Pencil vs Pen debate

Saturday, June 11, 2022 by Brittany Bright | Uncategorized

This week I’ve been doing some reading and watching of videos all about writing.  When you have a kiddo who struggles with it, you are constantly looking for new and better ways to provide support.   

One piece this week really caught my eye.  The idea itself wasn’t anything new.  I’ve heard for many years to let students write with pen vs pencil. not to let them erase, etc. Often the reason for this was tied into seeing the revisions and edits, or to not taking the time to erase and rewrite.  

So what was different?  It was the reason so many of our kiddos constantly feel the need to resharpen or to resist writing with a pencil altogether. The idea was around the sensory pieces involved in using a pencil.  For students who need consistency and routines and a sense of “sameness”, a pencil provides nothing!   The pencil lead is constantly changing from sharp to dull. The pencil itself then changes size, shape, and even weight.  Even the feel of the pencil might change based on how it is sharpened.  

Kids with multi-sensory needs are at a disadvantage before they even attempt to start writing.  

Now I know, many are using computers and such to write as well.  But writing implements are still used often for many things.   So- I’ll be making sure there are pencils and lots of pens for my students to use.   Which type is your favorite?