Teaching primary students, pencils have been a HUGE headache for me in the past. Every day, someone would find their pencil missing or needed it sharpened when I was in the middle of teaching a small group, and when I placed new pencils in the sharpened bin, half the class seemed to be missing a pencil suddenly! To solve these pencil problems, I started a new system based on some ideas I’d read about on Facebook and Pinterest, and now I never have to think about pencil problems!
At the beginning of the year, I provided every student in my class with a pencil case from the dollar store. I labeled them with each student’s name so there could be no mix-ups!
Inside every case, I included seven sharp pencils and one eraser. In the second year I did this, I changed it up to 5 pencils, and it worked just fine!
At the end of every week, my lunch helpers collect the pencil cases and sharpen all of the pencils. Any student who still has all seven (or five) pencils AND their eraser gets a small treat back in their case – an eraser, sticker, or small wrapped candy. Any pencils missing or nearing the end of their usable life are replaced now, and pencils NEVER need to be sharpened throughout the week! (Insert happy teacher face here!) I shared this idea at the beginning of this school year, but I’m so thrilled with how well it is going I needed to revisit it! Pencil problems – solved!
You might also be interested in this post about getting organized in your classroom:
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