Mr. Cantlin's Classes - 2008-2009
Of course, if you show "initiative" and have a "sense of urgency" you will have everything on the first day of school, which is Thursday, August 7, 2008.
- Loose Leaf Paper - Get several packs, keep a good supply at home. College or High School ruled is OK, college ruled has more lines. NO SPIRAL PAPER. Get plain loose leaf. Spiral paper makes a mess and does not stack well, it is not allowed. Get the kind that already has 3 holes. Put 50 to 75 sheets in your 3-ring notebook, keep it filled.
- Plain Wooden Pencils - Get a box of #2 wooden pencils. If you run low get a new box before you run out. Do not get too fancy, if the coating on the pencils is something wild it won't sharpen easily or well. Get plain wooden pencils. The better quality ones are easier to sharpen and write with, but plain "house brand" pencils work fine. MECHANICAL PENCILS ARE NOT ALLOWED. There are two reasons for this, the first is that mechanical pencils break or run out of lead causing surprisingly frequent class interruptions and the second is that small pieces of easily and often broken mechanical pencil lead get all over the floor and ground into the tile. One person is not a problem, but when you have 120 math students a day it is a problem. I know. That is why I require wooden pencils. So don't even think of complaining, make the best of it, and get a box of the best quality wooden pencils you can.
- Small Pencil Sharpener - The most convenient kind will have a receptacle for the pencil shavings and will be small and as flat as possible to fit easily into your pencil pouch. If you get one without a receptacle for the shavings, PUT A ZIPLOC SANDWICH BAG IN YOUR PENCIL POUCH. That way you can sharpen your pencil at your desk without making a mess or having to get up and disturb the other students.
- Good Eraser - Even high quality pencils have erasers that leave something to be desired and a poor eraser will just smear the pencil marks around making an unsightly mess. At the very least, get some "cap erasers" and put the extras in your pencil pouch until needed. A much better eraser is one of the rectangular "Pink Pearl" erasers, and much, much better than that is the kind I use daily which is a white vinyl "Magic Rub" eraser made by Sanford. If you want the best of the best get either a "Mars" plastic eraser by Staedtler or a plastic "Hi-Polymer" eraser by Pentel.
- 3-Ring Notebook - The size of a 3-ring notebook refers to the width of its spine, or how tall it is when it is closed and laying on your desk. For this class, I recommend at least a 1.5 inch 3-ring binder. Of course you can get bigger, a 2 inch is not too big to carry around. I use a 2.5 inch every day and it is a little big to carry around. Don't get less than 1.5 inches though as you won't have room for your notes, paper, and pencil pouch.
- 3-Ring Pencil Pouch - In this you will carry 4 or 5 pencils, your sharpener, and your eraser(s).
- Graph Paper - You will only need a small pad. Put about 10 sheets in your 3-ring notebook. Keep it filled.
This shopping day was Friday, July 27, 2007!
Everything is there! Total cost: $11.02
Click on picture for a larger view.
Here are the details of what I found at WalMart. One shopping tip is that things are NOT all in one place, you have to look around. The items I found are just examples, you don't have to shop at Wal Mart or get these brands. These are just good examples of what I am looking for.
- Loose Leaf Paper - three $0.30 Packs of 150 sheets, 450 sheets total, college ruled - $0.90
- Plain Wooden Pencils - pack of 24 Papermate Classics #2 - $0.97
- Small Pencil Sharpener - blue plastic by Its-academic.com with receptacle for shavings - $0.84
- Good Eraser - pack of two Pink Pearls #101 - $0.97
- 3-Ring Notebook - Avery 1.5 inch View Binder- $3.88
- 3-Ring Pencil Pouch - a reasonably sturdy pouch with a clear cover - $0.97
- Graph Paper - pad of 80 sheets by Norcominc.com, 4 squares per inch, 3-hole punched, 8 x 10.5 in. - $1.67