About

The stars have aligned…

I have always been an advocate of children. This is why I chose to make teaching my profession. During my 22 years teaching I have followed the Reggio approach. What appealed to me the most about it was the importance they placed on listening to, and respect for children.

During my TeachNZ study year in 2017 I attended a Reggio Emilia conference in Adelaide, “Re- Imagining Childhood”. This was the official implementation of Carla Rinaldi’s ‘Adelaide Thinker in Residence’ project which had inspired the adoption of the Reggio principles in South Australia. At the conference the Reggio principles of listening to and respect for children stood out to me. As well as this I was excited by the research and the depth of passion that the speakers, Professor Carla Rinaldi, Professor Peter Moss and Professor Gunilla Dahlberg (members of The Foundation Reggio Children Centro Loris Malaguzzi Scientific Committee) communicated. I realised how deeply the approach resonated with my personal and teaching values.

In May 2019, I was fortunate to grow my interest and understanding of Reggio Principles further when I attend a one-day seminar run by Reggio Emilia Aotearoa New Zealand (REANZ) in Auckland. The speaker at the seminar was Tiziana Filippini, a past pedagogista from Reggio Emilia and she guided us through an exploration of the notion of relationships and participation as a key pedagogical strategies.

Fast forward to May 24th, 2019 when I read a Facebook post from Foundazione Reggio Children calling for applications for admission to the Phd programme in Reggio Childhood Studies - from early childhood to lifelong learning.

It seemed to me that although I could incorporate the Reggio philosophy into a Doctorate in New Zealand, it would be so much more valuable to be able to live and breathe the 'Reggio way' by having the privilege of immersing myself in the culture and the place. My partner Euan Baxter, my children- George and Phoebe Smith and my dad, Graeme Steel were all supportive of my decision to apply and I decided to take the opportunity.

In July 2019 Euan & I took a trip to visit Reggio Emilia from Camogli when we were on holiday. Our meeting with Roberta Mineo from the University of Modena, to discuss my application was a life time highlight.

The winter months of 2019 were spent preparing my application and by late September I was informed that I had won a place with a scholarship.

So here I am, having just moved to Reggio Emilia for the next three years.

At this stage, from a very broad perspective, my intention is to use my Reggio Emilia learning to benefit children, families and teachers. To develop skills not only for negotiating their own personal lives in a complex world, but also to develop problem solving tools with which to care for the world as they find it.

I know there will be a lot of learning to share.