songsofthewhale-blog

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I have finally fulfilled the promise that I made to myself 2 years ago: Visiting the village Kjerringøy, where the movie "I am Dina" was shot. Honestly, when I stood on the dock of the Kjerringøy trading post overlooking the ocean, I felt so content. Calm and serene. Feelings that are not always registered for more than a day in my head.

But I did it. Forget the consequences. Do what's right to you at the moment. You will more than likely regret what you did not do than what you did.

More fragments of my Norwegian memories to come. But for now, let me sleep in the turquoise water and the white mountains of Kjerringøy.

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Last pieces of Paris. Gloomy days, sunny afternoons, long walks in Montmarte, running, holding on, hugging, and loneliness. I will run away from you, far far away, so you can have some peace of mind.

The man who shakes the earth and moves the heart. You can do it. Go on and be happy. I will be happy too. So why don't you?

Pinkie promise, ne?

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Fragments of Paris in my mind. Euphoria and dysphoria, the fear of being alone, being faced with what you are, what you want to be, and what you never will be. And what you have already achieved.

Fear of having your loved ones running away from you. Fear of not knowing.

Enough fear. It only clouds your mind anyway. I want to look back at something with joy, and as least regret as I can. Paris is like that. Not exactly what I expected, but more than I asked for. In a ironically positive way.

It's hard to plant a seed, knowing that you will have to leave the tree behind one day. But knowing that, somewhere in this whole wide world, there is a tree with your name on it, growing so high its shadow coves the prairie, it is also a soothing feeling.

I will remember you, Paris, as day and night, as me and the other me.

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One of my assignments...

I first heard the term “Reggio Emilia approach” from Maria, a pedagogue at my practicum site. We were helping the children with setting the table for lunch when I told her about how children in Nordic countries were raised as active participants in creating their world and experiencing it through the interrelationships with their peers, parents, and teachers. She agreed wholeheartedly and said that our preschool applied the Reggio Emilia approach in providing the children with an environment that helped them develop their autonomy and reach their best potentials. I quickly jotted down the name Reggio Emilia on my notebook, only to be reminded about it later on my school visit to the Stella Nova preschool in Stockholm, Sweden.

So what exactly is the Reggio Emilia’s approach? According to New (2007), there are five core features that are associated with the approach: (1) an interpretation of teachers as researchers, (2) the curriculum as long-term projects, (3) the role of symbolic languages in child development and advocacy, (4) the role of the environment, and (5) an emphasis on parents as partners in the educational enterprise. Thus, the child is placed at the center of this educational system with the ability to create innovative ideas based on his/her social and cultural experience, not just to reproduce facts that are put into his/her head (Tarr, 2003). Also, Loris Malaguzzi, the founder of the Reggio Emilia pedagogy, undermined the interrelationships between children, parents, and pedagogues. These three groups work together toward a common goal: to build a culture that respects childhood as a time to explore, create and be joyful. The rights of each group were highlighted within the school (Malaguzzi, 1993).

For its innovation and its emphasis on a communication-based education, the philosophy of Reggio Emilia has been highly appraised and adapted into the curriculum and environment of many Nordic schools for early education. For example, Baji Rankin (2004), the lead agency of lead agency for T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood New Mexico showed how the Reggio Emilia approach has influenced her use of open-ended materials in promoting children’ creativity. The child is a prominent participant within the classroom, extending and deepening their understanding of arts, literary, mathematics, etc through hands-on experience with diverse, open-ended materials. In addition, the child also harbors supportive relationships with his/her peers through shared interaction and group projects. The teacher (or pedagogue)’s role is also very essential. The teacher help students explore by asking them questions, encouraging them to make connections through activities and discussion. One fine example of this is a scavenger hunt: students are given clues on a map in order to bridge their interests with the activities shown in the map. Last but not least, teachers also engage in learning simultaneously with students, and later share and discussed their experience during reflection time in order to further accommodate students in learning.

So how does Stella Nova preschool apply the core features of the Reggio Emilia Approach into its daily curriculum? The first feature that I noticed during the visit was how the open environment of the classrooms was created in order to probe at the children’ creativity and imagination. The layout of the physical space in the schools encourages encounters, communication, and relationships. All the classrooms are connected and there are no doors to limit the interaction among students and teachers. In preparing the space, teachers offer the possibility for children to be with the teachers and many of the other children, or with just a few of the children, or even alone. There is a common ground in the classrooms where students can gather to work on projects, but there are also separate tables or corners where students can individually work on other activities. This structure provides students with opportunities to participate in creative activities either with teachers and their peers or by themselves.

In addition to the open and encouraging environment, the school is also open to students’ ideas. The students are surrounded with various materials of their interests that provide them with countless opportunities to learn through creative plays. The arrangement of objects and learning materials encourages choices, problem solving, and discoveries in the process of learning.  Take a look at one of the art rooms:

                  The students are provided with a wide range of selection: from beads, buttons, sticks, to rope, fabric, and feather. There is no specific guideline on what to make, and I didn’t see the teachers trying to tell the students what to make. Instead, the students are allowed to freely explore the materials to their imagination’s content, and discover new ways of combining the materials in an innovative way. Be it working on group projects or working individually, students are offered many opportunities to be creative and solve problems in ways they never think of before. Here are some products of this creative process:

Artwork of one student

                                                                                                              Portrait project initiated by both teachers and students

        Light box – project initiated from students’ interest

One amazing project that reflects the open attitude of Stella Nova is the Mentor program. This program is run by both students and teachers at the school with the aim to welcome new students and their family, and get them more acquainted with the school. Each older child (3-5 year olds) is assigned as mentor to one new comer (1-2 year olds). The mentor will then go around the school taking pictures of what they like about the school in order to create an information booklet for the younger child and his/her family to learn about the school before they arrive. Then, the mentor and one pedagogue will visit the assigned younger child at his/her house to welcome them. This interesting ongoing project at Stella Nova makes children and their families feel that they are a part of the whole school. Also, it also helps the mentors learn to care and become more responsible as they take on their new position. Finally, it creates a role model and a supportive figure for the younger children who are going to enroll in the school. According to one mentor, being a mentor is when you show someone things and you look after them.

Another feature of the Reggio Emilia that is clearly adhered to at Stella Nova is the involvement of parents in the school. During the presentation about Stella Nova, one teacher emphasized on the rights of parents to be a part of the students’ early education and how much they can offer to it. Parents are granted authority to come and join in activities whenever they have time to do so, not just when the school tells them to come. This is a great way for parents to know about their children’ school life and get to know other parents and the teachers. Moreover, when the school hires new employees, parents have the rights to meet the new teachers and ask them questions. Thus, Stella Nova values parents’ input when it comes to activities within the school. The teacher told us one story about a Christmas party when one parent decided to show up dressing up as a witch in order to surprise the children. And the children enjoyed this surprise wholeheartedly! It’s great to see how much the school tries to involve parents into the children’ school life. This positive involvement not only allows parents to understand the school better but also offers them a chance to become a part of their children’ learning process.

One last feature of the Reggio Emilia approach that I can see at Stella Nova is the interpretation of teachers as researchers. Documentation is very important in assessing the children’ development. Each child has an album that records his/her education at the school with pictures, letters, or entries from the teachers. The albums become both means of assessment and keepsakes of the students’ time at the school. An educational and meaningful way of recording the development of children at Stella Nova!

Over all, I was quite impressed by the Stella Nova School and how they effectively applied the Reggio Emilia approach into their daily life. It will be interesting to observe the growth of the school and other institutions that also adopt this unique approach in early childhood education.

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Surprise!

I just discovered I had the same birthday as Loris Malaguzzi, the early childhood educator in Italy who was the founding father of the Reggio Emilia approach ( a holistic system of educating children and helping them learn).

My geeky side feels absolutely honored! Such a great man he is, a wise man who sees that there is not one way to learn and one way to speak. No, there is not. No way.

Actually there are 100!

His poem:

The Hundred Languages of Childhood

The child is made of one hundred. The child has A hundred languages A hundred hands A hundred thoughts A hundred ways of thinking Of playing, of speaking. A hundred always a hundred Ways of listening of marveling of loving A hundred joys For singing and understanding A hundred worlds To discover A hundred worlds To invent A hundred worlds To dream The child has A hundred languages (and a hundred hundred hundred more) But they steal ninety-nine. The school and the culture Separate the head from the body. They tell the child; To think without hands To do without head To listen and not to speak To understand without joy To love and to marvel Only at Easter and Christmas They tell the child: To discover the world already there And of the hundred They steal ninety-nine. They tell the child: That work and play Reality and fantasy Science and imagination Sky and earth Reason and dream Are things That do not belong together And thus they tell the child That the hundred is not there The child says: NO WAY the hundred is there--

Loris Malaguzzi Founder of the Reggio Approach

It's time we pay our debt to the children and give them back the other 99 languages.

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Stumbled upon this while writing an article about the Stella Nova school.

Music can heal. This melody proves the point.

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Project 7

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Sunny weather really makes me feel positive about life in general!

Or maybe it is because my mood has been more positive lately, and this weather, scratch that, this amazingly heavenly weather (on a Kobenhavn standard) has been adding on to my mood. Not having a mood swing once a week is a relief haha. Winter really is not my best friend.

I am having one of those days when you believe that you are capable of lifting up a truck with one hand, flying around with a cape, or finishing a paper in 2 hours (the last one might never happens lol). There is no truck around, and I still need to weave a cape, I cook instead (pictures above).

An easy stir-fry dish with bell peppers (the red one tastes better than the green one, I learned this from my long study tour), Chinese sausage, Danish sausage (I love sausages, what can I say), potato, olive oil, and mini red radish. Now, take a mouthful with relish. :)

Oh, and home-made smørrebrød! When in Denmark, eat like the Danes do. I blame Pernille for rubbing her cooking style on me.

Now, onto an early dinner on the balcony where light dances in the sky above and dogs poop on the pavement below!

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So I am finally introduced to the Agnes cupcake (aka the most marvelous culinary creation in Europe) in the glassmarket, five steps away from Norreport station. Hidden gems are all around you, just have to dig a little bit deeper and keep your eyes open for things that might come. And blueberry will always be a good flavor!

The sun has finally agreed to skip the hide-and-seek game and embarked from its cloudy throne. I woke up this morning in a room brimmed with sun light. Never felt more energetic, like that feelings when someone wraps a scarf around your neck. Soft, warm, and loving.

And sunny sided egg for a sunny day. I miss breakfast :)

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Day 3: Tallinn, Estonia. Helen School

Helen School is a public school in Tallinn for deaf/blind students with other mental disabilities. The first thing that startled me when I looked at the students and teachers were how efficient they were in communicating with one another regardless of their weaknesses (some of the teachers are also deaf). Be it sign language or vocal language, they seemed to understand each other with no problem. Almost by sixth sense.

We were greeted at the door by the teachers and four students of the school. The students were out tour guides, leading us around the building and showing us their classrooms. It was a great experience talking to the students and learning about their education. The two students that I was with had spent most of their life at the Helen school ever since kindergarten. (The school also offers accommodation for students who need to stay at the school for the week since some of them came from outside Tallinn). They told us about their dreams after graduation (one wants to study Physics and Bio, while the other wants to study many languages). I think it's amazing how confident the atmosphere at the school made the students felt, and how it embraced the concept of the competent child. The boy who wants to study Physics was also interested in Arts!

Later on, we got to visit the Braille room of the school. Apparently, Helen School has been producing their own books for the students written in Brailles.  Teachers were trained to read in Brailles when they entered the school, and were acquainted with the Braille machine. The Braille system and the sign language in Estonia are so different from the ones that people use in the the States. After that, we got to sit in on an Art class where a little boy had a crush on Olivia (he kept looking at her for attention and showing her his artworks). It was so hilarious, and we all had a good time observing the students helped one another drawing straight lines

During the Q&A session, the teachers told us about the current face of special education in Estonia, and how there is a lack of teachers due to the low wage. Mainstream teachers got paid almost 200 euros more than special education teachers per month, and many teachers also quit their jobs to go to Holland to become a cleaner since apparently being a janitor in Holland pays better than being a teacher in Estonia. (We recently learned that Estonia has just regained their independence in 1991, and is still struggling with rebuilding their education system with a shift from the Soviet Union influence to the practice of Scandinavian countries, especially Denmark and Finland). We were told at Helen that the teachers would go on strike the next day to protest about the inequality in wage. I sincerely hope that some changes would come to the special education in Estonia.

As we departed the Helen school to go to the harbor to catch the cruise ship, I saw two boys talking to one another in signs while painting a poster for class project. It was something so simple, yet it makes my heart warm. One day, they are going to make it out there in the big world, I believe so.

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IF im not mistaken, I was one of your waiter in Olde Hansa when a big group came to eat. I was just googeling Olde Hansa, and stumbled on your post. :)

Haha really? I am sure I can't tell. We were there only one night last week. I love the restaurant though, it is amazing.

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People always say that it’s nice to have someone with whom to share the experience when you’re traveling, and this is certainly true. But sometimes, it can be so nice to NOT have to share a moment with someone, to NOT have to turn to your traveling companion and verbally acknowledge what you’ve just seen, but rather to selfishly take it all in for yourself. You can tell the rest of the world about it later, if you want. For now, it’s just yours.

[How the Internet Changed Solo Travel: The Hairpin]

(via travellinginspiration)

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Something you should know about Tallinn's culinary reputation:

1) The old town has the top-notch hot chocolate. Every single gulp is like a drop of heaven.

2) Pastries in Tallinn are also delicious. The cranberry tart that i had: exquisite!

3) The Silk sushi restaurant in Tallinn: my God!

4) Bars are dead around Old Town until Friday night. And Absinthe shots taste like licorice here. Yucks!

5) Friends are always good to have when you travel.

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Day 2: Tallinn, Estonia (pt. 2)

After the visit to Ristiku, we got some free time and went shopping around Old Town Tallinn for overpriced souvenirs and took silly pictures. I love all the people that I have become friends with in the CDD class. They make this experience that much more worthwhile. Can't really imagine my time in Europe, Copenhagen, or the trip without the input from these lovely girls :D

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Okay, look at this and your ovaries might explode!

-Hannah aka awesome girl from Texas-

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Day 2: Tallinn, Estonia

A little bit about Ristiku Basic School: it's one of the four basic schools in Tallinn with a program developed for students with special needs. It was the first school that we visited in Estonia, and also our first visit during the trip. Influenced both by the Russian, Soviet Union education system and the modern Nordic system, Ristiku is trying its best to accommodate all of the students in order for them to learn and become a efficient contributor to the country.

It's interesting to see how the special needs education system in Estonia in general, or Tallinn in particular, is regulated heavily by special education commissions and politics. The headmistress of the school was telling us about the different direction that special needs education was heading after they elected a new minister for the Education Ministry. Apparently, this man was trying to lower the budget for special needs education and vocational training, and placed more emphasis on academia. Personally I think it might be better to focus on the academia, but at the same time, the balance needs to be kept for the special needs children. Also, the headmistress was talking about how the children with special needs should receive more vocational education in order to contribute to Estonia. I am just wondering about the children with special needs who have an interest in the academia (like children with Asperger's Syndrome), what will happen to them? It seems Estonia still has a lot more to accomplish and many contextual issues to overcome (their recent independence, their involvement with the Soviet Union, trampled economy, etc).

Nevertheless, I was quite moved by the determination of the teachers and pedagogues. They want to get it right, and they want to show others what they can do. The head mistress was telling us stories about their struggle with the students, and one story caught my attention: she was dealing with a boy with Apserger's who loved to live in the Soviet era. Brought up by a grandfather who used to be a director of a farming organizations during the war, the boy was obsessed with the Soviet Union: everything in his life revolves around this "Golden" era. He would wait for hours just to go to school on a Soviet trolls, eat with Soviet utensils, wear Soviet uniforms. I guess the sense of structure during that era gave him a sense of comfort in the face of the chaotic 21st century reality. However, the headmistress managed to convince him into going to school by playing along with his Soviet fantasy, while providing a Russian teacher (he despises English) to talk with him and show him how the 21st century is not so bad as compared to the Soviet era. I guess the long-term goal of helping him adjust will pay off. And i am really interested in seeing how Estonia will develop the support system for children with special needs in the future. I do have hope in them. They might be not advanced as Denmark or the US, but they are definitely deterministic and passionate about what they are doing.

After a mini-tour around the school, we got back and ate lunch at an awesome (with a capital A) African kitchen. But that's for another wall post. I have two school visits tomorrow, gotta get some sleep!