"What does it feel like to be a child in this environment day after day after day?" This question provokes another one: "What experiences should all children have much of the time?" (not every minute). In other words, what standards of experience should we provide for our young
I need to print this out and hang it somewhere that I will see it every day!
In an industry, raw material is placed on an assembly line, and is then run through a sequence of processes, at the end of which out come identical shoes or cups or pencils or whatever else is being manufactured
It also seems that the children who are able to escape this in their education are predominately wealthy and white. Having money affords many children the ability to attend schools that try and break this mold.
perform well on test of academic skills.
It's all with the ultimate intention of getting kids into prestigious colleges. Which are a commodity. Schools are a training ground for the ability to perform well on tests, and not real life.
ape recorder
I would love an old school tape recorder for my classroom. Not only would it help with documentation, but my students would love playing with it as well!
The continuity of education for young children from 3 months to 6 years
So important. My husband works in the Philly public school system and so many of his students never had access to ECE. He can really tell the difference. What a world of change this would be for the US in our fight for equity! It starts with education!
free education for all children from 3 years to 6 years of age.This connectedwith the existingfree public education for children from theage of 6 to 18. In 1971 a national law established infant/toddler centers for children from 3 months to 3 years of age.
Would love to see the US move in this direction. I was also thinking about Reggio schools location. They're often in city center and accessible to the public in some way or form. Is that even possible in the US with such an unfortunate gun problem? I know that when I've worked at Jewish schools the idea was to always hide our windows, block access to the public, and protect our students from an active shooter situation. I wish and long for a time when this is not the case.
Therefore the teacher working with children on visual expression was named atelierista, rather
I find one aspect of Reggio schools and philosophy that stands out is the mindful considerations that are made every step of the way. Everything is thought out and I believe that is a major contributor to the success of the schools world wide. I don't think there had been many other examples before Reggio of schools putting this much intention into ECE centers. Even today in the US there are so many chain "daycares" that don't value the environment or the contributions environment make to the development of the child.
Celestin Freinet, and in Switzerland there was the Geneva school guided by collaborators of Jean Piaget.
I would love to look into this more! How interesting would it be to compare/contrast the Reggio schools we are studying with other schools that were opening around the same time historically.
open up to observation, research and experimentation by teachers who, together with children, participate in constructing a new culture of education.
And within this text is the idea that as educators, we must be vulnerable. We must allow for growth within ourselves.
slab
I notice they use clay often in Reggio Emilia, is there a reason why clay is a common material?
implicitly
This word gives way to so much interpretation in the classroom. Teaching is not black and white, there are the 100 languages for us to decipher and understand- love it!
It’s a very long paper with sticky labels, and Laura keeps pulling and pulling with large arm movements until all the paper is out. Laura’s feet are com-pletely covered by the paper, and the drawer is empty. Laura makes sure that there is no more paper in the drawer.
great example of observations and documentation-
Only my intervention restores a little calmness between the little girls who, still next to each other, respond to my requests to point at the eyes, the nose, the hair of the doll.
I love that threshold the teacher finds in this anecdote. The perfect space of not intervening during conflict in ways that diminish the learning experience for children.
The role of the teacher as program planner emphasizes the role of creator of the environment as a third teacher.
I'm very interested in the role of the environment this year as my classroom is a makeshift office space. What can I do to elevate the space to facilitate learning? I've been trying to overcome nerves about my new job and position enough to take the risk involved, I believe, in really creating that type of environment.
ver the past 50 years, teachers and administrators have discussed and considered the responsibilities, goals, dif-ficulties, and opportunities faced by the teachers in their public child-care system.
It is so distinctive of Reggio Emilia to describe this sort of process through with educators are constantly evaluating and re-evaluating their work. It contrasts sharply with the American notion of going to school, doing student teacher, and then being done with growing in the field. I feel like PDs are nice, but are not done enough throughout the year to promote real structural change in classrooms.
our image of the child is rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent, and most of all, connected to adults and other children. (Malaguzzi, 1993, p. 10)
I appreciate the positive framing here more than the negative above. What we CAN do as educators, rather than what we shouldn't do.
Think of an occasion when you were surprised by a child's com-petence. Discuss the occasion and what it means in terms of yourassumptions about children and/ or your images of children. In thisinstance, what do you think enabled you to tune your ears to chil-dren's voices?
Today on the nature-scape playground several of my students gave up their spot in line at the slide to help another student who was much shorter climb up the slide. The team work and mutual compromise surprised me for a group of kids that have only been in class together for a week!
Recall an instance when you witnessed a child's rights being disre-garded. Describe the occurrence, how you felt, and what you did or could have done to support the child.
Like it was cited in the article above, many times I see children being carried around by adults that are capable of walking on their own.
Think of a time when, as a child, you didn't think your rights weresupported. Describe the event and how it made you feel.
I always think about being forced to stay at the table until my plate was "clean" and how it is a violation of rights to force someone to eat when they're not hungry. We still see this type of mentality when it comes to food and children today. I have parents ask me all the time why their kids don't finish their lunches and if I can spoon feed their three year old when the lunch is already too big for a grown adult to eat! Children typically have an innate ability to know when they are full. That is why babies will turn their head away from a spoon when they are spoon-fed. We rob children of this self-knowledge when we force them to eat in situations where they are not hungry.
immediate context
It is so important to contextualize the conversations we are having with children!
A teacher of 1-year-olds decided to analyze archival photos of her classroom as a means of listening to what infants were saying about their rights. The teacher noticed that although the infants had all become mobile, photographs still de-picted adults carrying infants from place to place.
I can certainly slow down in my teaching and see where I am impeding on children's independence.
'"listening' to very young children does not necessarily mean taking all their utterances at face value, but it does mean observing the nuances"
Reading between the lines in conversations with children is something I need to get better at.
urprised by the children's insistence that it was okay to be happy but not okay to be sad or to be angry.
This goes along with our need as a society to have things be "happy", "good", and "pretty" all of the time. Adults so often tell a crying child, "you're okay!" rather than asking the child whats wrong or why they're crying. It's this knee-jerk reaction against what we perceive as negative emotions that teaches children that its not okay to be sad or angry.
such as the first time a child points to request an object or represents something by imitating it, for example, flapping her or his arms to signify a bird (Doherty-Sneddon, 2003).
I never considered this. I'm curious to see where my blind spots are in my own practices. What milestones do I celebrate in my classroom vs. the ones I accidentally overlook?
A children's rights movement must be as much about "adult ears" as it is about "children's voices" (
This reads as profound to me! So well said. It is up to us to help elevate the voice of children by listening to children.
dult ideas,
The list of rights compiled by students at BJS reads so poetically. My school's theme this year is community and this list is giving me lots of inspiration!
teachers began to wonder what children thought about rights.
Most teachers I know would politely ask the child to put away the sign and give the child something else to do. Imagine how many lost opportunities for learning and growth there are because educators don't take risks in allowing certain activities in the classroom.
"l, 2, 3, 4 ... we don't want your muddy war."
I can't imagine many schools in the US other than BJS that would allow a four year old to bring that into the classroom. I know for certain that I have not worked anywhere where this type of freedom was encouraged for children. I love this!
Children have a right to a good school — a goodbuilding, good teachers, right time, good activities.This is the right of ALL children.
I would love to see the education system in the United States reflect this sentiment. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming as just one teacher the amount of work it will take to dismantle all of the white supremacy, racism, classism, and segregation that currently frames our school system.
This is something that’s right forus and it’s right for the children
fostering a sense of safety gives children the sense that they can take risks and learn on their own!
Children are not at all like this, predictable. Butsometimes schools function as if they were; these areschools with no joy.
How can we limit the amount of schools that function without joy? A school without joy is oppressive, and it ought to be our goal as educators to liberate our students from oppressive forces.
This especially rings true to me when I think of how segregated our school system is in the United States. It also brings to mind the school-to-prison pipeline and what those schools must feel like on a day-to-day basis.
he expec-tations that the children have of the adults and theadults have of the children are important. We mustspend some time talking about these expectations
I'm thinking about setting up classroom expectations a lot right now in the process of opening up school. This is certainly a little nugget of wisdom that I hope I can store in my mind for later.
They understandwhether the adults are working together in a trulycollaborative way or if they are separated in someway from each other, living their experience as if itwere private with little interaction.
What awesome supportive text for the practice of collaborative teaching. My current school typically has two lead teachers in each room for collaboration and teamwork during "normal" school years. This year, due to Covid, we've had to limit the amount of adults/bodies in a classroom which has been to the detriment of this model.
There’s a difference between the environmentthat you are able to build based on a preconceivedimage of the child and the environment that you canbuild that is based on the child you see in front of you— the relationship you build with the child, thegames you play. An environment that grows out ofyour relationship with the child is unique and fluid.
What thoughts came to mind when I read this over a second time are our beliefs about children with special needs. How do we shape the learning environment for students with special rights? How does our image of the child inform the construction of that environment? How is our relationship with the child informing and helping us create an environment that, "grows out of your relationship with the child..."?
Each one of you has inside yourself an image of thechild that directs you as you begin to relate to a child.
This quote stands out to me right off the bat because it puts me in the mindset of seeking my inner-child. What did little-Jacqueline yearn for, what was she trying to grasp at? What was interesting to her as she navigated a new world? It is this framing of childhood that helps me relate to the children in my care.
Parentsareanessentialcomponentoftheprogram;acompetentandactivepartoftheirchildren'slearningexperience.
I believe that this is a beautiful framework in which to create lasting bonds between the child, the families, and the school. I also wonder what this looks like to happen successfully in an underserved school. For example, my husband works in a high needs school in Philadelphia and many of his students are in and out of foster care, switching care-givers, taken care of by their siblings, or have parents that are not available. Many times my husband deals with parents that don't have a reliable phone. How would such parent participation translate in an equitable manner?
pecialrights
I've spoken to a few of my special education peers and friends about the term "special rights" which I have seen twice now through this course. I wonder if people with disabilities were consulted about the adoption of the phrase "special rights" and if it feels authentic to them.
Atthesametime,though,theycontinuetoformulatenewinterpretationsandnewhypothesesandideas
I find that this continued quest for growth and education is powerful and inspirational. I also believe this passion for continued education is reflected in the education of young children and part of what makes the Reggio Emilia approach so beautiful.
participationbyparents
I agree but I also wonder what barriers those parents were facing at the time. What did the population post World War Two look like in Reggio Emilia? Was it a homogenous population? Were the economic needs of the individuals similar? What was the political landscape that allowed for the development of such legislation, and furthermore, what would it have to look like for parents to be able to do this in the United States?
I see reflections of parent built early childhood education centers in the "pandemic pods" that have been propping up this year due to Covid 19. However, these pandemic pods have been heavily scrutinized for creating more inequality in the way of education. Only certain families can afford to create a "pandemic pod", it often pulls teachers out of the public school system, and it furthers the education gap in the United States.
I believe the individualistic culture in the United States, in many ways prevents us from creating public policy around early childhood education. There isn't an emphasis on cooperation or community, which inevitably leaves people behind.
apublicconcern
I studied Public Policy in Undergrad and thus have a special interest in Education Policy as it pertains to the United States. I am deeply inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to public early childhood education. I think it is clear how we value young children here in the United States based on the availability and accessibility to quality education. We do not yet have universal early childhood education. This affects our country two fold: one by furthering the education gap between those who can afford ECE and those who cannot, and via the treatment of early childhood educators. In the United States, early childhood educators often make less than their elementary, middle, and high school counterparts, have no set pension programming, and no access to the protections that the teacher's union affords.
I would love to see the United States adopt a more progressive stance on early childhood education, therefore making programs such as the Boulder Journey School available to children regardless of socio-economic status.