1. Refusing to give them a pencil, so they can learn to be responsible.
(Doesn't work, and I feel like a jerk.)
2. Providing them with a pencil.
(Pencil is usually gone for good.)
3. Trading them for something valuable.
(Works, but it is inconvenient.)
This year, I just put out a cup of pencils for students to use as needed.
8 weeks later, I still have all the pencils I put out at the beginning of the year.
It turns out, a plastic spoon is a very affective anti-theft device.
Then I came up with a use for the forks.
(Green pens for checking bell work.)
We figured out right away that the spoon-pencil has a major design flaw:
You can't use the eraser.
So, then I really got carried away . . .
I would recommend attaching the eraser to the handle part instead . . .
Absolutely love this idea. This year I tried giving out golf pencils (small, no eraser) but unfortunately I have a batch of boys ( I teach 6 grade) who love golf pencils- not sure why- anyhow they are going like wildfire with those guys. I'm thinking I might take your idea and expand on it. Golf pencils with plastic spoons taped to them! Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteLOL Hilarious. Definitely trying that!
ReplyDeleteGenius. Pure, unadulterated genius.
ReplyDelete- Elizabeth (aka @cheesemonkeysf on Twitter)
The tendency of spoons to slip away through space-time is well-known (a spoonoid planet is postulated). Pencils appear to have the same property, yet tethering them to each other nullifies their effects. Remarkable.
ReplyDeleteThat made me laugh! I must confess that by the end of the semester 2 spoons were gone and one was broken. I used extra tape on the replacements, which cost me less than $1. I am still calling it a win. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI like it! It's got a definite "Class-is-put-together" feel, having a cup full of plasticware.
ReplyDeleteI have a policy that I stole from MY 8th grade Algebra teacher: You want a pencil, give me a shoe as collateral.
You may leave with my pencil, but you won't leave without a shoe.
What do you do when they break the spoon or take it off? It makes me so furious but I can't really justify writing them up or anything.I mean it's not an accident they just take it between their hands and break it on purpose. Grr
ReplyDeleteI got angry about the broken/missing spoon pencils, too. (I eventually ended up with two missing and one broken). Then I remembered that the original goal was to remove pencil-related stress from my life. So I decided not to get worked up about it. If I have to occasionally replace a few spoons and otherwise not think about pencils, it is no biggie. I might make a little speech to the class about being respectful of supplies that I’ve provided for your convenience. If I see someone intentionally bending the spoon or picking at the tape, I might say something like “Hey you, be nice to spoon pencil.” And they will stop. If not . . . Well, then you probably have a student attempting to watch your blood pressure rise on purpose. If the whole thing ends up causing more stress than it reduces, then I would stop doing it.
ReplyDeleteThis is so great! I have been keeping pencils available for them this year (never really did that before), but managed to keep most of them, even without the spoons. Part of it is definitely the population of students that I have and the small numbers in the classes, but I've also worked at building a classroom culture of taking care of their class materials. Each section has its own box of whiteboard markers and protractors. They know that if they break or lose them, their class just won't have as many, and so they do a much better job than I've ever had them do before of returning things they've used and being stewards of their classroom. Even though the class doesn't have its own pencil supply (I just keep the same bag of Halloween pencils with me all the time), I think that returning markers and protractors has made them more likely to return borrowed pencils or erasers, too. But I also like the spoon idea, so I might try adding class-specific pencils to their boxes, too, and putting something like the spoon on there so they are ones that obviously need to be returned with their supplies.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great idea! :)