.

'Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood' (1968 - 2001)

It was hard to write this section of the post because everything thing that could be said about Mr. Rogers has already been said. If you haven't read any of them then to sum it up, Mr. Rogers was a vegetarian television host God who "dedicated his life to understanding children." From him, I realized the true importance and value of my role as an educator; and how worthwhile it is when a child put their trust in you.

As I grew older and moved away from these "kid" shows and delve into the world of horror but be constantly reminded of his messages through the numerous memes and parodies. Here is my favorite cameo from the thriller "The 'Burbs" featuring Tom Hanks (who is going to portray Mr. Rogers in the upcoming movie, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!!!).

To know that you are accepted for who you are is the most wonderful feeling in the world and I'd be lying if I said I don't still watch clips and episodes from both shows every now and then. Of course, there are so many great shows (aimed for an older demographic) out there that you do not have to watch Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood to learn the values and lessons they teach; Avatar: The Last Airbender, Steven Universe, and Hunter X Hunter to name a few.

Everyone episode ended in this quote so I'll just end my posts with: "You've made this day a special day, by just being you. There's no person in the whole world like you; and I like you just the way you are."