Teacher-child relationships can have a profound impact on children’s social and emotional competence. We examined whether preschoolers’ negative emotions were associated with their teacher relationships and adjustment during middle childhood (i.e., evocative effects). We further investigated if observed evocative effects were driven/initiated by child genetic influences. The sample included 561 adopted children. Adoptive parents reported child sadness and anger at age 4.5 and child behavioral adjustment at age 7. Teachers reported on their relationship with the child at age 7. Birth parents’ characteristics measured indices of genetic influences on child negative emotionality. Results indicated teacher-child closeness and conflict were concurrently associated with child social competence, and teacher-child conflict was positively associated with child externalizing behavior. Preschool sadness was positively associated with teacher-child closeness; however, there was no evidence of genetic influences on this association. Lastly, preschool sadness was positively related to child internalizing behaviors, whereas anger was positively related to child externalizing. These results affirm that teacher-child relationships are related to child adjustment, and that earlier child sadness plays a role in school-age teacher-child relationships.