The answer to that question is a definite no! My electric pencil sharpener broke at the end of last year, and I needed to think about a replacement. I overheard Pam talking on Twitter about her pencil sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies. She highly recommended it, and I trust Pam. So, off to the website I went for more details. I soon found myself watching youtube videos of the pencil sharpener, and I decided I HAD to have one.
Since I write a blog that generates a lot of traffic (thanks readers!), Troy, the owner of Classroom Friendly Supplies (who is a teacher himself), offered to send me a free pencil sharpener in exchange for a review on my blog. How kind! And, he even let me pick the color. Of course, I picked pink. :)
For days, I eagerly awaited the arrival of my pencil sharpener. Finally, one day, I got back home from working in my classroom at school, and it was sitting on my front porch. Yay!
You'll notice that I intentionally didn't include my rather sad (read: dead) petunias in this pic. Sigh. A green thumb I do not have...
Inside the box, I found another box!
And, inside that box was my pretty, pink pencil sharpener.
I couldn't wait to take out my pencil sharpener for a test drive.
Reasons People Hate Sharpening Pencils
* Too Loud
* Inconsistent Results
* Annoying to constantly have to pull out the pencil to check and see if it's sharp enough yet
* You never know exactly when to empty the pencil sharpener
This sharpener fixes all these problems. It's quiet. You can talk and sharpen at the same time. It holds your pencil at a constant pressure which means you get consistently amazing results. It stops sharpening your pencil at the perfect time. You can't over sharpen your pencil. And, the drawer for the shavings is clear. So, you (or your students!) will know exactly when to empty it.
I loved my first experience sharpening a pencil with my new pencil sharpener so much that I commemorated the event with a selfie! Here's me and the first pencil I sharpened with this awesome new sharpener.
Here's my pencil sharpener in its new home on the window sill in my classroom.
So, you're probably asking yourself what makes this pencil sharpener any different from a regular pencil sharpener. I could tell you, but I'm going to do one better than that and show you.
Yes, I made a youtube video of me sharpening a pencil. Thanks to Glen for sharing the trick for using a cup to hold your smart phone to film at #TMC14. That came in super handy.
[If the youtube video isn't embedded, click here to view.]
If you've never met me in person, I would say that this video pretty well captures my personality. No wonder my students think I'm weird... And, I apologize in advance for saying the word "pinch" weirdly. This is really how I say the word. I didn't realize it was a weird way to say it until someone pointed it out at #TMC14 during my session on hexaflexagons and mobius strips. Then, a student pointed it out when I was demonstrating how to use the pencil sharpener in class. Surely, I can't be the only person in the world who pronounces "pinch" this way...
Also - please ignore my sunburn. I spent a few too many hours out in the sun at a car wash to raise money for prom. And, my allergies have left me with this stupid annoying cough. '
Ready to order your own pencil sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies?
Troy was nice enough to give me a 5% off discount code to share with you! The code is QPCCKW. Hurry, this code expires November 1, 2014!
Now, if you don't want to take my word for it, let me share my sister's experience with this pencil sharpener. She's an art major, so she takes sharpening pencils VERY seriously. When I told her that I had just got a new pencil sharpener in the mail, she automatically assumed that I had ordered an electric pencil sharpener. When I shared that this was a hand crank pencil sharpener, she was not impressed. Still I took it by my family's business one afternoon while running errands to show it to my mom and sister. Yes, I'm 24, and I still participate in show and tell. :)
I demonstrated the pencil sharpener, and my sister tried to act like it was nothing to get excited about. But, she then proceeded to sharpen EVERY single pencil that she could get her hands on in my mom's office. I think that speaks volumes! This pencil sharpener is just fun to use.
So far, my students are LOVING it. As one student put it, "This is one cool gadget!" Or another, "Do you want me to sharpen your entire pile of pencils for you, Ms. Hagan?"