How Reggio Emilia, a small city in Northern Italy, became one of the biggest buzzwords in progressive preschools

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I've been a preschool teacher for over a decade and have taught in the US and Ukraine. </li><li>The US relies heavily on monthly themes, whereas in Ukraine the topics are wider.</li></ul>As the world gears up for <a href="https://www.insider.com/5-tips-for-back-to-school-while-living-different-houses-2023-8">back to school</a>, with upbeat shopping ads for new clothes, backpacks, and school supplies, I can't help but feel nostalgic. I taught preschool for 10 years, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-mom-of-3-kids-survives-first-weeks-of-school-2023-8">back-to-school</a> time still reminds me of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/teacher-quit-her-job-burnout-feelings-about-back-to-school-2023-8">excitement of the season</a>. Setting up my classroom, preparing cubbies and nametags, and getting ready to welcome the new students was the highlight of this time.Lately, as the war in <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-ive-learned-from-sponsoring-ukrainian-refugees-in-nyc-2023-5">Ukraine</a> continues to press on, I've been looking through old photographs from my former classrooms in Kyiv and started reflecting on how attitudes toward education differ in both countries.Here are five key differences that have changed how I approach student learning as a teacher for you.<h2>Themes</h2>One of the biggest differences I noticed between teaching in the United States and Ukraine was the use of curriculum themes.In every school I taught in in the US, September was centralized around apples and back to school, October was pumpkins and Halloween parties, November fluttered with harvest decor, and in December, we cut snowflakes and decorated sugar cookies. Themes were seasonal, and while cute, it didn't give me much room as a teacher to create lessons based on what the children were actually interested in.Since I worked at an international school in Ukraine, themes were much broader, such as "Who We Are," and "Construction." Since the themes were wider, I could observe the children and discover what their interests were, whether it was the three little pigs, zoos, or cities. OHaving broader themes allowed me much greater freedom to create units that were guided and catered to follow the students' interests. This gave the children much more voice, choice, and agency, allowing for deeper learning opportunities since we weren't changing themes weekly or monthly and could go into a singular theme more deeply.<h2>Curriculum</h2>Both the schools I worked at in Ukraine, and the US held very high standards for curriculum and student learning. Yet I always experienced more pressure teaching in the US to make sure that the students had covered all of the core curriculum areas and were advancing even if they weren't developmentally ready.Parents in the US were much more concerned about how their students were progressing academically, especially in math and language, whereas in Ukraine, parents kept asking me if their children were eating soup, sleeping well during nap time and if they were playing well with other children.The absence of pressure gave me space and time as a teacher to help focus on the children's social and emotional well-being while making learning more of a game and a fun positive experience.<h2>Play</h2>When I first started exploring the city in Ukraine, I was shocked by how many designated play areas there were for children in the city: pony rides, face painting, and climbing structures were everywhere. This emphasis on long, uninterrupted periods of play was extremely important at the school I worked at in Kyiv.During my lesson planning, I carefully thought out, prepped, and prepared learning engagements that would enhance student play and learning. For example, when the children showed interest in animals, I set up a zoo area for my students with different land, sea, and jungle animals. Since we had at least an hour and a half of uninterrupted play in the morning, students could have time to explore the different centers we had prepared. We always made sure to have activities that covered fine motor, sensory, language, math, building, and dramatic play available for our Play Exploration block. While supporting student play, we were still able to make sure the students were able to cover all of the core curriculum areas.Whereas while teaching in the US, lessons came first, and play was allotted to a 30-minute block of time for either recess or free play, where all I had time to do was empty a container of blocks on the table. <h2>Teacher appreciation</h2>My first year in Ukraine, I was shocked when my 40-something Australian director who rescued stray kittens told me, "Clare it's the weekend. Stop working." Coming from the US, where I had already been teaching for three years, I thought it was normal to work 12 months of the year, 60 to 80 hours a week, with the occasional week off for the winter or spring break.In Ukraine, I was able to have regularly scheduled vacations throughout the school year and at least two full months off each summer to rest and recharge and come back ready to teach again for back to school. I would also get planning periods in Ukraine and would be able to take coffee breaks twice a day in the morning and afternoon and have a small lunch break. Whereas in the US, I was lucky to get a 15-minute lunch break, where I would microwave my frozen Amy's gluten-free meal, go to the bathroom, and then return to the classroom to eat with the children.<h2>Professional development</h2>One of the biggest differences I also noticed between teaching in Ukraine and the US was the level of professionalism and professional development that was provided to teachers. For example, in Ukraine, I was paid a normal salary, which allowed me to pay for rent, food, utilities, and the occasional vacation. When I worked in the US, I was barely able to cover rent and food. When I started teaching in New York, I remember people asking me how many other jobs I had besides my teaching one. My jaw dropped.Professional development for staff was important in both the United States and Ukraine. One of the biggest differences that I noticed was that in Ukraine, the school had a dedicated teacher resource section in the library where I could go and check out books to help me understand how to implement reading and writing programs or discover how to implement Reggio Emilia play based learning practices in the classroom. I would also receive opportunities to attend conferences at other schools where I could learn from other professionals how to support play and student learning better.The only way I was able to have access to most professional development materials in the US was because my mother was the director of a teacher education support center in New Jersey, where her staff would help me find books, materials, and show me the die cut machines where I could cut out shapes and prepare classroom materials on weekends. After moving back to the States, I remember being annoyed that the majority of our professional training in the US were state-mandated courses, which covered how to put on a Band-Aid, disinfect toys, and always push chairs under tables to prevent students from tripping in the classroom.

I taught preschool in the US and Ukraine. Here are 5 key differences I noticed.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Babies born by <keyword id="27592" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="C-section">C-section</keyword> may be at a higher risk for immune-related conditions than babies who are born vaginally.</li><li>The reason for this could be that, at birth, <keyword id="1067287" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="C-section-babies">C-section babies</keyword> don't ingest their mothers' <keyword id="344898" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="microbiota">microbiota</keyword>, which can boost their immune <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">health</keyword>.</li><li>A new study published in the journal Cell found that serving babies a small portion of their mothers' poop could improve their microbiota. </li></ul>Feeding babies born by C-section a small amount of their mothers' poop may help them get the same healthy start as babies who are born vaginally, a study published on Thursday in the <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)31089-8?utm_source=EA">journal Cell found.</a>C-section babies have "really different" microbiota than babies born vaginally, which may explain why C-section babies develop immune-related conditions such as, asthma, allergies, type one diabetes, and other health issues later on in life, said Willem de Vos, a co-author of the study and professor of human microbiomics ​at the University of Helsinki. Microbiota refer to the microbes living in a person's gut, which play an essential role in building the immune system in early life. C-section babies tend to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02807-x">lack strains of gut bacteria</a> that healthy children and adults have. They also often harbor harmful microbes that are common in hospitals. This may be because babies born vaginally ingest their mothers' microbiota in her vagina and perineum during birth, and C-section babies don't. "This is a gift the mother gives to her baby," Sture Andersson, a co-author of the study, said of the transfer of microbial material in a vaginal delivery. Serving a newborn born by C-section a little bit of their mother's poop may help them get that same "gift."<h2>Babies born by C-section were fed a small portion of their mothers' poop mixed with breast milk</h2>For the study, the authors solicited seven mothers who had scheduled C-sections. The authors collected poop samplings from each woman to test for pathogens. After the births, each baby was fed about three-and-a-half milligrams of their mother's feces, mixed with breast milk.The babies' fecal microbiota was tested at birth, and they remained in the hospital for two days to be monitored for complications. The babies' were tested regularly for three months. At that point, the C-section babies' microbiota was similar to the microbiota of babies born vaginally, Willem said. It was significantly different from babies born via C-section who didn't receive the fecal transplant. The study demonstrated that "we can normalize the microbiota development in early life by fecal matter transplant of C-section born babies," Willem said. With further research, and more safety and efficacy data, fecal transfers at birth could become common practice for C-section babies in the future, Willem said. Willem also emphasized that this is something that should only be implemented in a clinical setting, and not be attempted at home. In the past, doctors had tried other approaches to give missing microbiota to babies born by C-section. That has included swabbing a baby's face with vaginal fluid after birth and giving certain probiotics. Swabbing hasn't worked, Willem said. There's no consensus as to which probiotics work, if any at all."It may be better to have a more natural way of getting the right microbes in the C-section baby," Willem said.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/high-screen-time-use-kids-linked-to-lower-brain-development-2019-11">There's evidence that high levels of screen time in preschoolers may hinder brain development</a></li><li><a href="http://static6.insider.com/katy-perry-kylie-jenner-how-bodies-changed-pregnancy-2020-8">Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner, and 6 other celebrity moms on how their bodies changed during pregnancy</a></li><li><a href="http://static4.insider.com/coronavirus-pandemic-children-with-disabilities-regression-2020-6">Children with disabilities are losing skills they worked hard to develop as they're forced to miss school. Parents worry about what's next.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-reggio-emilia-city-in-italy-became-known-preschool-model-2020-9">How Reggio Emilia, a small city in Northern Italy, became one of the biggest buzzwords in progressive preschools</a></li></ul>

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How Reggio Emilia, a small city in Northern Italy, became one of the biggest buzzwords in progressive preschools

Eleanor Goldberg Fox

I taught preschool in the US and Ukraine. Here are 5 key differences I noticed.

Clare Cannon

Feeding C-section babies their mother's poop could improve their immune systems, study finds

Eleanor Goldberg Fox