There are 2 types of people in the academic world: a white/dry erase board person or a chalkboard person. After high school, I continued my education for 13 more years. During these 4 years of medical school, 3 years of internal medicine and 3 years of ophthalmology, I can emphatically say, that I am a chalkboard person.

Are there pros to a dry erase board? Absolutely. No chalk dust, no messy brushes, no need to go outside and dust the brushes off. Personally, I just never liked the idea of throwing away marker after marker into the trash bin once they were depleted. I didn’t care much for the smells either. For me, the chalkboard was more traditional, more fun, and I guess I grew up in the era of chalkboards.

When it comes to explaining things to my kids, I am definitely a visual teacher. When it comes to explaining concepts, nothing beats having it displayed in stark contrast, in black and white on a clean chalkboard. Whenever I need to explain a concept, with the chalkboard, I can show all 3 kids at once.

I searched Facebook marketplace for quite some time to find a board with the proper dimensions. My journey took me eventually to Mechanicsville, Virginia in the woods, where a very nice lady, sold me, an old classroom chalkboard that measured 3 x 5 ft. It was old, but perfect for our needs. I paid $35 dollars for it.

Taking it home, we cleaned it, sanded it, and applied several coats of Danish oil to bring new life to it. Using a metal French cleat system, it was mounted to our wall and ready for action.

Happy new year everyone! Wishing everyone good health and good luck