“It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed, is you.”, from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button My nine day trip to Reggio-Emilia was planned so I would only miss 4 school days. Now, in the span of one’s entire life, or even a year, 9 days is really not that much. However, nine days is over one-quarter of a month, and even though I was across an ocean, the Discovery Center was never far from my heart or my mind. Everything I heard and saw, I compared and contrasted to what we do in our school. Every piece of documentation, every environment, every child, reminded me not only of the purpose of we do what we do, but also of the impact and effect we have on the lives of so many children and families. The Salvador Allende school in particular reminded me very much of our school – it is a school in the city, that incorporates the surrounding green space into its daily activity. [The picture below is from the Internet – as we were not allowed to take photographs in the schools] I was struck by many things while in Reggio-Emilia, but two things stood out more than anything else – that children and adults are the same all over the world – children love learning and playing, and the adults in their lives want only the best for their education and happiness . I have a great deal of notes, comments and thoughts that I am working on compiling and will be happy to share with everyone soon. One of the most impactful moments for me during my study, was while watching a video of a group of parents discussing their experiences transitioning with their child from preschool to primary [elementary] school. One father stated that his hopes for his child were that his child’s education would not simply be a school FOR him, but instead a school WITH him. This stressed for me the importance of not only parent involvement, but parent ownership and partnership as well. Parent Involvement is of course a point-of-pride in our school, but it is always something we, as a staff, can work toward improving and nurturing. We always invite parents to join us in discussion and decision-making and welcome any suggestions or ideas you may have to help us increase our efforts at increasing collaboration among all stakeholders in our school. As the opening quote states, I am changed, I have been profoundly affected by all I saw and experienced in the municipality of Reggio-Emilia, Italy. The kindness, scholarship, collegiality, and friendship I experienced have deepened and strengthened my purpose, commitment and vision for our school - to be the ideal example of a free, public, Reggio-inspired school in the United States. We can do this, we are so close, but it will take the combined effort, expertise, creativity, flexibility, and dedication of all of us to achieve. I have no doubt we are able, and all I ask is that you join, support and trust in me, our staff, and in one another to realize our legacy.

What an amazing second day at the 2013 Reggio Children's Winter Institute. Amazing, relevant and profound topics were presented and discussed. The issue of adopting and practicing the Reggio Approach in an elementary [in Italy 'primary'] school is an issue somewhat new to Italy, but something we have been doing in Grand Rapids for 13 years. This statement is not intended to take anything away from our mentors and colleagues in Reggio-Emilia. The social and cultural supports for education from the earliest ages throughout young adulthood are light-years ahead our our ideology and policies in the United States. The common thread is that we all recognize there is plenty of room for each of us to grow, develop, mature and practice. Thoughts from today's session: What do we understand about continuity? What can schools generate around this topic? The leaders of Reggio urge us all to share our personal journeys of continuity with different perspectives. It is also important that we see our conceptual journesys as temporary - that our concepts and realities of continuity are, and should, be constantly changing. It is also very important to use internal dialogue [i.e. who we are, what we want, where we are going....] as starting points to engage with other schools. It was stressed in today's session that it is imperative that this be an OPEN and DYNAMIC process. The social and cultural elements that exist greatly affect this process. One of the most impactful moments for me today, was while watching a video of a group of parents discussing their experiences transitioning with their child from preschool to primary school. One father said his hopes for his child were that his primary education wuld not simply be a school FOR him, but instead a school WITH him. This stressed for me the importance of not just parent involvement, but parent ownership and partnerhip. The conference is such a sensory event. Here are some of my sensorial observations: Sounds: Languages, music, church bells, conversation Sights: Sunlight, shadow, color, yellow walls, green, lavendar and tangerine chairs Smells: oranges, espresso, Nutella Feelings: Warmth, friendship, collegiality Tastes: Sweet, salty, acidic, fresh, rich, tomato, cheese, oil, vinegar, butter

The stone lion you see in the picture above is one of a pair that stands in front of an ancient building in the middle of Reggio-Emilia. It is also the reason I connected with the Reggio Approach nearly 20 years ago. I have mentioned it before, but at my first class session, upon returning to college to finish my teaching certificate [after having four childen], my professor shared with us the movie: To Make a Portrait of a Lion. During the viewing of this film, my goal of becoming a teacher was confirmed. It has been many years, and I must admit I do not think about the lions as often as I used to, and had not thought to go looking for them since I arrived. So, imaging my surprise while walking to the conference this morning, when I turned a corner and there, right in front of me was my old friend! I share this story with you because being here in Reggio-Emilia, seeing and experiencing all that I have in just a few days has been so powerful and validating not just for the work we do at the Grand Rapids Child Discovery Center, but also for why I entered education. The lecture this morning centered on the theme of “Continuity”. After a great deal of sharing and discussion, the representatives of Reggio shared with us their work and attempt to achieve continuity not only in education, by providing all children with a quality education and school experience throughout childhood. The schools here have begun to partner with the Italian government to do just that. The infant and toddler centers are still municipally run, but now there are a few grade schools that are run by the state government, but which incorporate the Principles and collaborate with their preschool mentors. The leaders in Reggio-Emilia see this as not only providing a strong foundation of education in their children, but also as a profound investment in supporting and nurturing social and cultural issues, values and duties. The social capital we provide our children today, they will carry with them for the rest of our lives. As I was listening to the description of the grade school initiative I was struck by how relevant and aligned our practice and current considerations are with our Italian colleagues in the area of elementary education. The most important fact all of us need to remember is that the GRCDC has been operating as a Reggio-inspired primary school for 13 years! No one is doing what we are doing. Every Reggio school is unique, but I truly feel we are exceptional. Yes, there is much to do, but we are on the edge of some really wonderful developments, and what I am seeing, hearing and study this week confirms it.