Electric pencil sharpeners are the worst thing to happen to elementary schools, amirite?

I can't tell if this is coming from an elementary school teacher or an insane person

by rutherfordjaydo 3 days ago

That's why I like the handheld. Beautiful, effective simplicity.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

You clearly never had a kid who stood at the crank for a good 5 minutes because they were getting out of work or because the damn thing wouldn't sharpen it correctly and left a bit of the wood still on the led

by Anonymous 3 days ago

I think they were referring to the little handheld ones that were just a razor and a small case for the shavings.

by Cartwrightbrigi 3 days ago

Objectively the worst pencil sharpeners.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

And those lovely wood and lead shavings all over the floor. LOL!

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Only an insane person likes the little handheld sharpeners. They get the angle wrong so it dulls quickly, and are super messy. It's been a good 20 years since I regularly sharpened pencils, but there were damn good electric sharpeners back in the day, and I assume there still are.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

what's the difference?

by Anonymous 3 days ago

In that kind of environment the electric sharpeners are the least of concern to take the blame for. What makes you believe they won't make noise with or break something else?

by mercedesblick 3 days ago

Experience

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Skill issue

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Lack of funding is defintely worse, significantly worse.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

It is kind of funny. Using them wrong makes them too fun to play with for kids that age and its not like they are going to be responsible about it lol

by FewWave6091 3 days ago

I have an authentic hand crank metal one I found. It's really neat. It was on an old desk or table and still has part of the board attached to its base.

by Zoie59 3 days ago

I think lack of funding and general dismissal of the importance of education are a bit worse than noisy pencil sharpeners, but I could be wrong.

by Livid_Prior 3 days ago

As far as ranking the worst things to happen in schools goes, I'd put the pencil sharpener thing a smidge below the frequent shootings bit.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Ya, waaaaay worse than school shootings for sure.....

by Serious-Flatworm4314 3 days ago

Am I in the wrong group?

by Anonymous 3 days ago

well in the US I'd argue its the creation of the AR-15 and the passing of the federal assault weapons ban.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

If this is a problem then it is the problem of the teacher for not teaching the kids how to properly use the electronic sharpener. Seems like a pretty easy fix to me. On a side note, we had a manually crank sharpener on the wall when I was a kid and only allowed to use it before or after class unless we raised our hand and asked permission while class was going on. We were also told to have more than one sharpened pencil so if the lead broke we had a backup. No issues with noise at all. But I'm old I guess.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

This is the right approach, and that's what some teachers do (with the electrics), and it's beautiful. I wish this would catch on again.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

It's up to the parents to teach this stuff, not teachers. Teachers actually have a curriculum to follow. Basic skills should be taught at home.

by Monahanmarilie 3 days ago

If the teacher is providing an electronic sharpener then the teacher should be the one teaching the kids how to use it. Else, the teacher can remove it and the parents can buy their kids those little manual ones. Most parents do not have electronic sharpeners to show the kids how to use them ya know.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Nope

by CarrotDelicious 3 days ago

When I was a kid tiny pencils were cool the smaller the better, must have been 5th grade. My pencil was short and had no eraser left on it. I went to sharpen the pencil but it was to short to hold yo I pushed it in with my thumb. It started spinning and cut a nice deep circle shaped gash into My thumb. Hurt like hell!

by Vegetable-Ad5928 3 days ago

Better or worse than mass shootings?

by Anonymous 3 days ago

not going to like that would pmo when i was in school.

by johnsaddison 3 days ago

Seems hyperbolic.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

I know of something worse that is happening to elementary schools. But yeah, let's focus on….sharpeners.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

There have been multiple mass murders happen at elementary schools.

by Feeling_Elk 3 days ago

O rly?

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Yep. Look it up

by Feeling_Elk 3 days ago

have you ever heard of using exaggerated language to support your point? i'm sure they didn't mean "worst" in a literal sense. if your friend says "i had the worst day ever" do you say "hmmm well i think the holocaust victims would have something to say about that"

by Anonymous 3 days ago

It's all a conspiracy from the Big Pencil industry.

by horaciocartwrig 3 days ago

More like the Big Wood industry at work here

by Anonymous 3 days ago

I've been there. It's maddening, particularly when you can tell kids are clearly just breaking their pencil tips to waste more time at the sharpener. I called a kid out once and had literally watched him do that three times in a row, he tried to tell me I was making it up. Dear god I do not miss teaching.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

It's just like any tool, you have to educate the user of the tool. If you are an educator and are failing to educate…

by Anonymous 3 days ago