What does it mean to be Reggio-Inspired???

[Jackie]

As some of you may already know, my thesis work has been focused on understanding the way in which teachers and administrators build and negotiate both individual and collective Reggio-Inspired identities. Right now I am in the process of analyzing the data that I have collected and beginning to think about the direction that my research has taken. With this in mind, I think it only fitting to open up the discussion to this community and get your views on what it means to be Reggio-Inspired, how your personal identity has changed or adapted as a result of your relationship with Reggio and what Reggio-Inspired means in a broader context. I think, and I am learning from my research, that the question of identity is an important one for our work and something that needs to be reflected on. What better place to open that dialogue than the Reggio-Inspired Ning?

[Marianne Cane]

I think that to be inspired by the school in Reggio Emilia, one has to take very, very seriously your responsibility to provide your absolute best each day in terms of preparing, listening, honoring the quirky and sometimes unpredictable development of children, ideas, relationships, and being receptive. I think that accepting that my best will not always be perfect, but that staying dedicated to being and doing what I believe children and families deserve will keep my pointed in the right direction. The aesthetic dimension of the work is a daily challenge and opportunity. Having encouragement to listen for children's expression in the hundred, hundred languages is a great gift that working this way has given. I think that being part of the Reggio-Inspired community honors me as a teacher-researcher, creative person, and writer. It is not always the case that a group of teachers want to talk about how to approach and recognize best practice. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to think together with all of you.

[Paul Nugent]

So far, my identity has been validated by Reggio, in that who I am as a teacher, and how I approach schooling seems to match the Reggio approach. I am looking for a model to implement at the secondary level, and I find Reggio to be appropriate.