tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post7955096346705894067..comments2024-03-21T05:30:03.220-04:00Comments on Science teacher: First year survival guide: Pencil warsdoylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-41297338678560800652012-09-03T08:22:55.214-04:002012-09-03T08:22:55.214-04:00Oh, and Dear last Anonymous,
Ah, the ol' slip...Oh, and Dear last Anonymous,<br /><br />Ah, the ol' slippery slope slide into the septic tank of unhappiness....it's just a pencil.doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-48019614568825049232012-09-03T08:21:09.429-04:002012-09-03T08:21:09.429-04:00Dear David,
If you think about the number of stud...Dear David,<br /><br />If you think about the number of students doing the writing that they're doing, then a thousand pencils doesn't seem like a lot.<br /><br />I have about 100 students per day for 183 days, so that's just over 5 pencils per day, and about 5% of pencil consumed per day, about a quarter in per day (assuming that once it gets to 2.5 inches, it's done).<br /><br />I think far more of my pencils are actually used than lost.<br /><br /><br />Dear Kate,<br /><br />I have lined paper available, too--but I figured talking too much largess int he classroom would annoy some of my readers. =)<br /><br /><br />Dear Joy,<br /><br />Sounds like a great idea! I may steal this--maybe I'll use real flowers, too.doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-41203888343338711942012-09-03T07:48:49.078-04:002012-09-03T07:48:49.078-04:00Love this post!
I go one step further... I wrap pe...Love this post!<br />I go one step further... I wrap pens/pencils in floral tape and attach a flower to the end of it. I then have a pot full of "flowers," and these are for use in the room. I also have a mug of utensils I've found in the halls or on the desks and new pencils for anyone to take and keep. Some years it is full, and other years I have to restock often. It just makes sense! Thanks for the comedy this morning, too!<br />-@JoyKirrJoy Kirrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08883167887036480979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-73756852958406071492012-08-26T22:28:56.032-04:002012-08-26T22:28:56.032-04:00Enable them all and they will always be dependent ...Enable them all and they will always be dependent us. Seniors in high school that still need their noses wiped and when they decide to get a real job, they might be surprised by real life. Forgot your assignment... Here are the answers. Forgot your coat... Here's one. Can't fing your car keys take mine. I make plenty, I'll just keep buying you pencils and all will be be right in your little corner of the world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-15152833442078528952012-08-26T20:59:24.874-04:002012-08-26T20:59:24.874-04:00I'm the teacher who walks through the halls an...I'm the teacher who walks through the halls and picks up any viable writing utensil I can find. I have a cup on my desk that I fill periodically--but I will only actually buy two boxes of pencils a year. Period. Especially when I find pencils--brand new pencils--broken in half on my floor. Yep, they get the, "How are you going to solve this problem?" lecture from me when they come unprepared to class. Ask a neighbor, pray that I might have a pen or pencil in the cup, and learn to treat your materials with care.<br /><br />P.S. I love the community pencils idea. I might steal that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-41587460840337563292012-08-25T09:05:44.833-04:002012-08-25T09:05:44.833-04:00I have the pencil basket. It's is easy to keep...I have the pencil basket. It's is easy to keep stocked because I teach seventh grade, and pencils are left behind every class period. I don't always have to buy pencils; I harvest them! <br />(And I have a stack of lined paper right next to the basket.)Katehttp://tabor330.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-24804820917272282962012-08-25T08:34:21.855-04:002012-08-25T08:34:21.855-04:00I like the way you laid out the argument for provi...I like the way you laid out the argument for providing pencils. I do so in my classroom (6th grade, so it's a "pencil bin"). Most years I lose about 1000 pencils a year -- about 6 a day. Last year was an outlier: I went through 1784 pencils, my entire stock, and ran out in March! That's about 15 pencils per day. Doesn't change my plan; I'll keep giving out the pencils, and I've warned the 7th grade teachers that a pencil apocalypse is coming...Mr. David M. Beyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15345070503492764652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-9267896410257662142012-08-24T15:56:24.660-04:002012-08-24T15:56:24.660-04:00Dear Anonymous Number Two,
Ah, what if?
Happened...Dear Anonymous Number Two,<br /><br />Ah, what if?<br /><br />Happened all the time--and I'd reach over to a nurse or a resident and borrow her stethoscope, bum a pen, grab a tongue blade, etc.<br /><br />21 years of schooling, and I still forgot to carry pens. And folks provided anyway, so I could get my work done.<br /><br />I continue the tradition.doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-90653731843102175742012-08-24T13:09:14.807-04:002012-08-24T13:09:14.807-04:00What would have happened if you failed to bring yo...What would have happened if you failed to bring your proper equipment when you were a doctor? Why should it be any different with kids?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-83956594449234364132012-08-24T10:53:13.378-04:002012-08-24T10:53:13.378-04:00Dear Anonymous,
Focusing on what we're here f...Dear Anonymous,<br /><br />Focusing on what we're here for makes all the difference to me. I've heard that responsibility line, too--and they're right! I'm teaching kids!<br /><br /><br />Dear Luann,<br /><br />Geekiness is always a plus in science class--and my AP kids get downright silly about these kinds of things. My bottom line is this: if it's a pencil I won't use, I won't give it to someone else.<br /><br /><br />Dear Philip,<br /><br />I love that idea! Do you keep track of who gives what, or just trust the community?<br /><br /><br />Dear Jenny,<br /><br />Picking battles is critical, for me, anyway--I used to <i>look</i> for them. I was so naive just a few years ago.<br /><br /><br />Dear John,<br /><br />I may have stolen the idea from you! (We have a paper pile, too--I get lots more at the end of the year when kids toss their stuff in the recycling bins.)<br />doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-18997132303995111732012-08-24T08:20:13.162-04:002012-08-24T08:20:13.162-04:00Thank you! I follow the same approach. For me, it&...Thank you! I follow the same approach. For me, it's a Scorpion cup (our mascot) in the supply center (a space once inhabited by a teacher desk that now has all the supplies out in the open). I also let them grab a sheet of paper while they're at it. The average class has two, maybe three kids, who need paper. A package of paper is pretty cheap.<br /><br />On average, I have to buy pencils once a month. That's not exactly an expensive solution. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10956056168256756705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-53746375125938395322012-08-24T00:21:26.323-04:002012-08-24T00:21:26.323-04:00As a parent and as a teacher I have learned, often...As a parent and as a teacher I have learned, often the hard way, that picking your battles should be done carefully and thoughtfully. I don't always manage to do so, but I think I know enough to recognize when I fail.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04725549451973770515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-40083082311028329512012-08-23T23:03:02.329-04:002012-08-23T23:03:02.329-04:00Hey Doyle. I'm with you. Most of my students s...Hey Doyle. I'm with you. Most of my students start school with a box or two of new pencils and pens, which they go through quickly losing mot of them in a matter of a few weeks. I started suggesting they take out a few and give the rest to me. I store them in my room and tell the kids they can come get one anytime they want. They just walk into my closet and get one. The only catch is that they have to have contributed to our supply. <br /><br />It's worked out really well and we haven't run out of community pencils since.Philip Cummingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16234985390839246865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-61293586181995518872012-08-23T19:56:39.343-04:002012-08-23T19:56:39.343-04:00A few years back, I stopped at a garage sale and b...A few years back, I stopped at a garage sale and bought about 50 Star Wars pencils for a dollar. The woman was selling them because the her son felt it was inappropriate for him to have such pencils in the 8th grade. I bought them and put them out for my classes. These pencils were the pencils of choice for the seniors in Physics and AP Bio. One never knows. But always, always have pencils! Luann Leehttp://www.chemistar.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-42455209152245061712012-08-23T14:49:44.019-04:002012-08-23T14:49:44.019-04:00Yay! Thank you for some sensemaking. I have even h...Yay! Thank you for some sensemaking. I have even had other teachers tell me off: "You're not teaching responsibility." No, I'm not. Nor has anyone else in the last 9 years of formal schooling. What makes you think I'm going to do any better?<br />Regardless of what anyone thinks, my main job is to pass along some level of mathematical understanding, and it's really hard to do that when the least able have no pencil. Let's show them that the subject matter does matter!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com