Sharpener

Sometimes it seems I spend my entire plan time sharpening pencils.  I used to let the kids do that themselves, but we lost a lot of studio time, and it got really noisy, and then a motor would overheat, so I began to have a "sharp" container and a "not sharp" container, and the students learned to switch out pencils.  This year, I have "team captains" for each group of tables.  They rotate turns every art time, and that way, one person is the "feet" for each team.  I ordered a new sharpener- I've liked X-acto sharpeners in the past, but they can be kind of pricey.  I ordered this big mama version on Amazon for $30.  About what they go for in the stores, but this thing is HUGE, and it has a strong motor, a big shavings cup, and can be adjusted for different pencils.  My kids are not getting their hands on it.  I'll let them finish killing my old one.  And me, I am not sure what I'll do with all the extra time I'm not spending sharpening on the old, tired pencil sharpener.  But, I'm sure I'll fill that time up with hanging art, pouring paint, or one of the other jobs I just don't seem to have enough time for.