Hi guys,

I'm having some classroom (Library!) management problems! Our school leans
toward the rowdy side on a good day, just to be honest. Fourth grade is the
oldest grade in our building and I am having a very hard time with them as
a whole.

Since discipline is not really enforced in our building - there is no
sending to the principal or threatening with study hall.  (You see where
the problems are!)  I have to come up with incentives for handling things
in my space.  It is an often quoted joke that if you send them to the
principal, they'll be back in 5 minutes with a toy.

There is no way we can ever move on to doing really fun, interesting, or
more detailed stuff because I cannot get control of them.  (Like having
them all up doing an activity?  Complete chaos.)  Can you offer
suggestions?  Do you use incentives?

I have them for 40 minutes, at the very end of the day.  There's about 24
or 25 in each class.  TONS of behavior problems. Complete disregard for me
asking them to do something.  Not really a desire at all to learn.  I'm new
to this school this year so knowing their names is a huge problem.  I'm
trying so hard but I'm discouraged!  I feel so ineffective.  As a whole, I
do have rambunctious problems in other grades, too, BUT, not nearly as
bad.  The classes aren't as big either and that helps.  All in all, there
is more of a desire to learn something in the lower grades.


Is it me?  Am I just too nice?  Can you offer advice or tips or ideas?  Is
it just that I'm new and they're testing me?  I have NEVER had this problem
before!


Thank you,
Sarah McClure

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