Amazing Sharpener

June 19, 2012

I don’t know about you but I hate sharpening pencils. There’s always one kid in the class who can’t keep his pencil sharpened or needs a new pencil. I just find this incredibly irritating when I am trying to teach. My classroom manual pencil sharpener hasn’t worked since I’ve been in the room so I have to rely on electric pencil sharpeners. I just hate how loud those things are and they don’t last long at all. I have been quite protective over who can use it since the year that I had to buy three of them.

I was so excited to see this new pencil sharpener that has been popping up on other people’s blogs. I decided to check out the website to see what the buzz was about — especially since it claims to be the quietest sharpener.

Troy at Classroom Friendly Supplies sent me a pencil sharpener to try out and I am completely impressed. First of all, I got the pencil sharpener in two days. Who doesn’t love fast shipping?

It took me a while to figure out how to work the pencil sharpener but then I found a great video on Troy’s website that explains how to use it.

This sharpener was so easy to use. I love how the front pieces slides in as the pencil sharpens.
And when it’s finished, it stops. No more sharpening with the pencil breaking because you don’t know it’s done. It seemed much faster to me than even using an electric sharpener.

The hardest part for the kids to do is to remember to squeeze the clips in to place the pencil in the sharpener. Once it has been taught to them, they will get it easily.

Best of all, this sharpener is super quiet. I don’t think you’d even have to stop a lesson while someone is sharpening their pencil.

Go visit Troy at Classroom Friendly Supplies and check out this great sharpener. He really invented it with teachers in mind because he is a teacher himself. I’m so excited to use this with my students next year. I know it will save me some of my sanity that is usually lost with broken pencils and the electric pencil sharpener.  Thanks Troy!

Let me know what you think about this sharpener. Do you have one? Why would you like to have one?

16 Comments on “Amazing Sharpener

  1. I am going to go for it! Your post officially pushed me over the edge. And . . . I think I am due for one anyway. A sweet little kiddo of mine jammed a crayon in my $60 ditty earlier this year and it hasn't worked the same since πŸ™‚

    Kelley Dolling
    Teacher Idea Factory

  2. I know what you mean about being protective about my pencil sharpener. I went through three different electronic ones two years ago. Last year I started using the dull and sharp cans for pencils and I just sharpen all the dull ones at the end of the day. It stays on my desk far away from my kiddos reach. I will definitely be purchasing this when my electronic one dies.

    πŸ˜€
    Courtney (the other one)
    3rd Grade Sprinkles
    courtneyice1@gmail.com

  3. It's offical, I have to have one! I could write a book about what kids put in pencil sharpeners. I stopped buying them and started getting the .50-$1.00 sharpeners because the kids were so bad with them. I will be getting mine soon!!!! Thanks!

    Heather
    The Busy Busy Hive

  4. I just bought one this summer. It was a little tricky at first, but after the video, it was a breeze! It is fabulous! I was sooooooo tired of my old sharpeners that left the "wood" on one side of the pencil. The points on these pencils are amazing! I went screaming through the house after my first set of pencils and my boyfriend thought I was crazy. He should now by now, its the little things that make me happy.

    My only concern, I KNOW that next year I will have a child with only one working hand. I am trying to figure out how to adapt the process for him.

  5. I was finally convinced last year after I thought I was going to lose my mind with having to buy another electric one. And, like you, I HATED how noisy the electric ones are! When I got it, I completely fell in love. I brought it to my principal and demonstrated how wonderful it was and asked if there were ANY FUNDS AT ALL to buy some for the school. Guess what, she bought one for every teacher at my site! (Of course that means me too, so now I have two!) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM!

  6. Danae –

    Could your special needs child hold down the sharpener body with his/her elbow of the arm with the hand that doesn't work while manipulating the front piece out and sharpening with the one that does?

    Kristy
    kristyteach@gmail.com

  7. Every Monday, each student gets two pencils. The pencils have tape on the ends, signifying what table they sit at (red, orange, etc). If they break their pencils, they have to turn them into the pencil bucket at the back of the room. The pencil bucket is full of all our old pencils (they are sharpened, but probably missing erasers). I only sharpen the pencils in the bucket 1-2 times a week. I'm able to pass pencils back out to the teams because of the tape. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't. I only have to spend a few minutes once a week dealing with pencils. I also couldn't believe how many pencils we had left over at the end of the year. We didn't go through anywhere near as many pencils as we normally do.

  8. I am so desperate for a manual sharpener that the kids will have permission to use but I always thought this would be too complicated after watching the video. Will my 2nd graders really be able to use this on their own?

    1. I haven't used it with kids yet but after reading some of the other comments, I think so. You just have to model how to use it for the kids and they will get it. If not, just show a couple of kids and let them be in charge of pencil sharpening.

  9. While student teaching, my third grade cooperating had one of these and I loved it! The kids easily used it and since it was portable (though you can screw it down to a desk or wall) we could bring it around the classroom to sharpen pencils.

    I'm going to be teaching kindergarten so I don't intend on getting one (I plan on having sharpened pencils available, then sharpening the broken ones once a week) but if I were teaching an older grade I would definitely invest in one of these sharpeners!

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