I am in my second year of teaching and have a group of twenty enthusiastic third graders that have become passionate about school! However, one thing is keeping that passion from growing. Sharp pencils.
As a new teacher, fresh out of college, I quickly found out that I was never pre-warned of one of the biggest challenges in teaching. That is simply, how to keep pencils sharp. Through class meetings and sleepless nights, my class finally figured out a solution to the "pencil problem". We set up one can with "sharp" pencils, and one with "unsharp" pencils. Problem solved? Not so easy. Now, the problem is, the "sharp" can seems to be eternally empty. We had finally figured out how to not lose our pencils, (by keeping them in these two cans),but now the real problem showed its colors. We realized the pencil sharpeners provided by the school did not work. EVER. Nor did the constant cranking by hand help with the future carpel tunnel of our children. Our third grade "pencil manager" was constantly frustrated and I found myself buying mechanical pencils for the class in an attempt to solve the problem. However, we did not give up.
Enter, the X-ACTO HEAVY-DUTY ELECTRIC PENCIL SHARPENER PUTTY. When our school purchased ONE of these for the workroom, it was like an angel had arrived in the building. A pencil sharpener that WORKED. It not only sharpens pencils, but it sharpens quickly and quietly. Now, our classroom needs two of our own. We want to avoid constant trips to the other side of the building just to sharpen a pencil. Because really, time in an elementary school is money. If we have these in our classroom the students will be able to sharpen their pencils in the morning and have them last until the last bell rings. In the event of a pencil breaking, life will be okay because they will be able to walk to the "sharp" can and there will actually be pencils to use!
So really, two high quality pencil sharpeners are going to plant the seed of solving all of the learning obstacles in third grade. Please help us sharpen our pencils so we can continue sharpening our minds! And remember, if you are ever an education college professor; consider teaching your students about this! :)
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Evan-Schwartz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.