Walker Reflections

September 9, 2018

Reflection 1

During outside exploration time, I was walking around observing the children’s activities.

At one point, I turned the corner and observed that a child had inappropriately used the

watercolors to paint her face and friends faces. At this point, I was new and uncomfortable with

making corrections with the children. I got my teachers attention and she came over and

proceeded to get on the child’s level and speak in a normal voice, asking the children what the

paint is for, when they replied “only paper”, she explained she was disappointed in the children

for not using the paint on paper. The teacher then had the children clean their faces with paper

towels and asked them to make better choices, because using materials for the wrong purposes

was a bad choice. I felt the teacher handled the situation very well, and that the children received

this form of discipline well. I feel this situation closely correlates with the fifth of the twelve

principles (DAP p.12) because the teacher created a positive learning experience that will have

lasting effects on the children, instead of yelling and getting angry, she gave them positive

guidance and corrected the behavior.

Reflection 2

In the classroom, there is a child who has difficulty following simple rules. During lunch,

many days of the week he will take his own food and throw or spit it at other children or their

plates or drinks. Each day at lunch before the food is handed out the teacher takes time to get on

his level and warn him that throwing food at other children, or into their food is a “bad decision”

and tells him that if he cannot keep his food on his plate or in his stomach than he will need to

leave the table and sit by himself at a separate table. It seems that three out of five days of the
Walker Reflections

week he has to sit at the separate table. I question if there is any better way to handle the

situation as the child also presents troubled misbehavior throughout the day. He has difficulty

playing well with others, and will hit or throw at children who try to join him during centers or

during outside explorations. Each time the teacher corrects him in positive and uplifting ways

but he seems to not listen or even process anything that he is told. I feel the teacher is desperately

trying to uphold guideline 2, “teaching to enhance development and learning” (DAP p.17) but

the child is not understanding the information and I question that he may possibly have an

undiagnosed problem.