Even more Death of Common Sense

[JeeberD]

Some parents raising a stink over teachers' use of red ink

So, in an attempt to avoid 'negative' colors, educators are opting to grade with purple pens

By BEN FELLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Of all the things that can make a person see red, school principal Gail Karwoski was not expecting parents to get huffy about, well, seeing red.

At Daniels Farm Elementary School in Trumbull, Conn., Karwoski's teachers grade papers by giving examples of better answers for those students who make mistakes. But that approach meant the kids often found their work covered in red, the color that teachers long have used to grade work.

Parents objected. Red writing, they said, was "stressful." The principal said teachers were just giving constructive advice and the color of ink used to convey that message should not matter. But some parents could not let it go.

So the school put red on the blacklist. Blue and other colors are in.

"It's not an argument we want to have at this point because what we need is the parents' understanding," Karwoski said. "The color of the message should not be the issue."

In many other schools, the color red has become so symbolic of negativity that some principals and teachers will not touch it.

"You could hold up a paper that says, 'Great work!' and it won't even matter if it's written in red," said Joseph Foriska, principal of Thaddeus Stevens Elementary in Pittsburgh.

He has instructed his teachers to grade with more "pleasant-feeling tones" so that their instructional messages do not come across as derogatory.

At Public School 188 in Manhattan, 25-year-old teacher Justin Kazmark grades with purple, which has emerged as a new color of choice for many educators, pen manufacturers confirm.

"My generation was brought up on right or wrong with no in between, and red was always in your face," Kazmark said. "It's abrasive to me."

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3116203

:rolleyes:

[JonInMiddleGA]

I find whackadoons like Kazmark in the classroom abrasive ... wonder if he could be banned too.

[SirFozzie]

It's whackaloon, not whackadoon, you southener! Get it right :D

[Bee]

Please don't use purple...it reminds me of the artist formerly known as Prince. I don't want to deal with those flashbacks...

[VPI97]

Sometimes people are just so fucking stupid it hurts to think that I share the same planet with them.

[SackAttack]

Sometimes people are just so fucking stupid it hurts to think that I share the same planet with them.

This needs to be on a t-shirt.

[Ksyrup]

If you replace red with purple, won't purple just become the next red?

[QuikSand]

I always grade in green. *shurg*

[NoMyths]

As part of our teacher training it was suggested that we shy away from red. I just use whatever pen is closest to hand, usually blue or black.

[Raiders Army]

This is some touchy-feely bullshit. Who cares?

From another perspective, I guess the phrase, "My teacher bled all over my paper" is out the window in Trumbull.

[Ksyrup]

It's times like these that I'm happy I'm raising my kids in backwoods northern Florida. Somehow, I don't see this issue ever seeing the light of day.

[CamEdwards]

It's times like these that I'm happy I'm raising my kids in backwoods northern Florida. Somehow, I don't see this issue ever seeing the light of day.

they only go through 8th grade down there anyway, don't they? :D

[albionmoonlight]

Pretty standard pedagogy, actually. I suppose if there were any value in using red, then I could see an argument for it. Even assuming that there was no reason not to use red, is there really any reason to use red?

[gstelmack]

At least this is a news story about how the parents are screwing up education, not just the educators.

[Subby]

I don't think the parents are screwing up education...just raising kids who will be excuse-prone and destined for non-stop disappointment...

And I wouldn't be suprised if it was a teeny minority of parents even *making* an issue of pen color. Those stay-at-home moms with one or two kids and a nanny have way too much time on their hands...

[Ksyrup]

they only go through 8th grade down there anyway, don't they? :D
True. Jeb's version of No Child Left Behind is valid only through 6th grade.

[scooter]

My wife and I own run our own structural engineering office. We typically mark up drawings with red pens for things that need to be changed and then yellow them out with a highlighter when the changes have been made. It used to be that if you went to the office supply store you could get a box of a dozen red pens - they were very common. Now, the only way you can get a red pen is to buy the "variety" pack with black, blue, green, etc. We don't use those other colors, so it is a waste to buy them. I think we are down to using the nub of an old red colored pencil we had laying around here. It's starting to get to the critical point.

So it's not just the education system that is being destroyed here, it's the whole world!

[NoMyths]

Even assuming that there was no reason not to use red, is there really any reason to use red?Stands out better against black text than the other colors, which can make finding errors quicker. Red is also the color for STOP!, which gets attention.

I still prefer blue.

[sabotai]

If you replace red with purple, won't purple just become the next red?

Yup, give it 10 or 20 years and people will be bitching about how purple gives a negative mood to the paper or some other total bullshit...

[Fonzie]

Yup, give it 10 or 20 years and people will be bitching about how purple gives a negative mood to the paper or some other total bullshit...

The solution is clear: teachers should stop providing feedback on student performance altogether. The learning they might provide to the student via feedback is clearly outweighed by the damage they might do to the students' parents' self-esteem.

And we certainly can't have that. No, sir.

[Barkeep49]

I've always thought a paper marked up in red looks like it's been bled on myself so I prefer to use green or purple. I would really like to use blue or black (because there are always a ready supply in the teacher's supply room) but since many of my students write in those colors it is annoying to switch back and forth.

[lurker]

The solution is clear: teachers should stop providing feedback on student performance altogether. The learning they might provide to the student via feedback is clearly outweighed by the damage they might do to the students' parents' self-esteem.

And we certainly can't have that. No, sir.


This reminds me of my middle school spelling bee experiences. In 7th grade I got in 3rd place in the city-wide spelling bee, which was a huge event, complete with semifinalists coming back the next week for the final competition and everything. Anyway, I was totally crushed that I lost and I spent the whole year looking forward to the 8th grade spelling bee where I would have my last chance to be the city champ, since these competitions stopped before high school. I got my dad to quiz me nightly on hard words from the newspaper and dictionary and couldn't wait to try to win again. Anyway, the time comes for the next competition, and no announcements are made or anything. So I ask around and find out that the PTA decided to do away with spelling bees because some kids get upset when they lose. I still haven't gotten over it.

Okay, yeah, this doesn't have much to do with the topic, but dammit I wanted to vent!

[albionmoonlight]

So I ask around and find out that the PTA decided to do away with spelling bees because some kids get upset when they lose.
Unfortunately for those kids, the PTA does not run life.

[sabotai]

Teaching kids how to cope with losing sends a bad message. The good message is that you should always win, and if you lose, kill yourself.

[lurker]

Or kill yourself studying like I did :)

Is it any wonder I became a slacker? The one time I worked hard I didn't get a chance to prove it!

[sabotai]

Is it any wonder I became a slacker? The one time I worked hard I didn't get a chance to prove it!

Better excuse than me. I became a slacker because I just didn't care. :)

[AZSpeechCoach]

I've always thought a paper marked up in red looks like it's been bled on myself so I prefer to use green or purple. I would really like to use blue or black (because there are always a ready supply in the teacher's supply room) but since many of my students write in those colors it is annoying to switch back and forth.


I force my kids to use standard blue or black ink...none of this pansy gel/metallic/flourescent ink bullshit. On-time papers are graded in green, and late papers are graded in red. I did buy some purple pens to sign my hall passes (you can't get a good photocopy of purple ink...cuts down on cheating). :D

[ice4277]

These are probably the same parents who try to ban gym classes from having any sort of competitions for fear the loser will have his/her feelings hurt :rolleyes:

[Ragone]

Heaven forbid they use pink ink..

And they took away the competitive basketball class from my high school not long after i graduated.. i loved that damn class..

[21C]

I don't think the parents are screwing up education...just raising kids who will be excuse-prone and destined for non-stop disappointment...

And I wouldn't be suprised if it was a teeny minority of parents even *making* an issue of pen color. Those stay-at-home moms with one or two kids and a nanny have way too much time on their hands...
That's uncanny! You just described my high school here in Australia.

My school uses 'yellow slips' for parent information. I used to write these when students missed doing homework or received grades on tests that needed parents' attention before it was too late. The number of times that I got parents responding with every excuse in the world for why homework wasn't done and comments to the effect that it must have been my fault that their child wasn't studying/concentrating. In the end, it became easier to not write these at all . . . except I still do when I get the shits.

[Flame Eater]

Did you hear about University of Arkansas football team using PINK practice jerseys for perceived slackers? They had to stop because apparently breast cancer survivors and supporters often wear pink ribbons to show their support for the cause.

They complained that the university was making light of their situation.

The team said they would find another color; maybe burnt orange. Any special interest groups out there use burnt orange? Call U of Arkansas if you're offended.

[KWhit]

So I ask around and find out that the PTA decided to do away with spelling bees because some kids get upset when they lose. I still haven't gotten over it.
Oh the irony.

[lurker]

Oh the irony.

I knew someone would point that out :) But I haven't gotten over how much the establishment sucks, not my own failures, which is what the PTA was trying to protect kids from.

[Craptacular]

I used red ink to grade when I was a TA. My students submitted stuff in black, blue, green, and purple, so red worked well.

Besides, I taught transportation engineering ... if the students can't handle red, then they probably should avoid transportation as a career.

[21C]

I also thought that red made sense because it was a different color to the normal ones that students write with - blue and black. That way when you made corrections or comments, you could see the difference between their writing and yours. The few times that I have graded with something else when I'm out of red just didn't look right - it blended in too much.