Baumgartner Presents at Fred Rogers Institute Educators' Symposium

July 31, 2023

BATON ROUGE, LA – This summer, Jennifer Baumgartner, PhD, presented Fred’s Authenticity and Deep Understanding of Self at the Fred Rogers Institute Educators’ Symposium. The Educators’ Symposium is an annual 2-day conference open to all formal and informal educators filled with keynotes, panel discussions, and interactive mingling around topics like supporting mental health in classrooms, music and disability, and Fred Rogers’ legacy in practice today. The Fred Rogers Institute advances the legacy of Fred Rogers by investing in the strengths of families and caring adults to support the healthy development of children. 

Baumgartner said, “Fred Rogers’s work in child development, early childhood education, educational technology, music, and spirituality have inspired my own work and research for decades. This past year I was privileged to have the opportunity to expand and deepen my study of his work as an Inquiry Educator Fellow with the Fred Rogers Institute. As an Inquiry Educator, I worked with the Institute Archivist to study Fred Rogers’ work on wellness and well-being, focusing on the role of personal story. On June 19, I presented some of my findings at the Educators’ Symposium. This presentation explored how teachers might build on Fred Rogers’s six essentials for learning to practice and promote authenticity and well-being."

Baumgartner is an associate professor in the LSU School of Education. She teaches in the PK-3 teacher certification program and early childhood education graduate program. Her research centers around two major issues: 1.) how philosophies and/or knowledge are translated into practices in children’s developmental contexts and, 2.) stress among teachers and children in early care settings. Her work is published in several journals, including Journal of Health Psychology, Early Child Development and Care, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education and Young Children. She has experience directing early child development laboratory schools and teaches critical perspectives in early childhood education, child development and stress in education courses. She serves as co-faculty advisor to the LSU student chapter of the Association for the Education of Young Children.
  
About Lutrill and Pearl Payne LSU School of Education (SOE)  
A school of the College of Human Sciences & Education, SOE is comprised of a diverse array of 3 undergraduate programs (early childhood, elementary, and dually certified special education/elementary education), 3 graduate certificates, 17 master’s degree program areas, 9 EdS certificate areas, and 11 PhD specialization areas. We focus not only on preparing highly qualified Birth-Grade 12 teachers but also in preparing educational leaders, curriculum studies scholars, educational technology experts, applied researchers, higher education professionals, school counselors, and clinical mental health counselors. In other words, we offer scholarly expertise regarding pressing educational and wellness issues across the entire lifespan. Visit the LSU Lutrill and Pearl Payne School of Education. 
  
About LSU College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE)  
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, the School of Library & Information Science, the School of Social Work, and the University Laboratory School. These combined schools offer 8 undergraduate degree programs, 18 graduate programs, and 7 online graduate degree and/or certificate programs, enrolling more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,120 graduate students. The College is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across the lifespan. Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education. 

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