Friday

Sliced Bread does NOT even compare!!!

Seriously, you wouldn't believe what an issue the whole pencil thing is in 2nd grade. I love to tell my class that 2nd grade is the year to make mistakes and learn from them and that's why we have erasers, but the pencils! Neither Kendra nor I can stand the incessant "whirr/grind" of our electric pencil sharpener (especially since the kids just stand there and watch their pencil spin in circles and nothing gets sharpened) so we have a time to sharpen (8:00-8:15 or 3:00-3:15) and we have a "sharpened pencil bucket" for the kids to trade out pencils when theirs is broken. The perfect solution, right? Except out of 22 kids, at least 5 have a pencil obsession and spend what seems like HOURS standing at the "sharpened bucket" surveying each pencil point and rating it for sharpness and effectiveness. Then, the "sharpened bucket" becomes the 2nd grade equivalent of the office water cooler. Lots of deals and play dates have been made and broken at the sharpened bucket, I feel certain. And, of course, in every spelling test at least 5 pencil leads get broken necessitating a trade. It is just an ORDEAL and it really shouldn't be. It's a pencil, for crying out loud.

Yesterday, I was introduced to these:

Can you hear it?

"The Hallelujah Chorus" while the spotlight from the heavens shines on these "Never Need to be Sharpened Pencils"? I saw these back in August, but thought, "For almost $1/pencil, I don't mind walking to the sharpener!!" Oh, my sad little naive self!! Now I know, now I know the GLORY of the never-need-to-be-sharpened pencils!!! I, also, thought it was another mechanical pencil -- the click, click, SNAP(new, too long lead breaking) of a mechanical pencil.

No, these babies are LIQUID GRAPHITE!! Are you with me? They are ball-point pens with graphite as the ink. My first question is: Why didn't someone (like a 2nd grade teacher) think of this sooner???? (and, yes, to my standardized-test-grade-level teacher friends they are Number 2 lead!!!) I have now bought almost a class set (it IS the end of the month, you know) and every child in room 24 will have one (until they lose it or their neighbor steals it) and it will be a beautiful day. I shall flit about like Snow White while the butterflies arrange the sash of my dress as the children ever-so-dilligently work with their liquid graphite pencils while the birdies sing on the window sill. I can't wait.

8 comments:

Ruth said...

really? Liquid graphite? A pencil pen? I might have tot try one. I have long hated the ordeal of dull pencils.

And I must say, I found your description of yourself flitting about like Snow White amongst the Dwarves (you could give each kid a nickname: sleepy, doc, droopy, snotty, curly, Moe...) quite humorous.

In other news, there is a new beta version of the Firefox web broswer that automatically spell-checks everything you do! (In fact, I have a few red lines to correct just in this paragraph). It seems like the kind of thing you'd like.

Ruth said...

Of course, much like regular spell check, it doesn't catch things like "tot" where "to" should be.

Sarah said...

MUST get the new Firefox -- I have old Firefox, so no underlined words for me yet!

I am going to spend the next few weeks thinking of "dwarf" names for my kids, and I can think of the prime candidate for Snotty (although he's also Chatty, Meandering, Handsy, and Sloppy -- just 2 more and I'll have all 7 dwarves in that one poor kid).

Ruth said...

That poor kid! There's one in every group, isn't there?

Lara said...

Oh how perfectly organized of you. I'm going to rush to the store to find these right now!!!

But you're still going to have the pencil dropping thing to deal with right? That will never end.

Roxanne said...

Just HAD to laugh at Kendra's "first to sharpen" bet. . .and then he will come and tell you in total amazement, "Mrs. Stirman, my pencil won't sharpen." Or "Mrs. Stirman, the sharpener is broken." and NEVER in a million years know why you are screaming in agony. . .at which point you will kill the bunnies and butterflies frolicking so daintily about your frock, and turn into the Wicked Witch of the 2nd grade. . .

Roxanne said...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO, tomorrow is the Day Of Truth for the pencils. I cannot wait to hear the reports of butterflies twittering. . .peace, harmony, and no sounds of pencils being ground down to ridiculous nubs!!!!

Troy M. Stirman said...

As for the dwarves' names you forgot one that I keep hearing about: "Farty"

-Troy