Question about pencils in US schools

Yes, I would say that for the most part students use pencils and not pens. For testing, they are usually required to use a No. 2 (which is a specific type of lead) pencil because of the way the test can be read by a machine (from what I understand).

It's so interesting that you asked this because I've never really heard of students using pens to do their work. I think teens would be more apt to use pens than younger grade students.

 

Admittedly it's been a long time since I was in school, but I remember not being allowed to even use a pen in school until high school, and even then certainly never for math! They do need students to use #2 pencils for electronically graded tests, but when I sat for AP (advanced placement) tests with essays that were read by human graders we were still required to use a pencil.

By the time I got to college I'd pretty much tossed out using pens OR pencils and just did everything on my laptop.

 

I am forever amazed at differences of nations.
we are pencil people
the machines actually read the number 2 lead.
I am a homeschool mom and
pencils are what we use too..
but that is because my boys are so needy and easily distracted, pens are like miniature art boxes and become designs on skin, furniture and walls.
and because of the pink thing on the other end...we make
a
lot
of mistakes!
tee hee

 

Yep...#2 pencils =)

 

Yep. Pencils it is. Even the ACT and SAT (education tests) and when my DH took the NCLEX (nursing exam) two years ago it was pencils. I took a photo of them to scrap because he used the same 2 for every test all year. Slightly superstitious.

 

Australia is pens. Pencils for maybe the first few years in elementary school when learning to write. Tests always in pen.

 

No. 2 Pencils. I never knew that others were required to use Pens. I find that super interesting!

 

Here's my experience:

#2 pencils for the official, standardized tests, for sure.

interestingly, the Scantrons (the machines that can read the tests that the High Schools and colleges own) can read with pen (at least the ones at our HS). However, you need to be pretty confident you won't make a mistake.

Elementary school is typically pencil until 5th or 6th grade then you graduate to pen. However, math is always pencil. Some teachers claim they'll give you a zero on your work if you use pen.

Because there are always some that like to shake things up ...

I knew a 1st grade teacher who insisted on markers for most of first grade. The kids got a new color each month. She hated dealing with the management of pencil sharpening and it also taught the kids to not worry about mistakes. Just cross it off and move on instead of spending the day erasing until the paper ripped.

Some writing teachers have the little kids use pens from the beginning. The process of getting thoughts on the paper is more important than the perfection from pencils. There can also be some fun times when they get to the revision stage and get to staple and tape new sentences to their paper. Its a glorious mess!!

There does seem to be a point though where teachers say no pencil: a non-bubbled computer scored test and essays. Most writing needs to be typed but if it's in an in-class essay or something, no teacher (unless they have 25 year old eyes) can even read a stack of 30-100 paragraphs or essays in pencil.

 

This is what I was going to say. You can't mark out an answer on a scantron if you want to change it, so it needs to be in pencil. And yes to the math teachers, I know many of those. They get very irate if work is done in pen. Mostly because there is a lot of working things out and if you are scratching things out all the time, the papers get very messy and confusing.

 

Since I'm still in school, I'll chime in. I have always used pencils. The kids' school specifically wants Ticonderoga #2 pencils, but at home we just have pencils from the dollar store. I love the feel of a pencil & the option of making mistakes without being messy. We have a homework box at home with all the tools that may be needed to do one's homework. The pencil cup inside always has 9 or 10 pencils sharpened so there aren't any excuses. My college essays are typed & often submitted online.

 

Our kids get their pen licence in about Year 3 - they have to be able to write neatly- although with my boys, the teachers just gave up but writing in pencil would have made no difference...

Pencils are used for multiple choice after that but that's about it.

One of my genius teachers when I was about 9 decided that teaching the kids to write with an old fashioned nib pen would be fun for a term. The kids had little pots of ink in their desks that they had to refill themselves and then dip our pens constantly - oh dear lord the mess! Kids thought it was great fun but I would imagine the parents were less than impressed to have permanent ink dripped over uniforms...

 

For objective questions in exams, we use 2B pencils

IT MUST BE A 2B PENCIL.

For essays , we use pens.

 

Up until high school it's all pencils all the time, except for grading. When grading each other's papers they're allowed to use pens or markers. At least that has been my experience with my kids, and from when I was in school myself.

 

yep, as Carolyn said earlier, we use pens downunder, pencil for the first few years and pen after that. I can remember way, way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when I was in primary school and we used ink pens with a nib!!! lol! the kid in front of me turned around one day and we had a 'sword' pen fight and he stabbed in the palm! I still have my tattoo!! bwhahahaaaa!!! but in high school we used ball point pens.

 

UK here. Looking back, my kids used pencils in primary/junior, (ages 4-11) perhaps moving to pen in the final couple of years there? In High School (11 onwards) is definitely pen. And exams have to be black pen.

 

We always used pencils in school. Sometimes a teacher would ask that you do a final copy of a theme or paper in pen and submit that one for grade. In high school I believe we typed final papers, but did everything else in pencil. My dad used to get mechanical pencils at his work and somewhere along the way I graduated to those. For sketching or drawing I usually go to the sodden, sharpened pencils, but all else is mechanical pencils.

 

This is so interesting! My kids use all pencils here unless they are grading other students papers.