I've noticed over the last 10 years that most high school kids (and college kids, too) don't use pencils. They use pens. I can't figure this out. Do you have so much confidence in yourself that you won't need to erase? Does using a pen make you cool? Are pencils lame?
Pens are permanent. If you write something with a pen, you can't change your mind and erase it. You have to start all over. I only allow pens in my courses when we are doing vocab (another post for another day). Otherwise, you must use a pencil with me.
The tests only let you use pencils. I like to practice how to do the test by using the correct tools for the test. This includes pencils. You might not think of this as a big deal, but it is different to write in pencil than in pen. Especially when it comes to the essay.
Since I make everyone write in pencils, I provide fun pencils. All my pencils are super cool. I have a pencil sharpener in the shape of a pencil. I noticed something else after I started using cool pencils...my kids would take my pencils. See, kids come here and want to take what they have learned here and apply it to their regular school life. I think they just take my pencils so it will be the same. Except this got expensive for me. I'm glad that they want to "take" what they have learned, but really...I can't be buying super cool pencils all the time. So I tricked them. I bought Hannah Montana and Jonas Brother pencils. Yep...those get left here. No one in high school wants to be caught with a Jo Bro pencil. (except now my "real" kids take them...because 4th graders and pre-kers love HM and JB)
Why do I care so much about pencils? Like I said before, they are magical. When we are learning something new, we are bound to make mistakes. It's much easier to erase the bad and keep the good, rather than have to start over all of the time.
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