Today one of my students, Frail Girl, presented me with a fantastic gift. A gift that only a teacher can truly love and appreciate. A gift that just warms a teacher's heart.
She gave me a 48 count box of brand new, bright yellow, Dixon Ticonderoga pencils!
I about swooned.
For long time readers of this blog, I've had a few rants about the absolute crap pencils that are made and sold these days. Quite honestly, the best pencils out there, by far, are the Dixon Ticonderoga pencils. They rock. They sharpen properly. They work wonderfully. They are a sure way to win my heart.
When I asked Frail Girl what prompted this fantastic gift, her response was priceless..."I get tired of people asking you for pencils all the time and they never give them back."
Bless her little heart.
I am so ready for the Very Big Deal State Mandated Tests next month. I have 48 Dixon Ticonderogas to get me through them.
And lots of wine at home.
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13 comments:
Power to the Pencil!
What a sweet, perceptive student!
You have obviously not tried a Palomino pencil. One sentence with one of those and you'll think the Dixon Ticonderoga is a piece of junk. Just be careful---once you've tried it, you can't go back to anything else. :)
I've got about 49 Dixon Ticonderogas under my desk right now. What's so special about a Palomino, Science Goddess? Have you ever heard of them, Mrs. Bluebird?
I've never heard of Palominos and never seen them for sale...could i be a regional thing? None of the teachers I teach with have heard of them either...
I'm convinced that most teachers have pen or pencil fetishes and that writing implements are the best teacher presents EVER. I was gifted with a set of white board markers by a student last term, and I LOVE them.
Palomino uses incense cedar and the most silky graphite I've ever used.
They're made by California Stationers and aren't regional. You can also order them on-line (pencilthings.com is a great spot).
What a sweetheart.
I am a fan of Staples brand #2 pencils...
You dont write with pencils do you?
Pencils are for diagrams and for graphs. That is all.
I always comment when I get work handed in in pencil
Donalbain, I use mechanical pencils when I use them (mostly in my gradebook) and use pen for most everything else. Our students, however, are required to use pencil for nearly all their work, not pen. I frankly don't care what they use (unless it's a big deal state mandated high stakes test where they are required to have a #2 pencil) but enough of their other teachers make an issue of the pencil thing that they pretty much stick to pencils. I rarely get any work, unless it's a final copy of a writing assignment, turned in written in anything other than pencil. I'm sure by the time they get to high school they'll use pen much more.
A student gave me a box of colored paperclips once. I was thrilled.
Awww, what a sweetheart! I am wishing for a student that perceptive!
You might also try Mirado Black Warrior pencils. I find these at office stores. They are quite nice like the Dixon Ticonderogas.
Why wouldn't a student write in pencil? Pen is a requirement for legal documents and makes a letter look nice. But there is something about a well sharpened pencil that makes you smarter.
Okay, Mrs. Bluebird. I have ordered some Palamino pencils. I'll let you know how they stack up.
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