Recently, and no I am not making this up, we were asked kindly to confiscate all permanent markers from the students. It wasn't that there had been a huge problem with students using these to write on things, but there had been a couple of incidents and it was therefore deemed necessary to ban permanent markers in the 5th grade totally. After all, it is much easier for us to ban things rather than teach appropriate usage. To say I was perplexed at the approach is an understatement.
So this got me thinking, if we remove the permanent markers, what else should we remove from the students?
So this got me thinking, if we remove the permanent markers, what else should we remove from the students?
- Paper - not only can this create dangerous paper cuts but it can also be used to communicate secret messages or ideas. Highly subversive stuff if left in the wrong hands, and let's face it, all students hands are wrong.
- Pencils - this master weapon can be used to write these aforementioned dangerous messages, and also if you sharpen it really really well it is a dangerous weapon in itself. (For more bad usage of pencils duo check out #pencilchat on Twitter - there is some scary stuff there)
- Rulers - ever see a kid spin a ruler on their pencil - 'nuff said.
- Compass - sharp points and the ability to poke things, no more of these.
- Scissors - who allowed this stabbing and scratching tools into the classroom in the first place? Gigantic bad idea.
- Erasers - these things can be thrown at other people and also used to erase things we want to see such as notes being passed and wrong answers.
- Textbooks - these mammoths of knowledge create backaches for kids, they can be torn apart by devious students and dropped on someone's foot.
