Faculty/Staff Spotlight
Spotlight: Christine Ristaino
Christine Ristaino is an educator and a writer. Her memoir The Little Girl Is Me grew out of conversations about some of the toughest questions on violence, race, and parenting that we face in America today. Christine teaches Italian and education classes at Emory University. She has co-authored an academic publication entitled Lucrezia Marinella and the“Querelle des Femmes” in Seventeenth-Century Italy through Farleigh Dickinson Press as well as the first edition of a book series called the Italian Virtual Class, which teaches language through cultural acquisition. She specializes in Italian pedagogy, education, language and culture, and service learning. She writes and publishes articles, essays, and non-fiction. At Emory, Christine advises two mentoring organizations and is engaged in committees and activities relating to the topic of community and diversity.
Undergraduate Degree from: Skidmore College: BS in Business with a minor in English University of Washington: BA in Italian Studies
Graduate Degree from: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: MA in Italian Studies
Doctoral Degree from: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Ph.D. in Italian Studies with a minor in Spanish
Area of Specialization / Research: Italian pedagogy, the Reggio Emilia Approach to Education, language and culture, and community-engaged learning.
Current Course Offerings: Italian 101 (beginning Italian); ITAL/EDS 190 How We Learn
Previous Post(s): I have worked at the College of Charleston, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Lorenzo de’ Medici school in Florence, and the University of Washington.
An Interview with Christine Ristaino:
> How and when did you first become interested in your field of study?
I am an Italian American and initially I wanted to know more about my cultural heritage. My relatives arrived in the states against incredible odds and worked doing hard labor. My great grandfather, Carlo Ristaino, was a stone and cement mason and he often travelled for weeks at a time to find work. He was part of Roosevelt’s effort to rebuild the economy and through the WPA he spent months building the Hoover Dam. It is because of my immigrant ancestors that I am currently able to succeed in this country. Through their hard work, my descendants earned rights and privileges for my family that they didn’t have. I am one of the first members of my extended family to earn a Ph.D., but I don’t know where I’d be today had it not been for the hard work of the generations before me.
Regarding the educational side of my interests, both my parents are teachers and I became engaged in this profession very early on in my childhood. My children, intelligent, creative and talented people, were both diagnosed with ADHD at young ages. Throughout their education, my husband and I have had to advocate for them, keeping educators focused on their strengths and learning styles. They both attended Reggio-Emilia-inspired preschools, which were a great fit for them, and I became interested in this type of education as a result. I currently teach a class that compares Italian and American education, focusing on Italy’s Reggio system, with an eye on educational reform. Reggio’s strong image of children and on-going support for student interests and the rights of children make me a firm believer in the method’s educational practices.
> What made you decide to pursue a career in higher education?
I love learning and a job in higher education means that I continue to learn on a day-to-day basis. In deciding to become a teacher, I hoped to make a difference in my students’ lives and I knew they would make one in mine. I have been surrounded by teachers my whole life and have a deep respect and love for the profession and teachers in general.
> Why did you choose to be a part of the academic community at Emory?
I didn’t realize when I signed on in 2002 that there would be so many occasions to branch out and learn new things here. Emory has a fantastic academic reputation and that’s what originally drew me to it. More importantly, though, there are so many possibilities for staff, students, and faculty to grow. Emory provides me with opportunities to improve professionally and personally on a regular basis. The community is intellectually and socially engaged and I feel lifted up and supported as a result.
> What do you enjoy about teaching/serving the students, staff, of Emory?
Emory students are inquisitive, intelligent, motivated, and caring. I am always impressed with what my students can do. They often keep me going during difficult times. They make me laugh. They say and do things that inspire me. My students have challenged me to develop my courses in unexpected and more interesting ways. An example of this involves a class I taught in 2008. My students created a mentoring chapter as a result of our discussions and class activities. Although this group of students graduated in 2012, the partnership they inspired is still thriving. Our mentors work alongside the CREW Teens, a dynamic, wonderful group of high school students who meet afternoons at the Drew Charter School. I am currently the faculty advisor of our mentoring chapter and this opportunity has been a real gift from my former students. Because of this partnership, I am able to reach out to the educational communities in Atlanta in ways I had only dreamt about previously. My students have organized college days for local high school and Jr. high students. The programming has inspired and changed me. I have learned so much from my students and it’s a privilege and honor to teach and work with them.
> What do you like about the university community?I have written a memoir that discusses race, ethnicity, and violence. The book inspired me to tackle the topics in my life that had formerly silenced me and changed the way I teach and interact with the Emory community. The Emory community has never shied away from having difficult conversations with me, and many of Emory’s faculty, students, staff and administrators have made their way into my book as a result. I’m not saying there haven’t been difficult moments during my time here at Emory. Working in a community of people always means that there will be challenges. But Emory has always provided me with the safe space to work through both personal and professional challenges. I like that I have been challenged by my community and that I continue to grow as a result of the discussions we have.
>What University values, traditions or culture do you feel most connected or resonate most with you?
Emory’s inquiry-based curriculum and practice impresses me. When Emory goes through growing pains, faculty, staff, students and administration often come together to find resolutions. I love how initiatives here form out of needs—the Transforming Community Project is an example of this. Many of the programs we have at Emory are community based—OMPS, OUCP, Leadership Emory, the Piedmont Project, Transforming Community Project, the Emory Scholars program, SIRE, SURE and many others. All of these initiatives rely on the community (Emory’s and beyond) to sustain them. Community-engaged learning is important to me because it allows me and my students to partner with schools and organizations that extend beyond Emory.
> What special talents, contributions, service or insight do you bring to the community?
I bring a commitment to communicate with those around me and to tackle difficult topics without fear. I am dedicated to improving and changing education, to working with my community to reform schools. I have a passion for education and am on a mission to share this passion with my students and colleagues. I also hold a love for languages, language pedagogy, and Italian culture, which I transmit to my students every day in class.
For more information about the projects discussed in this interview, please visit my website:
