As I embark on this career dream of a trip to Reggio Emilia, Italy, I am filled with excitement, wonder and curiosity.  We have many miles to travel before meeting up with our colleagues from Michigan Inspirations-A Reggio Learning Collaborative in Florence. We are taking a large rented vehicle from Bishop Airport and driving to Toronto saving lots of flight costs.  We will fly into Venice and figure out how to find the train station to take the two hour ride to Florence. The whole process worries me as the leader of the four ECDC teachers traveling with me and my daughter Kayla who is coming along to capture the journey for the School of Education and Human Services of UM-Flint.

I’m mostly interested in studying  the culture of Italy as we are worlds apart.  How do the families interact with one another?  What level of respect is there for the children? Is there an expectation for children to be successful at a young age?  How is that accomplished?  Fortunately I am a people watcher so I will be peering into the lives of the Italians trying to figure out what makes the Reggio schools so respected around the world.  I’m sure the sights of Italy will grab my attention too.