Those of us who grew up watching Robin Williams movies no doubt took away a life lesson or two. Aside from perhaps Dead Poets Society, Williams was never more in teaching mode than he was during his guest appearances on Sesame Street. At this moment, it feels especially heartening to look back on what the actor helped us learn.

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Sesame Street went to Twitter to remember Robin Williams the way we all should: bellowing with laughter and looking more colorful and fuzzy than the Muppets he’s standing beside. Here are more of Williams’s magical teaching moments from the show.

On What It Means to Be Alive:

Oof. We’ll be honest, this is a tear-jearker. It is Williams at his full-on wackiest, watering his shoes and feeding them a banana, but it nonetheless stings a little to hear him list off the differences between a living and non-living thing.

On the Power of Imagination:

This may have been a kid-friendly intro to Williams’s fast-changing, hyperkinetic style of humor, but the real take-away here is that someone who can create with his mind will never be bored – or boring.

On Looking for Similarities with Others:

In this clip, Robin Williams meets a Muppet who is also named Robin. Rather than just stopping at all the obvious differences, however, these two push themselves to instead find the many ways they’re alike.

On What “Conflict” Means:

How better to demonstrate conflicts than to show how much easier it is to avoid a conflict? Also a fun lesson here: Robin Williams was apparently fluent in monster-ese.

For more on Robin Williams’s tragic death and his legacy of comic genius, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

The Williams family is asking well-wishers to send contributions to charities close to the actor’s heart in lieu of flowers. Suggested organizations include St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Challenged Athletes, USO, the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco.