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MacBeth
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| Posted: Jan 17 2006 at 9:11am | IP Logged
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Oh, do we have a problem here!  My dh hates pencils, an I love them. Because I love them, I buy them. I buy fun pencils to put in party gift bags, pencils with personalized sayings on them from Lillian Vernon, pencils with feathers, rocks, and other designs, colored pencils, and more. I love to sharpen them--the smell is wonderful. And for writing, there is nothing like a nice sharp pencil.
Pens drive me crazy.
OTOH, my dh loves his pen...not just any pen, though all pens are preferable to pencils, but his pen. I fear he may be obsessed. When people are asked to sign something, like a receipt, they usually use the pen provided by the clerk. Not so, Don! He whips out his own pen and signs boldly. He also likes to leave his pen in the wash and ruin his clothing with it... 
But here's the real problem: If I don't have enough pencils around, someone always can't find one for school work. So, I have many many pencils. Sometimes, they get left on the floor, and that bugs dh. When something bugs him, he starts using the word "ban". 
So I thought I'd throw the question to you all:
Pens, or pencils?
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog 
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lilac hill
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Love pencils and pens here.
Mechanical pencils which Rick hates, although his workshop one from Lee Valley tools is in his shop apron pocket. Of course there are never any pencils around when it is time for the crossword.
There is a cup above the phone that I throw all the ones I find around so we can usually find a stub, but there usually is not an eraser.
I also like fine line markers. I have my favorite stash and I do usually sign my name to papers with them too. I can appreciate dh's actions. Can always find the excuse that I am preventing the spread of colds and viruses.
How will picking one or the other keep them off the floor? If dh's pens end up on the floor , may be more of an issue--I get annoyed when I find "my" markers left out. (It usually means someone had to go through my purse or desk drawer to find something to write with which does not get returned )
How do you feel about a getting a dog? They crunch the pencils left on the floor before anyone has time to step on them. They also take care of stray earrings, paper clips and other small tidbits.
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Viv
Wife to Rick (7/83), Mom to dd#1(6/87), dd#2(1/90), and dd#3(6/94) in central PA.
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Becky Parker
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Both of you are too funny!  I like pencils usually. For us, they just seem to last longer, and as Macbeth mentioned they come in all kinds of designs. I do not like mechanical pencils. I thought I did, so this year I bought a huge package of them just before we started school. Well, the little kids pull the white eraser off the end and all the led falls out, the dog loves to eat them, and even the ones used by my older ds don't seem to last very long. I also like the smell of sharpening pencils (I thought I was strange!), of course, I also used to love the smell of chalk on the chalkboard when I was a teacher!!
On a more practical note, I find it much easier to write neatly with pencil. My kids do a much neater job when they use pencil too.
My ds just said "I can't do my math, I don't know where my pencil is"! Honest! That's our main problem - not which to use but how to keep from ,losing them! The big joke around here is, when somebody calls and wants to leave a message we say, "hold on, we homeschool - I can't find a pencil".
Becky
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Chari
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oh, MacBeth! what a funny topic! and, one which I had issues with in the early days of hsing...........my kids wanted to use pens all of the time........like for math, of all things!
I would tell them, pens were for high school...........you could use them when you are high school age.........what a stupid and silly idea......here I was, an unschooler by default.........and I could not let go of this ridiculous notion, I had obtained in my public school years...........I let them......but I stuggled against it..
Until I read Andrew Pudewa's article
(sheesh.......is there some really easy way to hyperlink without me having to write the whole link out? I really rebel against that ) You can continue to have me go in an edit behind you after you write the whole thing out or you can click on the globe icon with link and follow the prompts. You'll make hyperlinks so we just see a short link but you still have to write the whole thing out or cut and paste from the web address box on your screen. EF 
his article set me straight.......I read it to the kids who told me he was "right on"..........and now they use whatever they want to right with.......
and, he also reminded me that I dislike using pencils.....and why.......and so, I did need to be more compassionate to my kids preferences.
anyone else as ridiculous as me??
you are funny, too, Becky!
I don't like to use just any pen.......I usually have a favorite brand............and at some point the company decides not to sell that one after ten years...........then I stuggle with finding a new favorite. I even prefer writing my articles by pen instead of by keyboard 
my current fave: Pentel R.S.V.P.......and the kids are not supposed to touch my stash....in my desk! I also like to play with the different colors.
Have a good day!
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Chari...Take Up & Read
Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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JSchaaf
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Pencils!!
But they have to be Dixon-Ticonderoga's...dh prefers mechanical pencils and pens with green ink "the color of physics"
My girls seem to prefer my indelible Sharpie black markers...I hide them and they always seem to find them...
Jennifer
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Kathryn UK
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Pens. For real writing (pages rather than short notes) it must be a proper fountain pen, preferably with italic nib. A mood reflecting ink colour is good - I'm partial to turquoise, though black can be good for making a serious mark. Best of all, filled the old-fashioned way from an ink bottle, though since having children I haven't dared have bottles of permanent ink around. 10 yo dd opts for fountain pen, preferably with pink or mauve ink, or fine point roller ball. 7 yo dd prefers pen for schoolwork (biro with feathers, or fountain pen), and pencil for anything else. I did bar pens from maths books because of the difficulty of deleting mistakes in progress.
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Elizabeth
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Pencils. I don't have good experiences with ink and laundry. I must say though, your dh is wise to furnish his own pen. Can you imagine germs on community pens? You can catch the bug of every customer before you who sneezed into his hands before signing his receipt  .
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Mary G
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Elizabeth wrote:
| Pencils. I don't have good experiences with ink and laundry. I must say though, your dh is wise to furnish his own pen. Can you imagine germs on community pens? You can catch the bug of every customer before you who sneezed into his hands before signing his receipt . |
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OK, Elizabeth -- much more than we needed to hear
We use mechanical pencils mostly here. DH used to only allow mechanical pencils in his classroom as he hated the sound of sharpeners.....now he just makes the kids sharpen'em before they come in.
None of us uses pens much. I have to remind the older ones that for formal things (like letters to grandma ), pen is more appropriate. They hate that!
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folklaur
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Elizabeth wrote:
| Pencils. I don't have good experiences with ink and laundry. I must say though, your dh is wise to furnish his own pen. Can you imagine germs on community pens? You can catch the bug of every customer before you who sneezed into his hands before signing his receipt . |
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 eeeeeewwwwwwww!
I like pens, personally. My hand gets tired faster when using a pencil. Though I do like the way they smell when you sharpen them, too. And I like pencils for the younger ones.
dd 16 likes mechanical pencils ( I don't because the lead always breaks, especially when a younger child is using them.)
We have a drawer full of dried markers, and mechanical pencils without lead and no erasers, and pens that don't work.  My next project, I guess...
Smiles,
Laura in AZ
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Sarah
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Pencils. . .
until you buy hundreds in bulk and the kids figure out how to use a plastic coathanger and shoot them like a bow & arrow (unsharpened, of course). I was amazed at how far they could go. They ended up with such good aim, someone shot the angel off the top of Christmas tree-wow! Future olympiad?
I still love pencils, though. Even though we're missing a little over 200 of them that I bought in Sept.
I use my own pen to sign at stores, though. Germs! Elizabeth's right. . .the guy in front of you could have influenza or worse! Okay, maybe I'm nuts, too !
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Dawn
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This is so funny I had to take a minute to post. I am a HUGE paper and pencil (or pen) person but I am ultra-choosey about my writing utensils!!
I love the feel of *just* the right kind of paper and *just* the right kind of pen/pencil -- the ink flow has to be smooth, the pencil can't be too waxy!
I have a huge 5-subject notebook from Office Depot that I journal in (my very low-tech blog!). I write down absolutely everything and I even tape in clippings from magazines etc. When it's full, I start another. Charming in its own way, but definitely not pretty. Ideally I would love one of those beautiful Victorian type of journals, but A. it never lies flat, B. the paper is too scratchy, and C. there's too much pressure to make my writing look and sound perfect!
OK, did I just spill a whole bunch of my idiosyncracies or what???
But, to answer your question, I usually opt for pencil over pen, as I like to sketch in my notebook and change lots of stuff on my calendar.
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lilac hill
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Kathryn UK wrote:
| Pens. For real writing (pages rather than short notes) it must be a proper fountain pen, . |
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I have always wanted to use a fountain pen but unless something has changed in ink drying times since I was younger, lefties get a pinky full of ink and a smeary page
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Viv
Wife to Rick (7/83), Mom to dd#1(6/87), dd#2(1/90), and dd#3(6/94) in central PA.
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MacBeth
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JSchaaf wrote:
green ink "the color of physics"
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That is so funny. My entire high school physics note book is written in green ink. Yeah, I still have it somewhere...
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
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JSchaaf
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MacBeth wrote:
| That is so funny. My entire high school physics note book is written in green ink. Yeah, I still have it somewhere... |
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So the green ink thing is true...I never quite believed him-but he is a physicist and insists on using green ink...
Jennifer
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teachingmom
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Pens for me (the ones I love--one of which is right in front of me--say "BIC round stic med/moy USA"). I remember having a hard time finding them last time I ran out. I think I had to buy a similar style in Staples house brand.
Pencils for kids. More often than not, they are less than half the original length with absolutely NO eraser left on them. And those little bright colored erasers that you can stick on the end of a pencil? They fall apart almost immediately around here. Yes, erasers are a big problem for me . . . especially frustrating when I go to help a dd with her math errors.
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ALmom
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Sarah,
Your dc must be kindred spirits to mine - only ours used toothpicks in blow guns (straws) until we banned the practice. Please don't let yours tell mine about the pencils - right now they hunt the woods for sticks for their bows which shoot way too far and accurately!
MacBeth, thanks for the article by Padewa. I think I'm going to make my ds (8) use a pen. I've always let them use whatever they want, but they always chose pencil - a perfectionist tendency in our house, I fear. I've always used pen - even prefer that to typing on a keyboard (dd 18 does almost everything on keyboard) but younger dc have always used a pencil - out of fear of making a mistake - then when they do corrections, they erase, etc. but I cannot always see the original mistake to detect patterns over time). We may start dictating pen for everyone. We may even start using pen for "math?" and teach them to cross out using a single line through.
Here is the reason:
All my dc use far too much pressure for handwriting
They usually tear a hole in the paper when erasing anyways
I have never been successful at getting them to reduce tension in the hand when writing
Even with all that tension, they are misreading their own writing because of the lack of contrast.
All my younger dc have vision problems - ie visual pathways are not fully operating yet (in therapy to correct, use only one eye, etc. and the physical act of writing has been the single most discouraging part of our homeschooling).
The article was an ah moment for me! Thanks for posting that article!
As for the missing pencils (and pens), I now have a ziplock plastic bag which becomes the repository of all pencils, pens left astray! I just grab them as I notice when I walk by and then deposit them when I get to my bag. I just had an idea - if the dc is missing a pencil/pen, they have to buy it back from me (perhaps with a chore? - now my ideas are flowing. Isn't that natural consequences - unfortunately at our house, I'd probably be the one getting all the chores! We have trouble with 3 yo getting into markers, coloring the floors, leaving the caps off and the pens drying out. They are now locked as best we can - but before long the problem will be solved - all the markers will be dried out!
Janet
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Natalia
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Thanks Chari for the article. It reminds me of the way I was educated. We were required to write all our work (except math) with fountain pen. I remember clearly the smell of ink and the mess I could make trying to get ink into the cartridge with a syrenge. Also the nuns would not let us erase. We were instructed to put whatever we want to leave out in parenthesis.
As for now, I use mechanical pencils because I feel that my handwriting is more legible when I use pencil. But I love the feel of gel pens and use those too. The only thing when I am using gel pens it almost seem that the pen runs faster than my thoughts.
I am wondering if I should let my 8yo ds use pen for the same reasons Janet stated. Janet, what kind of pen are you thinking of using?
Natalia
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MEBarrett
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Great thread.
I have had a Waterman Fountain pen for years that I use only occasionally. I must not have the knack because I usually end up covered in ink .
The kids use pencils for school and pen for writing notes and letters.
I use whatever I can find, sometimes purple crayon. I prefer a Bic pen.
Pretty boring...
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ALmom
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My dh is going out today for a supply of medium point Bic pens - nothing fancy, but we like the black v white paper and the Bic runs smoothly. We have some fine point and will see which is easiest for dc.
He, btw, thought this was a great idea after I explained the post. We'll see how it goes - but am hopeful that maybe we'll finally get dc to relax a bit when writing. I'm also not going to be a huge stickler for neatness for the transition time.
The older girls have gel pens and I would probably allow those as long as the colors were readable. However in college, the professor marked down a whole letter grade for using anything other than black ink on his quizzes. I wonder if that was due to his desire to not strain his eyes reading 30 papers with a variety of contrasts, etc.
Janet
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Rachel May
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I am a pencil girl and a picky one at that. (Are any of us not picky?) Years ago when we were dating, my dh called the Duke U bookstore and ordered a gross of pencils for me for Christmas. The person working said, "How many is that?" Bill was like, "I'm sorry. Is this DUKE University?"
I love him so much because he actually listens to me. I had told him that Duke pencils are THE BEST pencils in the world. I personally believe that they are Dixon-Ticonderogas in Duke blue warm up jackets. Oddly, other than those pencils and my diploma hanging in my office (over the kitchen sink) you won't find any other Duke stuff in the house....
Becky Parker wrote:
| ...of course, I also used to love the smell of chalk on the chalkboard when I was a teacher!! |
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With my last pregnancy this harmless enjoyment morphed to trying to eat chalk, which is, BTW, quite yummy. My husband is watching me like a hawk this time since he missed out on the last pregnancy. Too bad for him, I have enough self control to not do it! I'd better not get too close to the pencil sharpener though. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.....
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Topic: Pens or pencils?
