Like a Koala Goes Through Eucalyptus Leaves

If my students go through pencils like a colony of beavers, then I go through dry-erase markers like a koala goes through eucalyptus leaves.

I love using different colors to illustrate specific points. I write on the whiteboard a lot. I have my math students do problems on the board almost every day.

I use the whiteboard for announcements, homework assignments and scheduling notifications. I post reminders to return progress reports, report cards, permission slips and

missing assignments.

I have a standing order with Mrs. Gaudet to order me dry-erase markers whenever she orders office supplies.

I was curious, so I looked up the history of the whiteboard and dry-erase marker. According to Wikipedia (this is not serious research):

Albert Stallion invented the whiteboard while working at American steel producer Alliance in the 1960s. 

One of the products Alliance produced was enameled steel, which was highly scratch resistant and easy to clean. It was used for architectural cladding purposes. Mr. Stallion commented in a meeting that this product would be a good addition in the market of writing boards, to replace the traditional chalk board. His comments were not taken very seriously. Being the entrepreneur he was, he started his own company, Magiboards, selling enamel steel whiteboards.

In the mid-1960s, the first whiteboards began to appear on the market. It took a while before these boards started to really be accepted, not least because the initial boards were wet wipe, as there were no dry markers at that time. In the 70's, however, marker manufacturers soon saw the potential of such markers and dry wipe whiteboards started to be accepted more readily. 

In classrooms, their widespread adoption did not occur until the early 1990s when concern over allergies and other potential health risks posed by chalk dust prompted the replacement of many blackboards with whiteboards.

So, there you have it, more information about whiteboards then you ever wanted to know.