By Beth at the Southern Schoolhouse
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You know what I am talking about don’t you…
In a 4th grade classroom pencils disappear on a daily basis like snow when the sun comes up and the temperature rises, like snacks in my snack bowl when the clock strikes 9:30, like a piece of meat on the counter left unsupervised with a 90 pound German Shepherd in the house – well you get the idea.
The cries ring out like a mantra, “I don’t have a pencil, my pencil doesn’t have an eraser, my pencil needs sharpening!” It is like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. I have spent over 30 years trying to solve the mystery of how to ensure everyone has a good sharpened pencil with an eraser when it is time to get to work. With our schedule and the demands of our curriculum, time on task is crucial to getting it all done. I strive to be very efficient with our classroom routines so we maximize our time, but without fail the pencil problem occurs!
These are a few things I have implemented that have significantly helped with this issue:
1. Containers for “Sharpened” and “Needs to be sharpened” pencils. Use whatever type of containers you have available – it doesn’t have to be fancy. I started with two $1 cups from a big box store then I was gifted with a personalized pencil dispenser like this from a sweet student
2. An assigned helper that checks these containers at the end of the day or first thing in the morning (depending on your schedule). This helper sharpens the “Needs to be sharpened” pencils and transfers them to the “Sharpened” container. They also scour the classroom for any stray pencils that did not get placed in the correct container!
3. Most recently pencil holders on each desk have been discovered! Each desk has a pencil holder that starts with a good sharpened pencil at the beginning of the day and ends with a pencil at the end of the day. We departmentalize in 4th grade at my school, so each desk does not “belong” to one student. Consistency and reminders after each block are crucial to ensure there is a pencil there for the classmate who will be utilizing the desk in the next block.
Yes, this is something that has to be purchased. Put it on your wish list or mention it when parents ask what you need in the classroom. I used a gift card I received from a parent to purchase mine.
Did these strategies resolve the Pencil Problem? No not completely, but let me tell you they sure have helped in my classroom and saved my sanity in recent years!
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