Conversation Table

Can you imagine if there was a city that, with no mandates or laws or legislation from a higher authority, decided to commit part of their budget to Early Childhood Education? To open schools with a child centered focus for zero to six year olds?

And when federal and state legislation does get passed, mandating education for children from three to six, the city lets these federal schools open but continues their commitment to this child-centered education in their own schools? Although money is coming in from the state and the country, the city continues to commit money to its city-run preschools?

Oh, and the commitment from the city is 16% of the budget.

There is so much to be inspired by in Reggio Emilia, Italy; but the most inspiring thing for me is the commitment they have to high-quality early childhood education for every child in the city. We were lucky enough to hear about the history of education in Reggio Emilia from an array of people, from city officers to a man from the ministry of education and primary school teachers. The community respects what the municipal schools do, they have supported them for a long time, and continue to respect and support them. In fact, the community is interested in primary school children being able to get the same research-based, emergent education experience in primary school.

I wish I could think of somewhere in the states that did something like this. I'm not sure if I have expressed this here before, but for me, Head Start is not a commitment to high quality education for EVERY child - it is a commitment to children from low-income families in places where there is a Head Start facility. I student taught in a Head Start classroom on the Lower East Side in Manhattan, with knowledgable teachers. Just because a family has money and can send their child to Preschool doesn't mean they will; and just because they send their child to preschool doesn't mean it is a high-quality one. I appreciate the city of Reggio Emilia's real, true commitment to education. They are a mixed community -- 20% of the population are non-Italians. But the children and their families are welcomed into the schools with open arms, and a promise for a free education that will help children to be independent thinkers and problem solvers.

The fact that no one is in a "fancy" preschool in this city also tells us that children are more mixed in the classrooms - economically, culturally, socially. I think this is always a positive. In the states, you might not go to PreK, or you might go to a Head Start program, or you might go to daycare, or you might go to a private preschool, or you might go to public PreK. There are differences in who will be in those environments; and because of a commitment the city of Reggio Emilia made when they were small, each child gets an equal education, starting at birth.

I think that all children in the US are entitled to high quality education, but the problem comes from our lack of a definition for "high quality". I could continue to go on about the ideas that I believe make up high quality education, but perhaps that should be shared. I hope you will all contribute, no matter where you teach or what you believe. I think it is also interesting to hear from people who are not early childhood educators. What do you believe? What are we commiting to when we say "high quality"?

I'll start. Please use the comments to continue!

Rest Time

I am now in my sixth year of teaching. I have been at numerous schools, read many books on teaching and learning, and have begun to connect with teachers all over the globe. Writing here has been a wonderful thing for me - I'm able to reflect on my job, share the learning and exploration of my students, and organize my own thoughts. And by reading other teachers' blogs, I can learn about other classrooms, other approaches, other challenges, and see the changing community of early childhood education.

But you want to know something that no one is an expert in?

Rest time.

As I sit here, I am at a table in a darkened room, listening to a lullatone curated nap time mix (that you can find over at snore and guzzle). It is right after lunchtime, so there is the inevitable parade to the bathroom. And there are tissues. And there are cups of water. And there is the throwing away of tissues. And there is the readjusting of blankets, which always involves standing up and waving the blanket in the air between ten and twelve times.

There are two children who always fall asleep, after trying desperately to keep themselves awake for 30 minutes. On a Monday or a Friday, about half the class sleeps.

We listen to quiet music sometimes; other times we listen to stories. This group seems to be excited by storytelling -- there is more moving and joining in and excitement.

These children are all four years old now. Some have clearly outgrown their naps. Last year, towards the end of the year, we started a book time for the first 15 minutes, and that ended up lasting for the whole rest time by the end of the year. So many more children slept last year - this was not an issue at all in November.

They are staying on their mats for the most part, and being quiet. But some children do not need this rest; some need to move. These children are desperately trying to find something to do to keep themselves entertained.

So here is the question I pose : How do we balance? I am interested in giving the children on their mats something to do, but I don't want the sleepers to become so distracted they do not get the rest they need. I'm interested in the children having something to do - but the "look at a book" thing seems like it works with children who are engaged by books for 45 minutes.

Some things that come to mind:

• nap totes with a naptime sketchbook, a book of the child's choice, something else quiet?
• A few small mp3 players or portable CD players for children to listen to individual music and stories on, perhaps in native languages
• small sewing bags (simple embroidery, after we have done it a few more times in class)

I'm sure there are more options - I suppose I'm reaching out to our community, here. I imagine I could make the children part of this process, as well. The girl who is making cat noises in the corner and the boy trying to throw and catch his pillow with his feet may have some interesting insights. It is their rest time, anyway.

What do you do? Would you change anything? Do you have any cutting edge ideas for this timeless dilemma?

{more coming on Reggio soon, I promise...}

Reflections 1

Where to begin? Logistics? Facts? Assumptions? I'm still not sure how to organize my thoughts and ideas about my week in Reggio Emilia. As a result, my reflections here may be scattered and (not surprisingly) a bit rambling. But stick with me - I hope these posts will be a place for more conversation on the topics.

I'll start by saying that there is a part of me that is relieved. I have read about and seen photos of and listened to people speak about the Reggio Approach so many times since I began teaching. And because of what I saw and heard, I began to consider myself "Reggio-Inspired", which is a pretty safe place to be in. I do not work in a school that uses the Reggio Approach - I am fortunate enough to have a flexible curriculum that allows me to create the environment and the general teaching approach.

I am relieved because it is a real place, with real people. Children attend the school who have Disney/Pixar lunchboxes, the kids play Uno sometimes, they have challenges with parents sometimes, children have behavior problems - it is not a utopia. Or does that make it more of one? I'm not sure. There are things that I saw that I wasn't interested in, or wouldn't use in my classroom.

I guess that point is, I'm now able to stop asking myself "Would They Do This in Reggio?" when I'm planning or changing the environment or thinking about next steps in a project. Because I have seen Reggio, I have listened to their teachers, and it comes down to this : passion and knowledge. Know your community and their needs, and love what you do. This was the most inspirational professional development I have ever done - I still consider myself an advocate of the Reggio Approach. But I really noticed that it has so much to do with your community and their values and priorities, and your own passion for advocating a positive image of the child.

to be continued...

Briefly, from Reggio Emilia

I apologize for my lack of writing while here in Reggio Emilia. Between long, inspirational days of conversation and school visits, and an unfortunate lack of internet at the hotel, I'm a wee bit out of touch.

I am writing quite a bit, but none of it here yet. I'm looking forward to sharing next week.

For those of you who were here in the weeks before me, I am excited about reading your thoughts on the documentation experience, and the staff experience! Being here to learn about continuity has been fascinating, even though I am not a primary school teacher.

Much more to come!

Our Work

Images from our week.

Ciao

I had a dream last night that I was on a tour bus in Reggio Emilia, trying to secretly take photos out the window. And I got in trouble for it.

I leave tomorrow night for Reggio Emilia, and after a cheap flight and a few trains, I'll arrive on Saturday afternoon. I'm looking forward to listening, looking, writing, watching, and eating. I'm looking forward to being inspired by people and spaces.

I got my schedule today - We visit quite a few primary schools. How will that look? What is similar between preschool and primary school in Reggio Emilia? I know of the links and commonalities between the infant/toddler centers and the preschools...but then what happens? Is there a big transition, or jump, for the children to make? Do the primary schools work on an inquiry based system?

It was my biggest hope that I could have been in Reggio Emilia this week, for the week on documentation. It didn't work out - it's a big week here on campus and my director wasn't letting anyone out - not even for professional development. So my week is about "The Experience of The Preschools and Research Contexts and Continuity With Primary School" - quite a mouthful. Our preschool program here is play and inquiry-based; but when the children walk up the stairs to Kindergarten, they are in the world of math block, literacy block, and french class. There is time for free play, and time for the children to choose, but there is something about the first year you start having "Writer's Workshop". It sounds like serious business. And "Writer's Workshop" doesn't sound like something a child would call mandatory writing time.

This is mostly babbling - if you are still reading I'm surprised. The point is, I'm looking forward to learning about something I didn't know I wanted to learn about. I focus so much on young ones, that I forget that they become older ones. They need support even further on their journey, too.

Sketchbooks Continue, 6 weeks in...

I feel like I am not sharing a lot about our sketchbook journey. I should make more regular reflections here, but I find that everything I've documented has stayed in the video camera, the mp3 recorder, and my memory card. It's time to get organized, I think.

When I think of this new part of the day, the first thing that comes to mind is success. It's going incredibly well. One of the biggest benefits, I think, is the fine motor activity. Some children do not choose fine motor activities at all because they are difficult, so they don't get the chance to hone those skills. Now they are. Children who never choose to draw or paint ask to continue working in their sketchbook when it is time to move on. Children who have never taken the cap off a marker are asking for their second sketchbook.

There are obviously things to think about. Do they always need a prompt? Can I expect it to start to last longer than it is now? How can we incorporate something besides 2 dimensional artwork? How can we be using it to support our inquiry?

It really is a wonderful part of the day, and I was so happy to share the books with parents last week during learning conferences. I'm glad we're sticking with it, and it's exciting to see it evolve. It feels very natural.

Indie Rock Coloring Book

I just sent this link to my my brother.

Although we don't use coloring pages in school, I can see how one might prefer this kind of coloring book to the Disney kind that is exclusively pictures of princesses in poofy dresses. Let's make room for some new subject matter!

Plus, the Yellow Bird Project is about T-shirts designed by indie rock artists, with all profits going to their chosen charity. Another good reason for a new coloring book!

Self Portraits

We did some self portraits during the first few weeks of school this year. It is interesting to see how the children see themselves and represent that, and then to see what they do when presented with a mirror. Some children do an exercise in observational drawing; others ignore the mirror.

Do you do self portaits? How?

The Philosophical Baby

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This is excellent, and the book sounds fascinating!

The Philosophical Baby: What Children's Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life