This oral history interview is an intimate conversation between two people, both of whom have generously agreed to share this recording with Oral History Summer School, and with you. Please listen in the spirit with which this was shared.

This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please inquire about permissions.

All rights are reserved by Oral History Summer School.

Researchers will understand that:

  • Oral History Summer School abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association (2018) and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.
  • Unless verbal patterns are germane to your scholarly work, when quoting from this material researchers are encouraged to correct the grammar and make other modifications maintaining the flavor of the narrator’s speech while editing the material for the standards of print.
  • All citations must be attributed to Oral History Summer School:
    Narrator’s Name, Oral history interview, YYYY, Oral History Summer School
I have read and agree to the terms listed above.
Library

Maija Reed

Location:

Hudson, NY

Recorded by

Alex Vara

Listen to full interview
Full interview, track 1
Full interview, track 1
Full interview, track 2
Full interview, track 3
Clips from this interview:
No items found.
Summary:

This interview with Maija Reed was recorded on March 28, 2022 remotely via Zoom. Maija is an early childhood educator, caregiver, and the Youth Commissioner of Hudson, New York. In this interview, she spoke about her days spent with her two students--in the woods and at the train station. Due to COVID-19, her early care group went from three or four students to two. She spoke about her gratitude for the small group. Working with two students allows her to move safely with the students out in the world, giving her the opportunity to hop in her car and ask the children what they should do for the day. This has led to adventures and discoveries for the children and Maija. Maija spoke about her newfound love for her local transportation, from Amtrak to grain trains. She talked about what can happen when we let young children lead and what we can learn about a place by revisiting a location consistently.  Her respect for this very young age grows with every day. She questions, what if our society centered young children more? What if we gave young children the agency to have a say on the world around them? She spoke about her experience at Reggio Emilia and the inspiration of a society that respects and sees the importance of holding space for children. She spoke about the populations of society that are pushed to the side in the United States and how making change would have to start with values. She also spoke about her hopes to help invest in the local parks as the Youth Commissioner.

Themes:
Problem solving
,
Isolation
,
Politics
,
Teachers
,
Essential workers
,
Mental health
,
Interviewer Bio:

Alex Vara was born in San Francisco but raised just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Mill Valley, California. She is a graduate of Hampshire College and a dual MFA Creative Writing (Fiction/Nonfiction) student at The New School in New York City. She’s a public speaking teacher and host of TNS After Hours, a reading series dedicated to The New School Writing Community. She writes about family and her place within it. 

Additional Info:
Interview language(s):
English
Audio quality:
Medium

Audio Quality Scale

Low - There is some background noise and the narrator is hard to hear.

Medium - There is background noise, but the narrator is audible.

High - There is little background noise and the narrator is audible.

This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please click here to inquire about permissions.

Part of this interview may be played in a radio broadcast or podcast.

© 2023 Oral History Summer School. All rights reserved.