[TheGr8Catsby]

I'm moving from self-contained 2nd to team teaching 6th next year (with ONE other teacher). My team teacher has tables, and I'm pretty sure she does community pencils.

I will have desks, and they will not typically be in groups. What is a pencil management system I can use if my partner (who my kids will have for about half the day) does community pencils. In my self-contained class, everyone had their own. They could buy one with points if they needed one (but I would trade out for free if it was just worn). I didn't just give out pencils, and I saved a lot of money this year on pencils. Lol.

I'm not completely against attaching a small cup or basket to the desk to put in two pencils, but it's not my favorite idea.

[Munchkins]

Each child gets a number. Number is written with sharpie on pencils. Pencil case is carried. They only use their own pencils. I wouldn’t share any supplies, not with the way things are today.

[Gromit]

I'm in 5th grade, so I would still do this in 6th grade: I don't manage pencils. They are responsible for having a pencil. How they achieve that is up to them - bring their own, take from the extra supplies can (which is filled with pencils I collect from the floor), borrow from a friend, etc.

If they say, "I don't have a pencil," I respond, "That's a bummer. What are you going to do?" If they say, "Will you give me a pencil?" I respond, "I don't have any to give out. What else could you do?"

How they choose to keep them is also up to them, within reason. I don't allow giant pencil boxes/bags that are overflowing with supplies.

I'm not sure how this will work next year, but I do know that I do not intend to be responsible for 5th graders' supplies. They will just have to learn to be responsible that much faster.

[KatieViolet]

I dis exactly what Gromit suggested when I taught 6th departmentalized: everyone is responsible for having one and I don’t care how that happens. Most kids have a pencil box/pouch of some kind that travels with them. If they don’t have one, they often borrowed from a friend. I also had an extra pencil cup that was filled with lost pencils I found, or occasionally I’d put out a few if I had them on hand. It always worked out and very rarely did anyone ever say they didn’t have a pencil.

Seems like with the virus, everyone should be doing away with community supplies anyway, so maybe your problem will go away on its own.

[FancyFish]

I do the same as Grommit. Students are responsible for their own pencil. I have a few to lend but rarely do. For the most part it’s not an issue. I don’t think community supplies are a great idea right now so you may not have to concern yourself with that piece in the fall.