After returning from Reggio, I was barraged by colleagues, friends and family, dying to know all about my experience and what my impressions were. Honestly, I had a hard time coming up with just the right words to describe what I experienced. I not only saw environments that changed my vision for what is possible, I felt transformed, myself, as a teacher and a parent. I was filled with energy to march home and exude Reggio from my fingertips. Where would I begin? I walked into my first grade classroom Monday morning and wilted. I stared at my plan book and curriculum map and felt deflated. I then proceeded to open an email from a parent asking for more homework for his six year old daughter. He writes: "Is reading all you want her to do? Don't you have packets of homework to send home?" How can I infuse pieces of this beautiful philosophy that values and trusts children, into a system that is hurrying children along at lightning speed? And then one rainy Seattle morning, as I'm reaching into my cupboard for a coffee mug, the mug I was about to grab spoke to me.
Reinvent. Reinvent Reggio in my own soil. That's it. It's impossible to replicate all aspects of what is present in Reggio Schools, but we can surely bring pieces into our settings that make sense. I responded to the father that asked for more homework, and here is what I wrote.
"No, reading is not the only homework. Open your backyard door and let her run! Tell stories, explore, build, sing, and invite her to be a kid. This is more valuable than any homework packet I could ever provide."
