Do you have a pencil I can borrow?

I always suggested that parents buy extra supplies in September when the deals were so good.  By buying extra and storing them away they had them on hand when they were needed later and didn't have to run out to a store to pay full price.   School supplies can also make great stocking stuffers and party favors.

I have to admit to being one of those sticklers for punctuality. If my students were late, they served a lunch detention with me and had to write an paragraph on why punctuality is important. They hated that so much, they would practically mow the principal down trying to get to my class on time. (I know because the principal mentioned this to me.)I think it's important for kids to know that you will enforce whatever rules you say are important or they won't value a lot of other things you say.

Last year I had such a hard time being a stickler to things like tardiness and lending pencils.  This year I might ask for collateral to borrow a pencil.  I see the value in being strict, but I was such a softy in that respect.  I do like the idea of writing why puntuality is important, it sounds very effective.  

This is one of those things that I start off really strict with and then totally give in to in about February, once I've learned that it is a fight I can't win.  I have a cup that I fill with pencils I find in the hall and on my floor, but that doesn't work some days. I also send out a weekly email to parents and ask them to buy supplies for their kids around the holidays, but the only parents who do that are the parents whose kids never ask me for a pencil in the first place.

I keep all the old pencils that still are good and when a student doesn't have one they can "borrow" one from me.  I don't ask them to return them but I hold them responsible for having one for a while.  

I know teachers who loan pencils and hold one of the students shoes for collateral.  That works well.  It also gets their attention and they usually bring a pencil the next time.  In elementary school I don't think that is the way to go.  I just try to provide when the parents don't.

I don't think there is anything wrong with loaning a pencil. However, students must be taught responsibility.  A system that works well is to number the pencils, loan them out, and then the teacher knows who needs to return the pencil.  A teacher I work with makes them give up a shoe and gets the shoe back in exchange for the pencil.One could also put something big on the pencil, like a flower, to make it obvious who borrowed the pencil.

It is so hard to find the line.  I hate to be hard nosed about such things myself but I feel like a push over at times.  We are 3 days into school and I have already found broken pencils and torn up erasers in the trash can. Now that makes me mad!

Last year was my first year teaching and I too found that my children always forgot their pencils and other items.  At the end of the year I added up everything and found that I personally spent a lot of money.

Over the summer I was part of a test group for a new website called applebatch.com and they have a discounts page just for teachers.  I found a lot of great discounts at Staples and other places on their website and ordered some supplies for this year.  Getting discounts was great!  I think the site launches in September sometime, if you want discounts you should check it out.    

I committed to myself that once those supplies were out this year I would not lend out anything more.  I hope I can stick with it!

I teach in a rural area. It's sad that today the schools can not supply pencils and crayons. I remember when we had all those supplies at school. Yes, supplies are lost or broken. I teach kindergarten and we talk about respecting our tools. We need tools to help us learn. I have the big pencil from reallygoodstuff. We talk about how to care for our tools and we practice how we care for them. I started this several years ago, it has helped keep supplies in good working order. I do purchase end year sale items at Target, Staples and keep a back stock. It never hurts to have an extra pencil or crayons for one of your students, accidents do happen.

In addition to the shoe collateral system - I draw a small X on the sole of the "collateral" shoe with a marker. My students know that they can not use the shoe with an X on it any more as a collateral, so next time they have to scrub the X off. Giving them a lesson that if they forget the pen too often, they have to work a bit to borrow one.

In a way, I would say that it's ok to loan pencils to students since some parents may not have the funds to buy extra supplies; even if it is as small as a pencil. Small things add up. Then I think about if students know that you will continue to loan them a pencil, then they will continue to ask. They will not be as concerned about getting one else where because they know that you will have extra supplies on hand. However, the less fortunate should not be punished due to others irresponsibilty, so I would loan the pencils out so that each child would have an equal opportunity to learn. I would just write down the names of the students that borrowed the pencils and/or state that I would deduct points if the pencils are not returned by the end of class.This way, students would make an effort to return them because they would not want to lose needed points.