Intro
As my time at Kidspoint has continued, so has my education and engagement with children and their psychological functioning. I have noticed various themes of social learning, conditioning, problem solving, emotional regulation, reactiveness, and more that continuously connect to my college education. I regularly pull from my memory of classes I have taken here and common themes that span across psychological fields. Students are enriched through encouragement, challenging tasks and games, group activities, and routine to strengthen their early years of development and it has been very interesting to observe.
Daily Routine
As the weeks go by I have fallen into the rhythm of the class’ daily routine as I often help with clean up, transitions, or setting up of next activities. I have spoken with the teachers in my classroom about the challenges of leading a daycare class and they often bring up transitions as a point of difficulty. This has to do with the children’s desire to stay engaged in what they are already engaged in, as brains at this age live entirely in the moment. To stop doing an activity you are actively engaging in, executive functioning is used that is not fully developed at such a young age. This causes tasks like “stop playing, start cleaning, line up to go outside” to be a rowdy, chaotic, and long processes with a group of eighteen 4 year olds. However, this is a vital reason as to why daily routines are so useful not only in the classroom but to their development, as consistently implementing transition exercises that skill.
Conditioning
A second valuable piece to understand is conditioning, as it is the primary way children learn and develop behavior from their experiences. I have witnessed first hand how conditioning works and how kids use their environment to subconsciously understand cause and effect. For example, a child who throws tantrums, starts arguments or fights with other kids, or doesn’t listen to directions might be a source of conflict in the classroom. This could come from the child’s understanding that acting like that gains them attention from the teachers and their classmates, whether it be positive or negative. If a kid wants to be talked to, played with, looked at, or engaged in one on one time, they might act out in certain ways as they have understood that doing so will result in that kind of attention. In this case, I have been instructed to break the idea of cause and effect that their experience has conditioned them to use, and refrain from giving them the attention they are looking for, focusing on rewarding good behavior, or spending one on one time with them when they are playing with toys or following directions. This has become a fascinating trend to watch, as they learn very quickly what behaviors cause which reactions.
Employee Relationships
Throughout my time working with and observing the children in my classroom, I have also gained important relationships with my coworkers and supervisors as they help teach me not only the responsibilities of my job as an intern, but as an adult in a young kid’s life. Being a daycare worker involves spending time with kids for 6-8 hours of the day, 5 days a week. They give you trust, kindness, and love, and they look to you for vital education and leadership while in the classroom and being able to learn from the teachers I work with has been a very fun experience. As the children socially learn with their peers, I am doing so as well with mine. I often use phrases I have heard other teachers say, or use similar tones, and I have noticed a difference in the way my students interact with me. Overall, my experience here is setting me up for future success in more ways than I initially considered when entering this internship, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here thus far.