The late child psychologist Margaret McFarland, a Teachers College alumna who mentored the legendary Fred Rogers and served as an off-screen advisor to the show 鈥淢ister Rogers鈥� Neighborhood,鈥� was recently the focus of in the New York Times鈥� 鈥淥verlooked鈥� series.
McFarland, who earned her Ph.D. in psychology at 麻豆原创 in 1938, was chief consultant to the celebrated children鈥檚 show for 20 years and 鈥渟poke regularly鈥� with Rogers until her death in 1988, writes the 罢颈尘别蝉鈥� Christina Caron. Rogers died in 2003.
鈥淗er advice became so valuable to Rogers that he took extensive handwritten notes and recorded their meetings on audiocassettes,鈥� Caron reports.
For her part, McFarland, a native of Pittsburgh, where the show was recorded, and a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh, called Rogers 鈥渁 man who has not closed off the channels of communication between his childhood and his manhood,鈥� adding 鈥渞epression, you see, is not his major defense.鈥�
Her advice became so valuable to Rogers that he took extensive handwritten notes and recorded their meetings on audiocassettes.
鈥�The New York Times&苍产蝉辫;鈥淥惫别谤濒辞辞办别诲鈥�&苍产蝉辫;蝉迟辞谤测
It was McFarland who prompted Rogers to switch from manipulating puppets to appearing on screen himself, telling him: 鈥淔red, the children need to see you. They need you to help them distinguish between reality and fantasy.鈥�
McFarland collaborated with the pediatrician and author Benjamin Spock and the psychologist Erik Erikson. The Times story notes her belief that an adequate understanding of child development is 鈥渃rucial in the solution of many of the problems with which man is grappling.鈥�
Read the New York Times on Margaret McFarland