Maryjacqueline Fox

Professor Perkins

April 23, 2014

Reflection Paper

Early Experience 2
Children look to the adults around them to find their worth and learn about who they are;
thus, adults have a profound impact on the lives of children by shaping their view of themselves
and the world around them. After working in a Kindergarten classroom during my final Early
Experience, I have learned how important it is for a teacher to create a positive, safe classroom
environment for children. Ultimately, the teacher needs to create a community of love and
understanding where the children feel safe in exploring and learning about themselves and all
that is around them. While I was doing my Early Experience, I was also taking the EDU 348
course on classroom management, which equipped me with multiple positive techniques that
were based on Katharine C. Kersey and Marie L. Mastersons book 101 Principles for Positive
Guidance with Young Children. Thus, I was able to implement these positive techniques into the
classroom to create a positive classroom environment based on positive relationships with the
children.
I have always heard the phrase, Get to know your students!; however, I did not realize
how important it was to take that time to enter into the lives and hearts of your students until this
Early Experience. At the beginning of the semester there were some students in my classroom
that did not respect and trust me; thus, I realized that I needed to build a positive relationship
with them. Kersey and Masterson (2013) describe the principle called Connect Before You
Correct; this technique talks about the importance of creating a positive connection with a
student before you try to change any negative behaviors that the student may have (Kersey &

Masterson, 2013, p. 5). As I used this principle in the classroom, I focused on getting to know
my students and letting them know that I loved them. Thus, I would ask the children about their
lives or how they were doing, and would try to have a positive connection with each student
every day through a smile, conversation, or pat on the back. Slowly I began to notice that the
children were more comfortable with me, and began to be more willing to listen to my directives.
Therefore, I realized how important it is to form a positive relationship with each child by getting
to know him/her in order to gain their trust and respect.
Additionally, I never realized how much of an impact it makes in childrens behavior
when we focus on their positive behaviors instead of their negative ones. In the past when a
child acted out, I would automatically respond in a way that focused on the negative behavior.
However, I realized through my EDU 348 class that focusing on the negative behavior usually
rewards the child who is acting out, since he/she is usually acting out to receive attention. Thus,
when we focus on students positive behaviors, we give them positive attention. In doing so, the
children who normally act out in order to receive attention will want to act in positive ways
instead, so that they receive the positive attention. Kersey and Masterson (2013) also discuss the
principle Make a Big Deal, which talks about making a big deal and rewarding children in small
or big ways about any positive behavior that they may show (Kersey & Masterson, 2013, p. 41).
Thus, throughout my Early Experience, when a child would do well on an assignment, raise their
hand and sit quietly, help a friend, stay in their seat during lunch, or show other positive
behaviors, I would congratulate them with a pat on the back or a verbal affirmation about their
positive behavior. Some students who showed negative behaviors in the beginning of the
semester began to show more positive behaviors as I rewarded them in these small ways
whenever they would show positive behaviors. Thus, I realized the impact that rewarding and

making a big deal about positive behaviors made in having the students show more positive
behaviors.
Lastly, I learned how important it is to explain what your expectations are to the students
in order for them to know what they need to do and feel secure in doing so. I realized that most
of the time when students get in trouble, they may not even know what they did wrong or what
they need to do better next time. Therefore, it is important to explain your expectations and rules
to students beforehand, so they know what to expect and how to behave appropriately. Kersey
and Masterson (2013) explain a principle called When-Then, which describes how a teacher can
explain their expectations to students in a simple way through telling them that when they
perform a certain action, then they will receive or do something else (Kersey & Masterson, 2013,
p. 48). For example, in my Early Experience when I led a spelling activity and the students were
calling out, I said, When you are finished and have a bubble in your mouth with your hand in
the air quietly, then I will call on you to tell us the answer. Whenever I would use this
principle, the students would usually respond positively and show the expected, positive
behavior. Thus, I realized how important it is to explain your expectations to children
beforehand, so they know how to act appropriately.
After working with the Kindergarten classroom in my last Early Experience and using the
techniques from 101 Principles for Positive Guidance with Young Children by Kersey and
Masterson, I was able to create a positive classroom environment with my students. I realized
how crucial the teachers role is in forming a safe and loving environment, and how this
environment is fundamentally based on positive connections with the students. As teachers, we
have a huge role in the lives of children; thus, we need to use this role to create a positive
relationship with them based on love.

References
Kersey, K. C., & Masterson, M. L. (2013). 101 principles for positive guidance with young
children: Creating responsive teachers. Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.