The St. Michael School of Clayton in St. Louis, Missouri, is currently celebrating its 50th year, and those of us connected to the school are reflecting on many years of rewarding work together. I first met Ashley and Louise Cadwell in the autumn of 1992. Ashley had been hired as the headmaster of the school. He and Louise had just returned from living in Reggio Emilia, Italy, where Louise had completed a yearlong internship working in the Reggio schools. Ashley and Louise both had long, deep histories working in progressive education, school development, and research.
At that time, I was working at the school in an art-enrichment capacity, and also directing the extended-school programs. The early 1990’s were a dynamic time in St. Louis for early childhood education. In 1991, A Newsweek magazine article, “The 10 Best Schools in the World (December 1991),” had caused a surge of interest in the Reggio Approach, The Hundred Languages of Children exhibition had been at Webster University in St Louis. Many educators in St. Louis were fascinated with the distinctive and innovative set of philosophical and pedagogical approaches that are unique to Reggio Emilia.
During the 1992-93 school year, Ashley introduced me to the essential ideas of the schools in Reggio. He gave me a copy of The Hundred Languages of Children book, and “To Make a Portrait of a Lion” VHS tape. We also engaged in numerous conversations about many principles and practices that he and Louise had learned while in Reggio.
Charles Schwall, author of this post, and pedagogista & studio teacher (1993-2013), The St. Michael School
Because my background was in the visual arts, the Reggio atelier immediately impressed me. The “atelier” is a physical space within the school dedicated to children’s exploration and use of many materials, tools, symbolic languages, and forms of representation. I was fascinated by the concept of the “hundred languages of children,” used by the Italian educators as a metaphor for the countless ways young students are capable exploring and expressing ideas. Closely linked to the concept of the atelier, is the role of the “atelierista,” a teacher with a background in the visual arts, who works with small groups of children in the atelier. When I was hired as atelierista (studio teacher) in 1993, I discovered that I not only found my career, but my calling.
Ashley had a strong vision for the program, and immediately began to restructure the school curriculum and programs to become Reggio-inspired, as well as to integrate other best practices in progressive education. We worked intensely with educators from Reggio Emilia, and several faculty members were able to travel to Reggio Emilia for study tours. It was clear that we had to find our own solutions and interpretations. We were determined to define the values of the Reggio Approach within our own setting. For example, we had observed in the Reggio schools that the atelierista forms a close collaborative relationship with the classroom teachers, and supports curriculum development, research, and documentation throughout the entire school. We made similar choices at St. Michael School. In the elementary school the concept of the atelier was de-centralized into studio arts, science, music and performing arts, Spanish, social studies, and physical education. In this way, these various disciplines all share the responsibilities of the atelier.
Michael Holohan, studio teacher at The St. Michael School
Thematic research projects and documentation also became a hallmark of the school’s unique identity. Our yearlong research projects transform children into researchers and teachers into facilitators as they pursue in-depth learning together. The topic for the research integrates curriculum throughout the year for the entire school, with each class involved in age-appropriate learning experiences. Recent research topics include: How Can You Make a Difference?; Water; Home; and Maps & Models.
The school continues to grow and develop its Reggio-inspired focus under the leadership of Beth Mosher, who became the head of school in 2008. Currently enjoying its 50-year milestone, and building on 27 years of Reggio-inspired practice, The St. Michael School of Clayton remains a dynamic think-tank for some of the best ideas in education.
Documentation panel and synthesis of research by third through sixth graders, The St. Michael School