Think back to second grade. Hard to remember? Mine’s somewhat hazy. Somehow the blissful years of first and third grades have smudged together and completely blocked second grade from my mind. I used to tell myself that Mrs. Dresbach, my first grade teacher, was my grandma – to keep from crying. She was so sweet. I remember watching reruns of Captain Kangaroo and praying in her class. Mrs. Campbell was my third grade teacher, and, well, third grade is just a cool time. You’re learnin’ things, you know? You’re really goin’ somewhere. You’re reading books with chapters!
Second grade. Today I substitute taught for a second grade class. There’s no time machine quite like the one when you’re wearing the green, self-adhesive target (aka, the “substitute badge”) and left to fend for yourself amongst 26 second-graders. You’re immersed in a world of bears, bunnies, and crayons with smiling faces and eyebrows that aren’t attached to their heads. Everything is so damn cute. So, what is the second-grader’s main interest during the day?
Pencil sharpening. Oh, boy. Pencil sharpening. You have no idea how much of a second-grader’s life is spent sharpening pencils. God, somebody give these kids some Bic mechanical pencils, please! They sharpen three in the morning, which should be plenty to make it through the day. Heck, they’re still using crayons half of the day. Instead, they are preoccupied with making sure ALL three are sharp at ALL times, instead of using an alternate when one breaks, gets lost, or is picked apart and the lead is pulled out manually. And these kids aren’t interested in sufficient sharpness – no, they must have pencils so sharp that they could pierce through bone. And, the trip to the pencil sharpener is always a hoot. The kids must walk by their buddy, tap him/her on the ear, knock something off of someone’s desk purposefully, then knock something off of someone’s desk accidentally, trip over the garbage can, and finally realize that they forgot their pencil back on their desk. Yes, pencils are an amazing phenomenon of the second-grade world.
Hi Ashleigh! I really like your new blog so far! Keep it up! As for second graders and pencils, the same is true of first graders. Apparently it takes longer than one year to outgrow that particular obsession. You know what helps? Have a Pencil Sharpener of the Day. At the beginning of the day and end of the day, that kid gets to sharpen ALL the pencils for the whole classroom! It’s the best job in the whole classroom.
See you tomorrow!!!!
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Happy birthday Only’s Only!
I missed this pencil story on the day the blog was born, but enjoyed it now. I will have you know that pencils are a deadly weapon and should be banned from schools. I had a personal experience with one in the third grade, and still have the battle wounds of the lead in my leg. Cindy Gheimer wanted to wear my new Barbie watch, so I permitted her to do so for only one hour. As I watched the minutes tick by on the large black and white clock in the back of the room, her time was coming to a “sharpe” end. Just before it was time to return my watch, she to made a trip to the pencil sharpener. It was percisely 1:56pm. This had to be a planned maneuvered on her part, as when it approached 2:00pm she would not had over the watch. Instead she laid it across the top of her desk (which happened to be the area on the desk that was an indented area long enough to hold a sharp or even dull pencil). As I saw with my peripheral vision, the watch laying there, I with one swift move put my leg out in the isle and lunged for the watch. Not seeing that she was prepared for the attack, I was stabbed with the newly sharpen pencil right in the leg. Here she had the sharpened pencil clinched in her fist along side of her desk, zeroing in on my leg. Well the rest is history, not to be seen on the History Channel of course, but never the less it is history. Thus, this is a perfect example of why Elementary Teachers should not take lightly the pencil sharpening addicts! Or do they not think it is worth giving credit to the pencil since kids are now carring guns to school? By the way, this is the same watch I gave Erica when she was about 4 or 5 years old, and she lost it! That’s okay Erica, I gave it to you because you were so darn cute, and I don’t hold it against you!!!!
Well Happy Blog Birthday! I do enjoy them.