Are you familiar with the Reggio Emilia approach to education? I first heard of it while attending a teaching conference in 1994. The idea that children are way more capable than we give them credit for is something I strongly believe in, and is at the heart of what the approach is about. Through the years, I have been eager to learn more about it and adopt it's strategies into my teaching style. The more I learned, the more passionate I became about the approach. In recent years its use has become more widespread in the United States and I was happy to discover that St. Louis has several schools that have embraced this approach.
I have had the opportunity to visit
one of these schools, and can only say that it is the
school of my dreams. I would love to work there. I would love for my daughter to attend (it's Pre-k through 8th grade). I wish I would have been able to go there as a young student. Basically, I can't rave about it enough. The problem is that it is 45 minutes from my house and the tuition is way out of my budget ($12,000/ year for Pre-k). Since there is no way I will ever be able to afford that, and there are seldom any job openings, I have to settle for attending their free events and open houses.
This past weekend, I took Baylee to their Winter Children's Festival. I wish I had more pictures so you could see how they use and adapt the environment in the classrooms to create a sense of wonder and a love of learning, but exploring with a 21 month old doesn't allow me to take many pictures. Here are just a few, and if you are curious about the approach, take some time to Google it or look it up on Pinterest.
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| Creating in the atelier. I especially like that children are taught how to properly use the materials. |
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| A collaborative sculpture done by the three year old class. |
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| Playing in the housekeeping area. I love the use of the sheers to divide the areas without blocking your view. |
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| They have a fabulous playground that allows the children to climb and explore. |
