By Katie Rooney
Last weekend, I had the incredible pleasure and privilege of attending the Play Empowers Teacher Retreat and Conference hosted by Kisha Reid and Play Empowers. It was three very full days that I know will be a turning point for me. It touched every part of my being, both as an Educator and a Human. Every early childhood educator deserves an experience like this.
The weekend was filled with incredible sessions with Carol Garboden Murray on illuminating care, Kisa Marx on liberated learning, Carly Bedard on self-activated play, Heather Bernt-Santy on schema to advocate for play, and Andrea Kurtz Diuguid on practical self-care for educators. Plus thought and dream provoking think tanks with Tiffany Pearsall and Sierra Roussos.
But this was more than just a conference. PEP helped speak aloud core truths I have always held dear to both my educator soul and my sense of self:
– “Care is the backbone of human strength”
– Care is what makes us human and interconnects all of us.
– All people deserve rest and care- it is not earned. And this includes me.
I cannot tell you how healing it is to not just hear that but to EXPERIENCE it. This was not just a conference in which we learned about educational practices and theories; they were practiced. Every step of the way, in every workshop, in every meal, in every time for play, I felt cared for, honored, and celebrated. I felt that I was being brought into the center. My voice and experience were welcomed as MY expertise. There was time for reflection, collaboration, and fun. There was space to breathe. We ziplined, hiked, drummed, swam, participated in podcast recordings, connected with passionate educators, and ate incredible food. The Clagett Retreat Center was beautiful, welcoming, and encouraged community. Moreover, the openness and raw vulnerability I felt amongst the presenters and participants is evidence of the type of caring people at the center of organizing the event.
PEP also drummed aloud the call of what it is to be an early childhood practitioner: to care, to resist, to reflect, to liberate, and to play. It shone a light on the importance of extending these practices not just to our students, but to us as true practitioners.
PEP empowered me with language, tools, and camaraderie, I didn’t know I needed to continue to do the good work, to re-devote myself to my practice of care, and perhaps most importantly, to care for myself. It helped me start a journey of healing.
With the deepest of gratitude, thank you to Defending the Early Years for the partial scholarship that enabled two of my staff and me to attend. It is shaping our interactions with our students, families, staff, and our greater community. Thank you!
Katie Rooney is the Director of Early Childhood Education at Irvine Nature Center in Owings Mill, MD.
