This is my first year teaching in a middle school setting. How do you handle pencil sharpening? Do you just let them use the sharpener as they need to? Or do you have a particular system? Thanks in advance!
I explain to my students that sharpening a pencil while someone (either myself or a student answering a question) is talking is essentially the same as standing up and yelling "LALALALALALA".
So if it's a time when they shouldn't be interrupting, they shouldn't be sharpening their pencil. Otherwise it's pretty much free game.
. . . my rules exactly, but adding ONE PERSON AT A TIME. NO LINING UP. Otherwise it becomes a social gathering. They work it out.
Ditto throwing things in the trash. I roll up a piece of paper (and have them listen to the noise) and set it on my desk and ask if the world is going to come to an end if I don't throw it in the trash basket immediately. I swear there's a formula - the messier the backpack and/or binder is - the more desperate the student is to get to the trash can with ONE piece of paper to toss away!
It seems silly...but explaining a pencil sharpening procedure is very important! I am starting my 3rd year, and it was something I didn't think of in my first year! If you can, I would put your pencil sharpener towards the front of the room, because it sometimes became a social outing to go sharpen your pencil and talk with any students along the way or sitting in the back by it!
They are allowed to use the electric sharpener before the announcements. Granted my kids do not change classes so it would be a little different. I have asked them to sharpen at least 2 pencils to have for the day.
Afterwards, I have a few manual ones available for kids to use at that location. They are to empty the shavings in the trash can right after using it. It is not the ideal system, but it least cuts down on noise.
At the end of the day too they are allowed to sharpen pencils.
I think I might have an exchange can this year. Like sharpened pencils in one can and a kid drops off his broken/unsharpened pencil in exchange for sharpened one. It is so frustrating anyways as I am always providing a lot of pencils. Kids lose and break them all the time! Parents never seem to replace them, at least not the parents of the kids who are irresponsible.
Sharpening the pencil can be one of the biggest peeves at any given time with any given class. Something I did last year was eliminate the electric pencil sharpener all together. I was annoyed at how little tolerance they had for even the slightest dull tip of the pencil. It was always the same students requiring the pencil sharpener. When I switched to the manual 6 dollar version at Wal-Mart last year, it really took the fun out of sharpening. My students even said, "I am going to sharpen all my pencils at home." It warmed my heart a little
I too can't stand the electric pencil sharpener. I have a manual crank sharpener in my room and my 6th graders don't like to use it. I also have 1 small individual sharpener near the trash can that they know to empty after each use. I think I'm going to put a sign up by both locations stating that there cannot be a waiting line.
I was annoyed at how little tolerance they had for even the slightest dull tip of the pencil.
I know it seem ridiculous to some people, but I literally can not write with a dull tip (I also can't stand to write with a medium point pen, or a mechanical pencil larger than a .05). Maybe having this same tendency causes me to be a little more tolerant of it. I allow my kids to bring mechanical pencils if they just HAVE to have a sharp pencil all the time, and it's with the stipulation that they are responsible for their own lead and eraser, so have a backup in case you run out of lead.
Mine sharpen at the beginning of the period. I encourage mechanical pencils. I tell them it is like a chainsaw and is too loud for class time. I keep a few pencils in a cup that are sharpened that they can use if they have to. I have not had a problem thus far. They are pretty good about doing it before the bell, but like I said, most use mechanical. It is SO much easier in mathtime, since all we use is pencils.
Sharpening pencils is such a hassle!! I actually started letting my students write in pen this past year. Most of my students came unprepared and then we were facing the sharpening on the pencils.
I was enlightened by another teacher about letting students write in pen in mathematics. I do not like for my students to erase their mistakes so we can learn from them. We simply draw one simple line through the mistake so we can look back and see where we went wrong. This is something that is really hard for students to learn. Using a pen, the student can't erase their mistake!!
My social studies class last year was Pen Only. Students could do homework in pencil and pencils were allowed for testing and mapping. Other than that, anything done in pencil would be "invisible" to me. I did not have an electric sharpener in the room at all. Oh, it was a relief!
Now I'm teaching language arts, so the party is over as far as Pen Only is concerned, but it was nice for a year!
mechanical pencils and added a feather to the side with floral tape. Whenever the students don't have a pencil or their pencil broke, they go to the bucket to get a feather pencil. Since each pencil has a bright feather attached to it, I know if they are walking out with my pencil.
I have also seen teachers use a sharp pencil and dull pencil can routine. If the student needs a sharp pencil, they put the dull pencil in the DULL can, and then get a sharp pencil from the sharp can. (Pringles cans work great for this.) Then at the end of the day, someone from the homeroom class, is assigned to sharpen all the dull pencils and put them into the sharp can.
I buy boxes of pencils from the dollar store (20 per pack). i have a container with sharpened pencils in it. When they need to sharpen a pencil, I trade them. At the end of class, I pick mine back up. They are also required to have a hand held sharpener at their desks. But they lose them, so I do this to avoid interruptions.
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08-07-2010, 08:31 PM
