Letter From Dr. Ellen Hall, Executive Director

FALL 2007 LETTER FROM DR. ELLEN HALL,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Summer 2007 began with co-directors, Alison Maher and Andrea Sisbarro and executive director Ellen Hall’s visit to Ireland where they shared the work of the Boulder Journey School community surrounding the aspects of environment and long-term investigations with educators participating in Northern Ireland’s Early Years Organization’s annual conference. The three directors returned to the school to join faculty in the organization of the 10th Annual Boulder Journey School Summer Conference inspired by the philosophy and pedagogy of the schools for young children in Reggio Emilia. The conference and Videatives pre-conference were characterized by interactions among participants and interactions with materials – found and recycled materials, natural materials, the body as a material, and the materials of wire and blocks. Interactions between adults and materials and among adults sharing work, questions and ideas also typified the 5th gathering of Hawkins Centers of Learning, which followed the Boulder Journey School conference.

In late June, co-director Andrea Sisbarro flew to Santa Monica, California to participate in the North American Reggio Emilia Association (NAREA) conference. Andrea facilitated an infant-toddler workshop, presenting several stories of long-term investigations in the infant and toddler rooms at Boulder Journey School as catalysts for dialogue. We were honored and delighted that Carlina Rinaldi, President of Reggio Children and friend and mentor to Boulder Journey School faculty, attended Andrea’s workshop. Carlina’s comments to Andrea following the workshop have inspired new questions and thinking around the definition of materials in a school environment.

The month of July brought plans for the coming school year into the forefront of our thinking. The annual July faculty retreat offered Boulder Journey School faculty an opportunity to focus on past, current and future goals. Questions that fueled rich dialogue included: Can we include children more in the process of documenting? Can we use our documentation to help support the children’s memory? Can we develop a style of documentation that supports children in being autonomous in reading the documentation?

At the end of July, we were delighted to welcome Emanuela Vercalli, International Exchanges – Reggio Children, to Boulder Journey School. Emanuela’s last visit to the school was in 2002 to support our 5th annual summer conference, so there were many changes to observe. While in Boulder, Emanuela also visited two venues and spoke to representatives from these venues that would like to host the new North American version of “The Hundred Languages of Children” exhibit when it travels to the United States, hopefully in June 2008.

In August, co-directors Alison Maher and Andrea Sisbarro visited Riverfield Country Day School in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the first in a series of extended study tours designed to build and sustain a working relationship with educators who are similarly engaged in an ongoing study of the schools for young children in Reggio Emilia. Also in August, Alison visited a charter school in Los Angeles, sharing our understanding of the importance of rich and stimulating environments with teachers in this context.

On August 20 Boulder Journey School’s doors opened to welcome 22 Intern teachers beginning the Teacher Education Program at the school. Since its inception in fall 1999, over 120 students participating in this program have earned their teaching licenses and Master’s degrees in Education while co-teaching in classrooms with children, families and colleagues. During their weeklong orientation, Intern teachers met with faculty to exchange expectations, information and ideas and to design and prepare the environment to welcome the children and their families. Exchanges among teachers and parents marked the week as well. Then on August 27 the school year 07-08 began. We are looking forward to the coming school year with great excitement and anticipating the many interesting explorations and investigations that are certain to emerge.