Wednesday, January 9, 2013 I have been so inspired by my current graduate study that I feel compared to share some of my thoughts. The reading, study and activity I have been engaged in at MSU for the past year and a half has been relevant, applicable, current and, on occasion, truly inspiring. From Instructional Rounds: The Sixth Principle of the Instructional Core - We learn to do the work by doing the work, not by telling other people to do the work, not by having done the work at some time in the past, and not by hiring experts who can act a s proxies for our knowledg about how to do the work. (City et al, p. 33). This quote refers to, and explains the social process and environment that exists to provide for the development of practice. The authors of Instructional Rounds, in explaining their framework, and using the analogy of medical rounds have also pointed out the lack of structures to insure successful induction, sustainable development of expectations, and open, objective dialogue. All of these components are intended to coordinate and combine to facilitate the evaluation process and thus make solutions to problems of practice transparent and achievable. Even with well over 100 years of universal public education in this country, we continue to be, as the authors point out, an "....occupation trying to be a professiona without a professional practice."(City et al, p. 33) I remember hearing this lament twenty-five years ago, as I was beginning my own preparation, and even though educators before and since have tried to be identified as professionals, there is still ground to be gained. The authors advocate, and I agree, that the objective will only be obtained with ongoing analysis of our practice before we are able to assess and repair. The most important point in the quote above is that labor begets labor, that we only learn to do the work by doing the work.... The school in which I work is a stand-alone charter which is in its thirteenth year of implementing and interpreting the Reggio Emilia Approach to education. I say implementing because the mission and vision of the school is to address and follow the principles of the Approach, and I say interpreting since the Approach was originally conceived as a framework for early childhood education in a small municipality in northern Italy. Our school is a K-5 elementary and is in the middle of Grand Rapids, Michigan, so it already defies the orignial intent of its founding. One of the practices adopted from the Italian founders is that of the weekly reflective meeting, held between teaching partners and collaborative planning sessions held among the entire instructional staff, all with the intent of identifying problems of practice and as a community addressing and solving those which have been identified. The other aspect of the approach that aligns with this quote is the fact that there is no formal course of study or certification one can engage in to become a Reggio teacher, our approach is based upon the reality that it is a constantly evolving practice and intrepretation, which only becomes understood through the doing of the work, which provides a lens to the learning of both teacher and child.