Our Preschool Teachers Stephanie & Emilie had the opportunity to attend the OAEYC Conference held at Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Sandusky, Ohio April 20-22!
Day 1:
Stephanie started the day off learning Techniques for Becoming the Best Version of Yourself. This session was about protective factors for teachers to help prepare them for stressful situations and anything that comes their way. The work that teachers do is very important and life changing but without taking proper care of themselves it can lead to stress and feeling drained. Next up for Ms Stephanie was a bonus featured session that required total participation while learning about successful ways young children BEST learn through music, movement, story, play and joy!
After Ms Emilie arrived, Stephanie & Emilie started their weekend off with team building fun and playing along with an 80’s Murder Mystery event. This event kept everyone involved in the Murder Mystery storyline. Luckily, Emilie and Stephanie did not end up being the murderer. It was a great way for them to connect with other teachers from the state of Ohio/Michigan and they definitely brought out their competitive side!
Day 2:
Friday started out extra early… Stephanie & Emilie were able to check out the vendor booths before classes began. We met with the organization that will be putting on our FREE Parent Workshop April 28th, we experienced new technology that can be used in our Preschool classroom and connected with other classroom resources.
Our first session was called “It Looks Like I’m Learning…’Cause I Am”. This session was led by Musician and Educator Red Grammer. This was a wonderful opportunity to talk about how learning is both a natural human drive and a courageous activity constantly filled with mistakes, reflection and correction. This session focused on using music and current research to explore how the never-ending journey of learning can be made more satisfying, efficient, and graceful for students and educators by developing a “Growth Mindset” and nurturing self awareness and self acceptance.
Our Keynote speaker was Gerry Brooks! You may know him from his hilarious Social Media Videos about the day in the life of being an Educator. It is vital for educators to be able to laugh at themselves on a very regular basis. Gerry highlighted the importance of culture in creating a positive work environment leading to improved outcomes for children.
Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld was our next session of the day. Mimi’s presentation was about Teaching in the ‘Key of Life’. How do teachers and administrators shape the climate and spirit of the program? We focused on how we can create life affirming, loving, safe, and joyous environments for our preschoolers, our families and our community.
Next up was Debbie Clement! Debbie shared techniques on STEM/STEAM projects, rhythm and rhyme and focused adding laughter to your day to increase resilience for all.
We met the Rolling Stones of Early Childhood Musicians!! Just kidding…well…kind of…Our Keynote speakers for Friday evening were Greg & Steve. Greg & Steve are Children’s Music Icons. This session was full of energy and upbeat music we can use in our classroom. Guess what! Ms Stephanie even ran up on stage as a backup dancer!
Finally we enjoyed a benefit for Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld’s Scholarship Fund. There was dancing, karaoke with a live band and LOTS of prizes. Guess who won an amazing prize for our classroom! Ms EMILIE! This basket was donated by Feeling Buddies. It is a self-regulation curriculum that can help us with our big feelings in the classroom.
Day 3:
Our first session on Saturday was with Red Grammer. In this session Red Grammer focused on discovering how music can joyfully uplift and improve the functioning of almost every aspect of our classroom. This man is so very talented!
Last but not least our last keynote speaker was Steve Gross who talked to us about the power of optimism. An optimistic disposition enables us through every day and extraordinary struggles to look for the goodness in ourselves, in others and in the world around us. Steve shared how optimistic individuals can bring out the best in all they serve.
We learned so much about child development and we were able to bring back many great ideas for the classroom. It was a great way to refresh and rejuvenate as a team and enjoy some team bonding and we even won some awesome things for the classroom! We appreciate our teachers and they do so much to help make our Preschool successful. Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12 and families and church members are encouraged to send notes of thanks to show our teachers just how much they are appreciated!!!
