Anyone who teaches knows that on any given day, someone is going to forget something. Homework, pencils, and notebooks lead errant lives--they spend as much time in class as the student, just not simultaneously.

My biggest daily battles used to involve pencils. Not anymore.

Asking a child why she forgot her pencil is as illuminating as asking her to describe muons. But I'd ask anyway.

Telling a child that bringing a pencil to class is her responsibility is like telling her her eyes are brown. She knows this, and reminding her will not change much, but it will elicit an eyeroll. I don't like eyerolls, but I asked anyway.

When I was about 7 years old, I stuck a pair of scissors in an electric socket. I didn't like it. I did it again anyway. I didn't like it any better the second time. I stopped doing it.

Every day I wasted a minute or two having the same conversation. Who's the idiot now?

The solution?

I tacked a Dixie cup to the bulletin board. When I find a pen or pencil, I put it in the cup. On rare occasions, I drop a few brand new pencils in the kitty. The cup's contents ebb and flow like the tides--rarely does it need my intervention.

The kids are no more or less responsible than before I reached my pencil nirvana.

We got enough nonsense going on in the classroom. Pick your battles.

Pencils are a lot cheaper than anxiolytics.

Pencil pic from wikimedia, and is in the PD.