Give the Pencil a second chance Mrs. Ensign

Give the Pencil a Second Chance!

Have you ever ended up with a thousand white-out marks on your school assignments because it was written in pen? Did you ever wish that your English teacher would let you write in pencil, so you could actually have a neat piece of writing? Pencils are erasable, and result in less pollution to the environment. Although classwork and homework written in pen may be easier for a teacher to read, students should definitely be allowed to do their work in pencil.

First of all, pencil writing can be erased easily and completely. In contrast, pen ink can only be whited out or scribbled over in order to fix a mistake. In addition, white out splotches and messy scribbles will make mistakes even more noticeable.This may result in sloppy assignments for the teacher to read. Moreover, students who are perfectionists may end up rewriting assignments repeatedly, to avoid the use of white-out when mistakes occur. If pencils were allowed in the classrooms, assignments would be much neater, and students would be much happier!

Did you know that pens cause more pollution than pencils? Pens are made of non-biodegradable plastics that pollute the environment. In addition, since pen ink is not erasable, people tend to use white out to cover their mistakes. White-out containers and white-out tape are also made of plastic, and contribute to pollution. Did you know that in 1968, 25 million bottles of Liquid Paper (a brand of white-out) were made a year? Imagine how many more white out bottles are made today! Let’s be mindful of our environment, and allow students to write in pencil! By using pencils, students will reduce the amount of non-biodegradable wastes in our environment.

Some may argue that there are erasable pens. However, erasable pen writing smears very easily and is hard to erase. Furthermore, others may say that using fewer pencils can save trees. Trees can be replanted, but plastic will continue to pollute our environment for generations to come! In contrast, most parts of the pencil can be decomposed.  Finally, some may think that writing in pen is easier to read. However, if pencils are sharpened well enough, they are capable of writing as clearly and legibly as pens. Perhaps every student should have access to a computer during class instead, to minimize the use of both pens and pencils!

In conclusion, pencils are obviously the number one writing tools for school! Imagine reading student assignments with no white-out splotches, and scribbled or crossed out words! Imagine a classroom with no annoying pen-clicking sounds...that would be every teacher’s dream come true! Protect our environment by reducing the amount of plastic and chemicals we use in the classroom! So bring back the pencils! Give them a chance! They are clearly the best writing tool! They’re better for students, and better for the environment!