Pencils (they don't have to be the bane of your existence!)

Pencils DO NOT have to be the bane of your existence!  I love my pencil system and it works great for my fifth graders.

1.  I use a magnetic whiteboard with magnetic clips.
2.  Students sign out a pencil by writing their name when they take the pencil.
3.  At the end of class, they sharpen the pencil and erase their name as they return it ready for the next student.

Easy as that!
This method is not stressful and puts the responsibility on the students to sharpen them up for the next class.