You know, when I was an undergrad dreaming of making a difference in the classroom, I had no idea that a simple school supply could make such an impact in the classroom. Seriously. No idea. Now I know better.
Let’s just talk about pencils for a bit. WHERE DO THEY ALL GO? How can a student start the day with 20 pencils and have NONE by 1:00? HOW? Are they being used as emergency snacks? Are they planting them in the grass during recess?
And the kids who manage to hang onto their pencils NEVER have them sharpened! The constant noise of the sharpener drowning out the math lesson is a major annoyance to teachers everywhere! I finally started providing a “community” supply of pencils that are not to be taken out of my room. I sharpen them with my trusty little electric sharpener a couple times a week after the kids go home. It takes FOREVER. I has to take a break and cool down after sharpening two to three pencils. Truly.Annoying.
Then a few weeks ago, I received a new pencil sharpener to try out and review. Now, I’m not going to lie to you, I was none too excited to try out a crank sharpener. (Oh, the blisters!) But, this was not like those old sharpeners bolted to the walls. It grips the pencil and lets you know when the pencil is sharpened (the crank spins with no resistance). It is definitely quieter than traditional or electric sharpeners. AND it does the absolute BEST job sharpening of any sharpener I have ever used! These points are wicked, people. I may have had to go over expected classroom behaviors after sharpening pencils. The students immediately wanted to use them as swords. The kids love it so much that they will bring me hoards of pencils to sharpen for them (I am not yet ready to let them use it!).
If you’re looking for a fantastic pencil sharpener for your classroom, I highly recommend this one from Classroom Friendly Supplies. If you already have one, tell us your experiences in the comments! 🙂
