Honesty

As any teacher knows, the mechanical pencil is a coveted item among elementary school goers. Today I noticed (after being gone for two days at meetings and having had a sub) that one of my students was writing with a mechanical pencil strangely similar to one I noticed was missing this very morning. I mentioned to this student that I thought his pencil was ‘cool’ as it was the same type of pencil that I was missing. Not accusational at all! Fast forward 30 minutes later into the period as I am passing out homework– this very student shows me a second/different mechanical pencil that his friend (in the same class!) gave him!! I immediately know it is mine because I stole it from my mom when I was in Texas! I call the student out and tell him that it is my pencil. He sheepishly hands it over. I ask him if the ‘cool’ pencil I saw him writing with before might be mine as well. He told me that the same friend gave him the pencil. This friend nervously tells me he got it from home. Being a super sleuth I ask him what store he bought it at. He nervously replies Office Depot. Can’t be! This is my favorite pencil and I have looked for these pencils at Office Depot before and they don’t carry them! I tell him this and that the pencil can only be found at Costco. With sweat nearly beading at his forehead I excuse the group to go to period. I am still mourning the loss of my mechanical pencil!

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