Bridgewater State University professor Dr. Gerald J. Thornell said he brought ten of his early childhood education students to Marion’s Seaside School on Nov. 18 for a “tour of excellence.”

“We take our students out for observation,” Thornell said. “We look for schools in their region that we believe are doing all of the right things because we feel that our students need that exposure.”

It was the preschool’s Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education that Thornell said drew him to the Seaside School.  The approach was created after World War II when the parents in the village of Reggio Emilia in Italy felt that they needed to rebuild their community and teach their children the principles of respect and responsibility at a young age. It was their belief that children develop who they will be as individuals early on. Reggio Emilia focuses on developing observational skills and community exploration in the children at an early age.

According to the school's director Janet Barnes, Seaside School was established in Marion in 1940, but when she took over 14 years ago she wanted to foster the practice of Reggio Emilia.

“We consider it the approach relevant because of the demands of high-stakes testing creeping down to the preschools,” Thornell said. “Its so nice to see a school develop the whole child rather than push academics too early on. You’ve got to develop a foundation first with the child and then you can move on to academics.”

Thornell, a Marion resident, said that the success of the school in practicing this approach lies with Barnes. According to Thornell, Barnes has been instrumental in developing the observational skills of the students.

“The environment is the third teacher,” Thornell said. “You have the child, the teacher and the environment that everything revolves around. What Janet does here is she allows the exploration of children. She sets the table for them and allows them to explore their community.”

Thornell said Barnes has brought the community into the classroom  by nurturing the students’ interest in boats. Given the school’s Front St. location, the students can look out their front window to see the harbor. After the students showed interest in boat hauling, Barnes brought boating and navigation into the classroom.

Inside, the students can work with maps and compasses as if they were on a boat across the street.

For Bridgewater State senior, Stacy Albrecht, the appeal of the Reggio Emilia approach at the Seaside School is the teacher’s opportunity to really develop the students because of the smaller class size.

Albrecht said, “Its more one-on-one for the kids rather than teachers trying to teach 25 students at once.”

According to Barnes, who has been the owner of the Seaside School for the past 14 years, having the Bridgewater State student teachers come to the school is her work coming full-circle.

“I love for them to come," Barnes said. "It's so important as student teachers to see education philosophies in practice and to develop communications with teachers in the field. It’s nice after so many years in education to be able to give back to the younger teachers.”