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| Cary Larson-McKay |
The Great Multipliers
CAEYC’s Annual Conference & Expo has come and gone. But, my, goodness, what we left behind is thrilling. My last glimpse of the Expo Hall showed a totally different place than it had been in place a few hours earlier. It was strewn with empty boxes, scattered curtains, pieces of carpet tossed here and there and bits of materials used in sessions. Each of these parts and bits did not mean much by themselves, but together they represented the physical leavings of an amazing few days of learning. The pieces left behind declared that those of us who were there demonstrated a certain quality that said, “This is who we are. We are Early Childhood Professionals and we CARE. ”
As I walked through the halls greeting people as they exited various workshops they were making new friends, discussing the workshops, figuring out how to improve their practice and connecting with other caring professionals. I was struck by several things that had me taking special notice of what was happening and ultimately made me very proud to be among you.
Some of this caring attitude practically exploded out of the mouths of the Pasadena Convention Center Staff when I had the chance to talk to them. This usually happened when someone needed something or something was not working as it should. Basically it happened when there was a problem. During these encounters several of the staff told me how easy it was to work with this conference and the people who attended. “You all are so nice.” “Everyone is willing to work out problems together.” “They are understanding of our work.” They could see what a group of caring professionals look like.
I also had the chance to meet and share coffee and breakfast with our scholarship winners one morning. I already read their applications and I knew something about them before we met, but I did not even come close to understanding the reality of who they are in real life. They are remarkably energetic, and dedicated, and doing good work with children. I had a great time chatting with them and appreciating their focus on what they can do for children. Some saw a need for specialized services for the children in their center and have developed programs to fill the need. Some stepped in to work with students becoming teachers and helped them see the need to develop their own vision and goals for working with children. They all have stepped up to work with their local AEYC and are going to be helping out at the state level as well. Dedication to the work was evident in our conversations. These are some of the Early Childhood Professionals caring deeply about the work we do.
Excited strangers, acquaintances and friends would stop to tell me about a particular workshop they attended, and how they were going to be able to use the information directly with the children or students in their classes. The gift of sharing allowed me to gain the benefits of the workshops I could not attend. These conference goers were spreading the influence of the experts gathered there.
They became part of the great Early Childhood Education team of mathematicians. They became multipliers of influence. One person I talked to found that the music the presenters made were part of learning about your body. That listening carefully to directions could have great and fun rewards when working together making something bigger than yourself. That learning about patterns of the world around you could help you learn to listen carefully.
The best part? Those who shared with me, their enthusiasm, rejuvenated my own passion for the work we do. I got to see people helping people by stopping to pick up spilled papers, making room so someone else could see the speaker, solving a tough situation where someone was unhappy, or going out of their way to get a needed supply item for a speaker who needed it for a particular exercise, and giving and getting hugs. All done with true caring. We are a pretty awesome bunch!
Bottom line? The Conference is an affirmation of the nurturing and caring nature of ECE folks. The Conference brings together people who care deeply about what happens to children and their families. We have passion. We have thoughtful and creative people who use those talents and skills to make sure children have a good start in life. The conference creates an environment that encourages our best efforts. It helps us create a vision of our organization, but also a vision of ourselves, and how we fit into this ECE and CAEYC culture.
The Conference helps us make the culture of CAEYC visible and directly experienced by those who attend. It affirms our purpose. We are strong and this is part of our gift to society. We have a tradition of friendship, nurturing, learning and passion for our work. It is up to each of us individually and collectively to support this culture. After all, we created it. Enjoy our friendships, and ultimately benefit personally and professionally from it. Share what we have learned—multiply the effects of the Conference. I invite each of you to help make our association, our world, better and with a purpose with which we want to live.