THE MAESA EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS CONFERENCE

THE MAESA EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS CONFERENCE

COVID-19 Announcement: Given the many changes to our member schools’ schedules this fall, MAESA will not hold the annual Early Childhood Educators Conference on November 6, 2020. We are working to hold an in-person conference in the spring of 2021. Please contact us with any questions maesaschools@gmail.com

MAESA Early Childhood Educators 2020 Video Workshops: Here is a series of video presentations from medical or educational professionals connected with our MAESA schools. They have generously volunteered their time to make these recordings.

Mindfulness for MAESA – This video workshop was prepared by Courtney Hundley, a certified mindfulness instructor.  Courtney shares information about mindfulness practices to try with children, and, along the way, participants will get the chance to engage in mindful self-care exercises too. Learn how using mindful practices in the classroom helps students understand their body’s response to stress, and how they can manage emotion. This workshop includes information about the neuroscience of our brains, how we respond to stimuli, and includes guided exercises for you to follow within this 1hr 7 minute video presentation. This video offers valuable “take away tools” for introducing mindful practices in your classroom and also introduces time for your own self care. 
Courtney Hundley has spent the majority of her career working as an elementary school educator. She recently transitioned out of the classroom where she was a mindfulness coach to students, teachers and parents. Courtney continues to teach mindfulness and meditation and has a growing health and wellness business. She holds a MEd from Lesley University and is a certified mindfulness instructor through Mindful Schools. She and her husband Brooks have two children, an eleventh grader and a freshman in college. She loves to spend time in the woods hiking and enjoying nature.
Tackling Tough Topics in Morning Meeting – This video workshop was prepared by Erica Thompson, Assistant Head of School for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School. It is packed full of techniques for use in your morning or closing meeting to introduce topics such as recognizing stereotypes, understanding inclusion, discussing perceived gender roles, and finding your own identity. Erica shares how her school’s model, called “Who We Are Wednesdays”, helps young people find their voice, which is rooted in finding their own identity. This identity work allows students to understand differences in themselves and others and learn to recognize bias. Starting these conversations as early as preschool is valuable, and allows children to develop these types of thinking routines that will continue for years to come.

Erica Thompson is the Assistant Head of School for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School. She has over 20 years experience in various capacities at independent schools.  She is a graduate of Georgetown University and received her MA in teaching and curriculum from Loyola of Maryland.  She has presented workshops around areas of Diversity and Inclusion locally and nationally. She is parent to son Dylan, 18 and daughter Devin, 15. Her newly acquired quarantine hobbies include Peloton HIIT workouts and zoom painting classes.  

The Science of Resilience in Children – This video was recorded from the MAESA Annual Membership meeting and is Dr. Rebecca Resnik’s keynote address. Dr. Resnik, a Bethesda based psychologist, guides us through how the brain responds and adapts to stress. Too little stress does not provide the chance to develop behaviors supportive of resilience, while too much stress makes one shut down. Learn how cognitive framing, stress inoculation, certain kinds of relationships, and, also, failure experienced by children can help them build resilience.  

Dr. Rebeca Resnik earned a Doctor of Psychology from The George Washington University. Dr. Resnik completed her psychology internship training in Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital, and her Post-Doctoral Residency in Psychological Assessment was completed at Mindwell Psychology in Virginia. She is a mom to boys ranging in age from 28 to 12 years old, and is the founding partner of Rebecca Resnik and Associates, LLC in North Bethesda, MD.