I've had trouble with HS's not bringing pencils to my class nor other
classes and not returning pencils when I loaned them one...so I bought a box
of the little short "golf pencils" for the students to use. They're at
Wal-Mart or Office Depot. I found that solved my problem for the most
part...they either would "find the one in the bottom of their messy bookbag"
that they hadn't wanted to bother to dig for, "borrow one from a
neighbor"...or if they had no other source for a pencil, they would use the
short "golf pencil". They usually returned these...it's hard to mistake
this pencil for your own. How many times do we borrow a pen at the cash
register and walk off with it (by mistake).
This semester...it's a whole different ballgame. So far, I have better
classes (thank heavens!) and I gave them all one of the big "first grade"
pencils at the beginning of this semester. I gave each table one gallon
sized plastic bag, along with a kneaded eraser for the table, a small metal
pencil sharpener, blending stumps...and it seems that the most responsible
person at each table has taken charge of this bag and keeps it in their
cubby tray.
Keep picking up pencils in the halls and put them in a cup in the room...and
don't "fight the pencil battle". It's not worth it...IMHO!
Carolyn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> At the HS, we stressed students taking responsibility and coming to
> class prepared--like with a !@#$% pencil. I've been doing the same
> thing at the MS but wonder if I'm making much ado about nothing. I want
> them to have a regular wooden pencil, not a mechanical pencil which
> seems to require a lot of fiddling around with. If they're not prepared
> for class, I give them a five-minute lunch detention; on their third
> strike, they have after-school detention.
>
> Am I expecting too much? I pick up pencils from the floor after each
> class, and know they must lose them in their other classes as well. The
> teacher of a long-ago EEI class told us, "Just give them a pencil and
> get on with your class!"
> Maggie
