"Octopus" starts with O

I am a new teacher in a state-funded pre-k program that is within a private daycare setting. I just graduated in December, and I know that I am extremely fortunate to have found a teaching position in the middle of the school year. Though it has had it's challenges and I expect the challenges to continue, I am gradually adjusting to working with four and five year olds, but I need all the help that I can get. I plan on using this blog to post hints, tips, and tricks that I discover or that are shared with me by the wonderful collegues I am fortunate enough to work with. Any comments about teaching practices and/or discipline procedures would be GREATLY appreciated. I hope this blog is as helpful to others as it will be to myself.
My boyfriend shared a recent post with me today entitled Self Esteem and Encourgement . It basically said that children don't need to be praised for everything good or bad, but praised for their achievements and helped work to improve whatever it is they still need to work on. I totally agree. Praising all students all day long regardless of their achievements means that the praise loses something. It is no longer praise because you are proud of them or because you think they really did a great job and deserve recogniztion: it is praise for praise' sake. On the flip side, I do not think that ANYONE should ever discourage a child or put a child down. There are ways to let a child know that they need to work on things without telling them that they totally stink at it. "I like the way you're really trying, but maybe tomorrow we'll work more on following the lines when you cut something out." This is an area on which I would like to improve, one of the many areas I would like to improve. I'll keep you posted as I journey through pre-k land.