There is much promise packed into the tip of a pencil. It begins with a finely sharpened piece of graphite within the first minute of kindergarten and follows a child as they progress through their secondary education.
My students want to learn.
They yearn to pass the state standardized tests and become accepted into AVID and maybe even Gifted and Talented programs. They want to be the first in their family to go to college. It is not drive that they lack; it is materials. They are currently studying ratios in math class and how they can be written in three ways. This objective is hard to practice when there are no working pencil sharpeners in the classroom and no budget to purchase them.
My Project
Working pencils sharpeners will do more than give my students the obvious. Working pencil sharpeners will also drastically cut the noise in the classroom. The sharpeners we utilize now are extremely old and sound like a full size wood chipper. It makes instruction impossible while a student takes minutes to manipulate the sharpener into giving them even a stub with which to write. I have the hope that we are blessed with three new sharpeners to be spread around the room. These new sharpeners will be equipped with a quiet motor so the lesson does not need to pause with every broken tip. This dream also includes the same sharpener equipped with a mechanism to prevent over-sharpening thus increasing a pencil's life. My students will no longer have cramps in their fingers from trying to grip a two inch pencil. Working pencils sharpeners will allow my students to write ratios in a quiet environment without a sore hand.
A donation of new pencils sharpeners will make learning easier for my students.
A sharp pencil equals a sharp mind. It brings the promise of passing state tests and entering into honors classes and acceptance to college. Pencil sharpeners seem like a simple gift but they will hugely impact the students lives for the better.
More than three‑quarters of 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
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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. Shannon and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
