[Brittaney]

When my son starting attending daycare he had a hard time using nice hands. It got to the point where i felt that some of the staff weren’t happy to see him when he came to daycare. They wouldn’t greet us or they would make a unhappy face towards him. It just made me feel like he was unwanted and set the day up to feel less positive. Fortunately those staff members didn’t stay at the daycare and the new ones were more welcoming at drop off.

[Trainer]

Brittaney, your experience highlights the crucial role of positive interactions in early childhood settings. Thank you for sharing!

[Christina]

I had a preschool teacher who would make everyone wait till I finished my veggies to go outside and I contribute that teacher to why im a picky eater

[Trainer]

Christina, your experience highlights how early interactions shape our preferences. It’s fascinating how impactful teachers can be!

[Akilah]

My son had a teacher who had a loud and sometimes abraisive tone when they spoke to people. Thats not the way we spoke to him at home so that wasn’t something he was used and nor did he positively respond to that. when he way potty training she was trying help him understand that in order to receive the reward he needed to use the potty. His reward at the time was Cars tattoos. Well her delivery of the information wasn'[t to hus liking one day and he told her that she could keep the taptoos as he called them

[Trainer]

Great reflection, Akilah! It’s important to recognize how teacher interactions can shape a child’s feelings and responses.

[Haylee Holznagel]

My uncle had a significant childhood experience when he was about 5 years old. His family lost their home in a flood and had to move to a new town. The experience was difficult because he had to leave his friends and start over at a new school. As he got older, that experience made him more adaptable and motivated to build financial stability. Today, he works in emergency management and helps communities prepare for natural disasters. He often says that going through that challenge as a child influenced the career path he chose as an adult.

[Emily]

I had an experience with a wonderful Kindergarten teacher when I was younger. This teacher always helped me with assignments and would stay after school was over that day so that I could ask questions and get help on different things. This made me want to be a teacher to help others and now I work in a classroom teaching two year olds and helping them learn and grow.

[Dakota]

When I was in second grade, I had a teacher that genuinely did not like me, and a few other kids in my class. I always got good grades, I didn’t get into trouble in school, and I had friends. One day she asked a question in front of the class room, and I raised my hand to answer. She called on me, and after I answered, she proceeded to tell me I was stupid. In front of the entire class. I lost a lot of confidence that day, and I still hate public speaking.

[Shannon]

I friend of mine was adopted by her grandparents and her mom would come in and out of her life. It affected her when she became an adult. She became very wild and made a lot of bad choices. She was finally able to straighten her life out in her 40’s.

[Lisa]

We had a teacher at our school who rarely smiled and if you were not a model student would do her best to either ignore you or get administration to ask you to leave. Her demeanor affected the kids in class. Many of them cried and did not want to come to school. The children would be afraid of making a mistake and stopped trying. It was a sad experience for students and families. I always feel bad for families when they figure out they have the “teacher” who isn’t friendly.

[Stephanie]

I had a teacher at a very young age that showed me such kindness and care that it lead me to the education field many years later. I never forgot the way she made me feel in the classroom!

[Shar Olguin]

Wow, honestly, myself. I have had so many experiences that have affected me in so many different ways. Here’s a good example, though: So, here I am at 35 years old, no idea what I want to do with my life. My son was young and in Head Start at the time. I got into some trouble and was required to do community service. This is what started me on my career path. I started working in my kids’ classroom. After my community service was done, I continued volunteering in elementary school classrooms, and then I started going to school for Early Childhood Education. Here is another one about my kid. He was in high school during COVID, and because of that, he is very antisocial. He has a hard time making friends, and he is very quiet and shy. I would say that he is probably developmentally delayed in the social-emotional aspect, due to being on a computer by himself in his bedroom throughout high school.

[Teah LeFlore]

I was talking to a colleague recently about an experience she had in early childhood. She was feeling sick in class, really needing to go home. She spoke to her teacher and said, ” I don’t feel well, I need to go home. Will you call my mom?”. Her teacher responded, ” Well you can’t be sick. I am looking at you and you don’t have a red nose or anything so you must be faking it.” My colleagues skin complexion is brown. Her nose will never appear “red” when sick because she does not have the pale translucent skin her teachers and peers displayed. That incident really stuck with her not being believed based off of her skin tone and grew up to be a teacher herself so no other brown boy or girl in her care will be misjudged and labeled a liar just because a teacher didn’t take the time to understand and see the child.

[Clydedina Thompson]

I agree meeting a child at the door with a smile, getting on their level and saying their name helps them release the parent much easier

[Clydedina Thompson]

I already answered the question. It wont move me forward

[Kimberly]

I have worked with a lot of different people and those with positive attitudes, dispositions, and whom are always smiling draw children in. The children love positive energy and reciprocate it.

[ashley]

Good morning Irene,When I first started teaching back in 2012 I had a little toddler with big emotions. This little guy had already been through a lot in his short amount of time on this earth. He would scream, throw his feet, smack the teachers, throw toys across the room. Little did i know back then that what i was doing was helping this child long term as he grew older. During these meltdowns i would sit on the floor with him in a calm voice and hold out my hand for him. I would explain all of his emotions by telling him i can see that your mad or frustrated when you are throwing the toys. I quickly figured out that this child needed more hugs throughout the day to help regulate his emotions and he needed the hugs to help make him feel safe. Fast forward to now in 2026. The parent of this child and i still talk and she expressed how much it meant to her that i was there back then to help this child with what he had going on personally in his life. This kid is now 14 years old and is happy and thriving in life. It made me realize how much that i do as a teacher does have an impact on these children later in life. This makes my heart so happy that i was able to do that back then for him.