Interviewee: Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski (Ridzehskee)
Recorded On: May 20, 2022
Published On: May 24, 2022
About this interview
Gregg Behr, executive director of The Grable Foundation, is a father and children's advocate whose work has drawn comparisons to his hero, Fred Rogers. For more than 15 years, he has helped lead Remake Learning—a network of educators, scientists, artists, and makers he founded in 2007—to international renown. Formed in Rogers' real-life neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Remake Learning has turned heads everywhere from Forbes to the World Economic Forum for its efforts to ignite children's curiosity, encourage creativity, and foster belonging in schools, libraries, museums, and more. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Duke University, Gregg holds honorary degrees from Carlow University and Saint Vincent College. He's an advisor to The Brookings Institution and The Fred Rogers Center, and has been honored by President Obama, the Disruptor Foundation, and AASA as an innovator and thought leader.
Ryan Rydzewski is an award-winning author and speaker. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, he taught elementary school in south Louisiana before earning an MFA in nonfiction writing from Chatham University. As a science and education reporter, his magazine stories focus on everything from schools to space travel to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and he regularly leads workshops for educators, parents, and neighbors nationwide. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Ryan lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Jacqueline.
List of skills discussed
- Acting with passion
- Behaving consistently and authentically
- Being curious
- Being truthful with self and others
- Developing rapport
- Imagining possibilities
- Inspiring others
- Living with purpose
- Paying attention to detail
- Treating others with kindness
- Treating others with respect
Tips for improving caring skills
- Start noticing what's going on around us
- Identify the atmosphere we want and don't want to be working in
- Notice how we can create an atmosphere where people feel loved, safe, and believe they can do their thing... and do it better
- Be intentional about how we build relationships and connect with people
- Take time out before digging into working with someone to connect first
References
Interview breakdown:
Tommy: 1:20
Tell us about "When You Wonder, You're Learning"
Gregg: 1:36
- Both Ryan and Gregg grew up in Western Pennsylvania
- Mr Rogers was a Pittsburg native and is a local hero in the area
- As we studied learning science, we realized that a lot of the published papers read almost like a script from Mr Rogers' Neighborhood
- Decided there was another story to tell about Fred Rogers; that of him as a scientist
Tommy: 3:54
If you want to create an outstanding experience, you have to put in the work like Fred Rogers did.
Ryan: 4:29
- Good design makes things look easy
- Every aspect of every episode of Mr Rogers' Neighborhood was grounded in some principle of child development (learning sciences)
- As we realized over time the amount of effort that went into each of over 900 episodes, we started to admire Fred as a writer, artist, philosopher, and designer
Tommy: 5:57
It seems like it's easier to resonate with Fred Rogers because he was so authentic.
Gregg: 6:14
- Mrs Rogers (Joanne) wrote the forward to When You Wonder, You're Learning
- She said that no one practiced being Fred Rogers more than Fred Rogers
- No one cared about the work more than Fred himself
Tommy: 7:03
It's important to care about what we're doing, and to do things in areas we care about.
Ryan: 7:31
- Mr Rogers was the same in real life as he was on his show
- He made people feel special in real life just like he did on television
Gregg: 8:48
- Priviledged to do work on behalf of the Grable Foundation and Remake Learning
- So much of the work is about design
- The work has been informed mightily by designers steeped in human centered design
- Crafting great learning experiences is a huge design challenge
Tommy: 9:50
Why is curiosity so important to creativity?
Ryan: 11:23
- Curiosity can be called a 'state of not knowing'
- Adults aren't as good at staying in that state of not knowing
- As adults, we feel like we need to be in control; be the expert
- Fred Rogers exposed a different way by talking to people at the top of their field and how they have struggles and self doubt too, but they keep working at it keeping themselves in that state of not knowing
- Mr Rogers celebrated the process of developing a skill
Gregg: 13:35
- Designers are often looked to as the creative ones
- Mr Rogers reminded us that everyone has something worth giving
- Designers be finding those with passions and interests worth sharing; unleash those passions in ways that contribute to whatever problem you're solving
Tommy: 14:51
How do you unleash or champion that creativity in others?
Ryan: 15:38
- Mr Rogers would bring amazing people onto his show and let them love what they did
- We should love what we do in front of others, especially those we want to bring along in our projects or on our journeys
Gregg: 18:04
- Skateboard story
- Start with something familiar before going to the place of mystery and novelty
Tommy: 21:42
How can we start improving our caring skills today?
Gregg: 22:07
- Start noticing what's going on around us
- Identify the atmosphere we want and don't want to be working in
- Notice how we can create an atmosphere where people feel loved, safe, and believe they can do their thing... and do it better
Ryan: 24:32
- Be intentional about how we build relationships and connect with people
- Take time out before digging into working with someone to connect first
