I ask this question not out of pencil nostalgia, but because with every new crop of teachers and every new reform, teachers, particularly in DISD, fell they are no longer wanted, useful, or relevant. Can the Ticonderoga be replaced?
My answer is no. Full confession, I always keep a Ticonderoga in my laptop bag. Ever since middle school, I always feared scantrons would never read anything other than a Ticonderoga. Whether that is true or not, I'll never know.
I feel the same way about lifelong educators. Can't have a school without them.