The big question, when it comes to what material is best for class, is what type of pencil is best and why. It mainly comes to what you use, what is cheaper, and what is easier to write with most of the time, but what do the majority think at TMMS?
When Emmy Eperson was interviewed, she said,”I think that mechanical pencils are the best because they stay sharp like all the time.”
Next was Bijou Boyer an 7th grader, that stated Mechanical was best, “Obviously mechanical. They have refillable lead, which you can’t do with a regular pencil. And they last longer because you don’t always have to sharpen it. Mechanical pencils, you can refill, and you can put the eraser back on. But for regular pencils, they can’t do that. Once the eraser is done, it’s done. I guess you could get one of the cones that you can put on top, but that’s not as fun as having an eraser. So mechanical pencils are better because they’re also you can get them for cheaper most of the time at like the dollar store or something for better quality.”
Mr. Wes, a teacher in ELA and Journalism, and he said, “I’m more of an original person. I’m a big fan of original Dixon. Ticonderoga number two is my go to, but I tried a mechanical pencil last year. I’m a big fan of the Pentel brand of pens, so I tried using some Pentel mechanical pencils and I just liked the feel of a Dixon Ticonderoga more still. ”
Maddy, an 8th grader, vaguely with practically no reasoning said, “I prefer the mechanicals. They’re much easier to use.”
Nativity Dixon, a 7th grader, replied to my question stating Mechanical pencils are best, “Mechanical because I feel like it breaks like less. And you can have more lead in it and it can last longer. And it’s reusable.”
The last interviewee is Saywer Bushell, an 8th grader, and she said, “It’s just whatever one feels right in my hand at that point. Like if I was doing something with my hand the day before and my hand was sore, then I’ll probably use mechanical. But any other day I’ll probably use the original pencil.”
Out of the few people interviewed, the most common reply was Mechanical mainly because of its simplicity and its reusability. Even though I could not interview the whole school in a day, it seems that people nowadays like mechanical pencils best because it adds a little fun and some change into school, work, and daily activities. Everyone has different opinions and prefers different types of pencils but since the majority is the majority, mechanical pencils win, for now at least!