WTF – Chalkboard Arm Protectors

Filed as: Korea FTW! // Responses: 106

This week we’re playing around with these arm covers that are supposed to protect you from getting chalk on your arms when you write on chalkboards. At least, that’s what Martina says they’re for, but I’m suspicious. See, I wrote on many chalkboards in my day, back when I was teaching, and I never smudged my arms on the boards. Never. I can’t even imagine how you would. I write with my wrists, not with my arms, and my body is a little bit far away from the boards, so my arm is at an angle. How exactly would chalk rub off on my arm when I’m writing, exactly?

And, even if somehow, I found myself pressed up against the chalkboard for some reason – maybe because the wall is slowly smushing me, and yet I still feel the need to go on with the lesson before my imminent death – why would I need one for my other arm? Why would my other arm be rubbing up against the chalkboard? Who writes with both hands at the same time? Or who writes legibly with both hands? Or are you leaning up against the chalkboard with your left arm, because you’re so exhausted and the class is so draining, while you languidly write with your right hand, and smear chalk all over your arm in the process?

What the hell?! Seriously! This makes no sense! We would easily dismiss it right away for it being so bizarre if it weren’t for the fact that Martina saw her teachers using these in school. Yes: they would wear these on both arms at the same time as they taught. ARGGH! WHY?!

Students would wear them too, supposedly, because they don’t want to smear ink on their arms. For lefties that’s understandable, but for righties? I…I don’t know. I give up. If any of you have an answer, let us know, because we’re really quite confused by it. Our best answer: use these sleeves to smuggle things into the class. Yeah. That’s the best idea we can come up with.

Anyhow, IT’S WTF GIVEAWAY TIME! To win this month’s WTF care package containing these Arm Protectors, the Golf Pencil Stationery Set, the Dog Bunny Hoods, and the Super Fun Water Guns, all you have to do is answer our creative question of the month. The question is:

If you were a student with these arm covers, what would you smuggle into your classroom?

If you’re a YouTube subscriber, feel free to leave your answers in the comments below (along with your YouTube name, so we can make sure you’re subscribed to us if we pick you as the winner). Woot! If you haven’t subscribed to us on YouTube yet, you can do so by clicking here. Yeah!

Otherwise, here are the bloopers for today. I was really hyped up on coffee. Had a Starbucks Doubleshot right before filming and got CRAAAZY. I was like a puppy. A crazy hyper puppy. Whoa.

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http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NDIT2VQHW65JZMWVZQI3YS7YWY James

Getting pen stain on the skin will eventually go away (within a day or two), but pen stain on the white clothes are really hard to get rid of… (usually the top part of Korea school uniform is white)
And of course some of the students does not care, right? But how about their parents?? lol
BAM!! I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET STAIN ON THAT SHIRTS! BAM!
http://www.facebook.com/mynameishui Stella Hui

omg learned a new move!! now i need to find some 8-year-olds to practice on… just kidding! (or am i?)

i also earned not to eat or drink anything while watching any of your videos.
http://twitter.com/UKissmeSH Nicole A Hall

what would i smuggle in? oh! best thing you know those iced coffees from tim hortons? not the iced caps but the iced coffees and goodness there new freanch toast bagel so yummy. but thats not relistic so i would hide my GD pics and music lol ill leave TOP for martina
http://twitter.com/meimei4ever mei mei

That’s the best invention ever!!! specially if you are waitressing or cleaning
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=648237016 Joshua Maher

i would hide like mini maracas so that i could have a mini fiesta by myself in the back of the class
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=648237016 Joshua Maher

i would hide like mini maracas so that i could have a mini fiesta by myself in the back of the class. then i could also have background music as i fist pump to my fiesta
http://www.facebook.com/DarkSunMoon Caroline Marcil

Hum, they used to have that in the Western World in the early 1900s and
before. It’s to protect your clothes against spills, mostly ink when
you’d write with a quill and stuff. You often see press
operator/printers with those on in period movies and stuff. In Victorian
era, nannies, nurses, doctors and cooks and many other people would
wear those as well, too… I think I’ve seen that done up until the
1950s/60s or so… My granny would wear that to do laundry and household
chores, when I was a kid. Also, it helps protect your clothes’ arms
from excessive fabric wear and extend their durability if you had fancy
or easily frayable material that could catch in , I dunno, nails or thistle or wood shards on a countertop or something…
http://www.facebook.com/katherinelburdick Katherine Burdick

“Protect from writing,” your student probably meant writing class. At my school they use them for when they practice writing with traditional ink wells and bamboo brushes.
Anonymous

Darn you Martina!!! I was gonna say hamsters. But I guess I could do little tiny minion trolls that annoy everyone else because they distract them and stuffs. So then I would finally have a better grade than everyone else!!!!
http://twitter.com/FeLiX_91 Dilara Keküllüoğlu

I would hide mini-books cos I’m nerd like that. Once I got scolded at Literature lesson because I was reading book under my desk( book was Harry Potter though XD )
felix62442 –> youtube
Anonymous

I would smuggle like a mini tv or something to watch my dramas or some peanut butter cups.
Anonymous

Lol in chinese cultures we wear those things for cleaning and cooking so we dont get our sleeves dirty…also martina was right…..you do wear one on the right and left…because the right one is for writing and the left one is for erasing
http://twitter.com/MoonIanObrien Ibado Isse

Reese buttercups *Yum*

If anyone asks what the bulge is I’m proclaim I have a wart…. A rather Huge Wart
http://www.facebook.com/people/Lindsey-Eubank/100000197377027 Lindsey Eubank

I have Resse buttercups to send to you whats your address?
Jessica Jun

LOL! I read this in a TIME article:

“Gift stores sell special pillows that slip over your forearm to make desktop napping more comfortable.”So THAT’s the real purpose of these “arm protectors” ;D I kind of want one for myself now.

Carrie Gagnon

I bought those pillows for my nieces and these are definitely not those pillows! I still don’t even really get what these things are, lol.

Jessica Jun

oh hahah ok,interesting though

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1577131731 Na-Ree Len Kim

it says “미술용 토시” it means Warm Protector(?) for Art Classes.. and I think they’re for Kindergarten kids… I used them when I was 5 (in K age).
Anonymous

I would hide the answers to a test I didn’t study for in the arm protectors.
http://www.facebook.com/people/윤정희/100001419052525 윤정희

Oh, my… You guys don’t know why Korean students use them.
When we study on a desk, we use pencil all the time. And it makes smudge on a sleeve, so become dirty easily. That’s why they use it. To protect from that smudge from pencil powder, make sleeve clean all the time. That is the real reason why Korean students use them.
I’m Korean. So I know it clearly.

http://twitter.com/KKDANCE_Love Kimmi Kamamura

…we use pencils all the time too! And I’m leftie, so I get pencil all over my hand. :L Maybe they should invent finger protectors instead.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Hae-Jung-Seo/100001536690029 Hae Jung Seo

Those are not for chalkboards….. They are for painting, and in Korea, children in elementary school (3rd grade or less) do a LOT of water painting, so they use it to protect their sleeves fro, water + paint that you cannot get off!
http://profiles.google.com/jessobelle Amberley Canegitta

my friend told me that her global teacher erases and writes at the same time so if you write two slow you miss the notes…also HE NEVER TALKS!!!!!!
Rachel Lau

I had those. I ued them for painting, and sketching.

Cause sketch pencils are stupid and get all over your clothes and hands and forearms WHILE smudging your beautifully sketched sketch. :I
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OH2OAZEOYYSRFDG5LPFFBK3WZ4 Faith

SHINee had those same arm protectors in the Japanese remake of Reply!
http://leeau.myid.net/ leeau

I think those are great..! Yes they are for chalkboard writing/painting etc but also you must remember that white dress shirts / blouses are very common in Korea – men wear suits and ties to work. Most Korean middle school and high school students wear school uniforms, and most school uniforms in Korea involve white button-down shirts/blouses. And these literally-white-collar people mostly work at desks – now more people work with computers and these protectors are less common in workplaces – but those who spend more time actually writing esp. in pencils (ex. students), have the lower-half of their sleeves constantly in contact/rubbing against something – it is very easy to get them dirty. Many WTFs often have v good reasons!