pencils

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Home : 2004 : March : 20

pencils
By anne

I teach a whole classroom of second grade pencil losers also. I tried having the pencil bucket full of brand new pencils which I provided, but by the end of the first day they were gone. I tried telling them to write
with crayon, which just makes them angry. I tried sending home notes to mom and dad to send more pencils; I tried lectures and lost recess time for irresponsibility. I tried offering rewards to students who kept up with their pencils all week. Nothing really worked and it was WAY too much trouble for me.
I finally came to the conclusion that this is not MY problem but theirs.

Now when they tell me they lost their pencils, I say, "Uh-oh, I hope you work something out." And guess what?? THEY DO!!
Sometimes they borrow from a friend, sometimes they get a broken pencil stub out of my lost and found box, sometimes they write with a crayon or pen (AND lose ten points if it's a test,) and sometimes they "magically" find their lost pencils. This has also solved my pencil sharpening problem. When they "forget" to sharpen two pencils in the morning before the last bell, they are on their own to figure out what to do until the next pencil sharpening time, which is at recess.
This is my first year to teach, and I have quickly come to realize that "Pencil Problem" is a game students are great at playing. Sometimes it is a legitimate problem, but it is still THEIR problem and NOT MINE.