They Are Not Batting An Eye.

[LisaN]

so... after every class meeting there is a raft of financial aid forms for me to sign (class attendance verification), and I whip out one fountain pen or another to sign. The kids are not batting an eye anymore.

 

So I said to one of them, "No one seems to comment on my fountain pens anymore."

And he said, "... Well, lots of students use those disposable fountain pens for note taking- the ones they sell at Staples [Pilot Varsity], I guess it's more common now."

[FOUR X FOUR]

I guess that's a good thing. The more people that buy fountain pens will drive the cost down

[thatotherguy1]

I'm not complaining

The more accustomed to fountain pens the next generation gets, the more popular they will get, which means easier availability and lower prices in general, which is a very good thing. The more easy to find FPs there are out there, the happier we all will be

[EricaTX]

I'm also trying to get my students more interested. They still like my pens. :-)

[vdiantonio]

Someone at work asked if I was using my "Benjamin Franklin" pen!

[SuperNib44]

A (U.S. history) teacher at school once asked about my "Thomas Jefferson pen" and asked if I filled it with baby seal blood. I was very confused .

[FountainPages]

What a bizarre and totally inappropriate thing to say to a student...Your teacher is a complete ass and a poor excuse for a teacher.

Edited January 25, 2015 by FountainPages

[Water Ouzel]

I suspect the teach slept through his/her own classes. ("Baby seal blood"?)

[lynxcat]

and Thomas Jefferson --- wouldn't he have written with quills? (off to google when steel nibs were invented...)

[Immoteus]

and Thomas Jefferson --- wouldn't he have written with quills? (off to google when steel nibs were invented...)

Quills, dip nibs... Whats the difference? They all look the same! /sarcasm

[wastelanded]

"You spent twenty dollars on a PEN? Are you nuts?" - My coworkers

[SuperNib44]

What a bizarre and totally inappropriate thing to say to a student...

I think he was joking. I thought it was kind of funny, because it was so bizarre.

[NinthSphere]

"You spent twenty dollars on a PEN? Are you nuts?" - My coworkers

 

My mom caught me in the middle of writing a note with a 51 at one point & jokingly asked "Is that another one of your $100 pens?"

 

I said "Nah, I think this one was $45." Her eyes still bugged out a bit.

Edited January 26, 2015 by NinthSphere

[basterma]

I find it odd that I am now in China and not one of my students uses a fountain pen or comments on mine. Fountain pens are more available here than anywhere I have lived, yet not a single student uses one in class. When younger, they had calligraphy classes where they might have used them, or to ink drawings in art class, but it is rollerballs and gel ink all around me...

 

When I was in Egypt, my pens were a constant source of wonder and I had a small legion of kids writing with them by the time the school year was over... You had to exert some effort to find them in Egypt as well. Stores had them hidden; to be pulled out for the eccentrics... China has racks (yes, racks) of them in blisterpaks or in stores, (albeit scrappy quality), and not one student seems tempted. Go figure.

[bizhe]

Hah, in china the old generation of ganbus all used fps; I'm guessing they still seem too oldfashioned, not enough time has passed for the retro effect to kick in.

[benbot517]

I always have a Varsity or two on me, just in case someone wants to try out a fountain pen.