Monday, October 26, 2015

The Quietest Sharpener on the Hall

Let me begin by saying I loathe pencil sharpeners. They are a necessary evil for a successful classroom but such a hassle. Sometimes they don't do a good job, other times kids stand in line to sharpen their pencil just to chat with their friends. Still other times they are unreliable. The motors die even though they have a "lifetime guarantee." And the noise! Yes, it's safe to say I loathe them.

Classroom Friendly Supplies asked me to review their new Popular Purple sharpener and I have to say I love this thing. I've been a fan of this company for several years because their sharpeners are such a game changer for pencil sharpening.
First, I love how cute they are. They come in fun colors to match your classroom decor. This is big for me because I like everything to match. What makes these sharpeners so amazing though is that they take it back to the basics. They have no motor to die like an electric sharpener but they are still very effective. In fact, every single pencil comes out perfect. And the sharpener stops sharpening when the pencil is ready to use, which eliminates my pet peeve of "social sharpening." Did I mention they are super quiet?
I have actually been using a Classroom Friendly sharpener for several years since I first tried one in my classroom in New Jersey. All of my coworkers end up being so jealous of how well they work that they purchase their own as well. At my previous school, we lobbied our PTO to purchase some for the entire upper school and the response was great. The kids love them, too, and they are easy to use.

Your sharpener will come will a hook to attach it to a shelf if you desire but I have found the picture hanging command hooks work better. You just pinch the clamps, pull the silver lever out, insert your pencil, and crank. You will tell when the pencil is ready because it will stop sharpening. In my classroom, I hire pencil technicians to be in charge of sharpening pencils and it is the most coveted job around. When I added the Popular Purple to my collection of sharpeners, they were just thrilled that someone else would get the new position of purple pencil technician. The purple is great, but really one is never enough. Luckily, they are also available in three packs. 

6 comments:

  1. Hi, I know I'm really late responding but I don't recall you saying where you purchased these sharpeners. They're super cute!!

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  2. Hi, I know I'm really late responding but I don't recall you saying where you purchased these sharpeners. They're super cute!!

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    1. Classroom Friendly Supplies :) There is a blue link above and it will take you to their website. These are the best sharpeners and the company is owned by a teacher.

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  3. I saw these sharpeners on someone else's blog a while back, and I LOVE them! For my fourth grade classroom, I bought a 3 pack each of pink and blue sharpeners last year, and 3 purple this year. So, yes, I have NINE sharpeners. I put Mrs. Grossman's stickers on the sides so we can tell them apart, and this year I put number stickers for my 8 numbered tables. Sharpener #9 is on my desk. So, at the end of the day, I set the timer for 5 minutes, the table captain for the day (passes papers etc. all day) gets the sharpener, and sharpens all the pencils in their table tub that need it. (12-15 pencils, of which maybe half actually need sharpening) The other 3 at the table clean their area - floor etc. I LOVE it! No one is allowed to sharpen pencils the rest of the day. They trade right at their table. (a few have personal sharpeners for touch-ups) It's 5 minutes of lots of sharpening, but then it's OVER! And I can twist the crank and get out stuck lead! Best classroom money ever spent.

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