Finding these chubby little stubs around the school building made me chuckle, and so I started a collection. The children are so careful not to lose or waste their pencils that it actually took me several weeks to come up with this amount of loot. And they weren't lying about in plain sight, but hidden in nooks and behind doors. They use that lead down to the bitter end.
When I first arrived in India, I made the rookie mistake of disbursing pencils to anyone for the asking. But then I found that those same children would return and ask for another, and another, every day (or every hour!). I finally smartened up and started trading the children's "stars" (reward points) for every pencil given out. I soon found that the kids were not so eager for new pencils after all. Some students will ask for one and then declare that they were "just kidding" when I tell them that it will be costing three stars, thank you very much.
Thank you to my friends Anita and Talmadge who initiated this brilliant star system last year to teach responsibility and accountability. I think it's working!
Should we include several boxes of pencils with the books (when they eventually go)?
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