Nadirchat

The Next Step Let's discuss the "So What" It is here that teacher's must think deeply about "what" will make the topic choice a rich and meaningful project. So many ideas float around in a day and its impossible to pursue them all. We must look for ones that will leave the children enriched. We look at what we hope the children will gain on the journey. If we can validate the choice then the topic is worth exploring. That is the so what.  Like the children, each time we encounter a topic we expand our knowledge base. The So What of the community project In order to thrive everyone must feel connected to other people.  Communities are part of life. More that just a place to live it is a place of people, voices, shared space, rituals and customs. Coming form the Latin term  meaning "with gifts" the term suggests a general sense of humanity, reciprocity and a shared practice of doing good for others that comes from working together for a joint purpose...

Over the course of the last few months, I've received many emails asking me to post the evolution of a class project. I'm sharing this one in hopes that it helps those who are struggling with finding their path. I must stress that this is only our way of working and it should be used as a guideline if it fits your practice. Most school years, project topics present themselves quite readily. However this year, there hasn't been much buzz about one particular area of interest. There are many smaller experiences floating about as well as our work on the changes in the season and all that it presents. We decided that a provocation was needed so we decided to see if we could somehow expand our inquiry into what makes each of us unique. The children had already made their portraits and addressed what makes them special.  We considered the possibility of inviting the children to consider how each of them fit into their community. Communities are made up of individuals all working ...

People, especially teachers, should wake up each day charged with the desire to learn or experience new things. This keeps life interesting and helps us to become the best version of ourselves. When we stop seeking, inquiring, researching and reinventing our perspectives, we grow old, dull and complacent. Complacency is a teacher's downfall. Days, months and years of repeating the same experiences, rolling aimlessly from one day to the next and never finding joy in the moment makes a dreary classroom. We see this in the teachers who flutter from one job to the next. They are the lifeless, the disengaged, seeking environmental change to motivate them. The truth is that these grasshoppers lack internal commitment to their craft. Children are children and the work is the work  no matter where you hang your hat. It's astonishing to see how many "teachers" lack the ability to form meaningful relationships. This is a core flaw, not in teaching skills, but in a person's ...

I often wonder when I look at Instagram, Facebook and blog posts how much is authentic and how much is smoke and mirrors. I know firsthand that teachers face many challenges in working in a Reggio Inspired context. The smoke and mirror happens when the fundamentals are missing. Not only is the understanding of the guiding principles and processes involved falling short but the ability to BE a teacher is falling short. The question is, is it happening at the college and university level? Why aren't graduates ready to delve into their work? Let us consider that to know a practice, trade or skill you must live it. Only a surgeon who has performed open heart surgery can teach another how to do it.  This must also be the case with teachers of teachers, not only those who educate us in colleges and universities, but also those who seek to support teachers through workshops, courses and mentoring. They should have been or be practitioners of what they are seeking to teach. Only ...

Are you riding the wave of conformity or going against the grain? Conformity is so easy. No hurtles, no obstacles, just riding the wave of what is common and easy.  Imagine what it would feel like to be a teacher who sets new standards, someone who dares to challenge the norm and gives rise to a new reality of working with children. Taking the challenge to change will bring about an infinite amount of experiences like the one you see below. Ultimately, the change has to happen for the right reasons. As teachers and people we have to be true to what we believe. We cannot jump on the wagon because everyone else is doing so.  I was never one to conform to practices that did not work in unison with my vision of what an educational system for young children should be. For me shattering the bonds of conformity was liberating!