Problems with Pencils

The only homework the boy had was to study 17 vocabulary words. It took an hour and 10 minutes. Part of the issue was supplies. He ran out of lead for his mechanical pencil. I refused to replace it based on the simple fact that be puts out too long a piece then uses too much pressure and it breaks. He informs me this is okay as he has some. I ask where, and he answers in his desk at school because they aren't allowed to use them. I ask why he is buying mechanical pencils at school if he can't use them in class, he says they can use them to draw at recess. I doubt the boy is sitting quietly drawing at recess if he can be running amok with other boys. He finely remembers he has a normal pencil in his book bag and asks me to sharpen it. I do, then as I'm returning the sharpener to the cup that holds the pens and pencils, I notice one of the ink pens looked odd. I examined it closely. "When did you do this?" I asked. "What?" he answered. "Run this ink pen through the pencil sharpener." I responded. "I don't remember doing that." he replied. "Well, I didn't do it." I said, "and I don't think any of the cats were well coordinated or inclined to do it, so who does that leave?" "I said I don't remember doing it!" he said. "I know I didn't do, and I can be sure the cats didn't do it. At what point did sharpening an ink pen seem a Good Idea?"