Do you see a lot of professional pilots using kneeboards? Does your
instructor use one?

My old instructor (he flew B25s in WWII) always flew with:
leather gloves,
baseball cap,
aviator glasses (even on cloudy days)
and no knee board.

He said he'd worn the same items while flying for so long that he didn't
feel right without them. Ditto for my kneeboard. Without that strap on my
thigh I feel naked.