The Pezzettino Symbol Origin Story

In Reggio Emilia each school has a logo or symbol for their school.  What better symbol for the Pezzettinos classroom than the “parts of a whole” assemblage that a four-year-old created for the class in 2016-2017. 

This Student Artist spent much of their days at school working with all kinds of materials to make their thinking visible.  One day in the fall the student sat down at the writing table with a goal:

The student cut out a circle, selected two colors of pencils and drew 24 Pezzettino cubes. ​

"I'm making the Pezzettinos at meeting."

“There is one whole and two halves that make the whole.”

The student then cut out another piece.

"This is you Meredith, you connect us all."

The student then placed the piece in the middle.

The next day the Student Artist agreed to share their work during morning meeting.

Student Artist points to the Meeting board where their artwork is displayed. The student shares what the symbols represent: the classroom as a whole with all its important parts.

Transcription from video taken at meeting
Student artist:  This is everyone on it.

Meredith: It’s everyone.  Can you show me where certain people are please?

Student artist:  This is Tom. 

Meredith:  This is Tom.  How can you tell?

Student peer:  Because of his hair.

Meredith:  Oh, is it because of his hair?

Student artist:  Yeah.

Meredith:  You made it curly.  Can you tell us
little bit about the other people on it?

Student artist: This is Sandy. 

Meredith:  Okay

Student artist:  And this is me. 

Meredith:  Okay.  Thank you

Student artist:  And Will.

Meredith:  Okay.
​

The symbol's meaning.

For me, the meaning of this symbol is about belonging.  The Student Artist represented their thinking and feelings through the language of drawing.  The drawing is a representation of how this student understands their connection to peers and teachers.  The drawing also demonstrates the student's capacity to know that being connected is not always visible.  In an earlier drawing, the student shared that they purposefully left two squares open for peers who moved away.  The drawing reflects the classroom's values:  the individual is listened to, the group is made of many individuals listening to each other to be in a caring community, and we hold space for those who are not present in order to remember them and their important role as part of this whole.