The Pencil Problem

Like most teachers, I require students to come to my classroom prepared with their instrument, music, and a pencil.  Students are penalized points when they are unprepared for class, but I admit that I need to be more consistent with keeping track of point penalties.  It's hard for my right-brained self to track such things...especially when I don't want to stop the flow of my class and waste time.  Students who don't have pencil are in crisis mode...and they do one of the following:

• Sit silently and do not attempt to complete the task at hand...hoping I won't notice.
• Some raise their hands and announce to the entire class that they don't have a pencil and ask if anyone has one they can borrow.
• Other students get out of their seats and start searching the classroom for a stray pencil.
• Students come and ask me if they can go to their lockers to get a pencil.

All of these responses drive me CRAZY!  I just want them to be prepared and be ready to immediately do what I ask them to do.  I surely don't want my valuable class time to turn into a pencil scavenger hunt.  To combat the issue I give each student a pencil and a folder at the beginning of the year.  Students are instructed to bring the folder and pencil to class every day.  It just doesn't always happen.

At the end of the school year, my PLC group discussed the pencil problem at our collaboration meeting.  The art teacher at my school got really excited because he said he has solved this problem.  He told us that his students always have a pencil because he keeps pencils in the classroom for students to use.  He buys hundreds of pencils provides them for students.  I was thinking...well I do that, too...I have a giant cup full of pencils and students are allowed to borrow them.  This doesn't quite solve my problem because I don't want kids out of their seats to fetch a pencil...that all takes time.  Sometimes I bring pencils around the room to students that don't have one...yet again, it takes time.

 I've been thinking a lot about this pencil problem.  How can I provide pencils that are conveniently accessible?  I looked for options online.  Music stores sell spring-like contraptions that attach to music stands, but they are a bit expensive.  I need something cost effective, efficient, removable, durable, and something that would allow the music stands to be stacked without having to move it.

Here's what I came up with....DOLLAR STORE HAIR BANDS!  They come in packs of 8 - so 8 bands for $1.00.  I can wrap one of these babies around each of my 48 music stands and it will only cost me $6!  They easily hold 2 pencils and it is very simple to take pencils out of the band and put them back in.  Pencils can stay in place, even when stacking stands on racks at the end of each day.  If I don't want pencils on the stands during a concert, the bands can quickly be removed.

Some classroom management strategies will need to be in place for this work.  Students will be expected and required to store pencils appropriately after each rehearsal.  They will not be allowed to remove the band (or mess with it in any way).  Students must be taught a procedure for sharpening pencils when needed. 

Having pencils readily available for students to use will save a lot of time in rehearsal.  No more searching for pencils.  No more excuses.  Pencil problem....solved.