Thank goodness it was just a pencil and not something expensive like an iPad.

Heck, schools don't pay for pencils anymore, anyway.

they have to make sure they feel good about saving....what ever the hell they are saving?

that's funny

My humble .02, as I glance at the battle scars from a full scale nuclear combat with a teacher...

Don't let it go. You are your son's advocate. He doesn't need to know that anything further happened, no need to bring it back up if you choose not to however....

Having a direct conversation with the teacher and principal, either in person, via email - whatever, opening with a "Hey, I just want to understand the whole story here, not trying to beat anyone up but I'd like to make sure we're setting the right expectations with Junior. Help me understand exactly what happened here..." worked best in an overtly supportive manner. It gets them to talk to you, often disarms them from thinking there's a confrontation coming, gives you the opportunity to ask some pointed questions i.e. "...so was there a reason he was pulled into it given the circumstances...?" after they box themselves in, and most importantly sends a message to the teacher/principal that you're involved. You can do it assertively enough to send the subtle message of "we'll handle it, but make sure you have a good reason for involving my kid."

Sometimes that's all it takes for teachers to adjust their behavior. Sometimes there's more to the story than you get told. Best of all, at the very least it ensures a line of communication. Their default behavior is typically brought out by being in the defensive position 9/10 times.

My book, it's better to at least try to know than go forward guessing.