red ink scares kids......give me a break

[bodypilot90 0]

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When it comes to correcting papers and grading tests, purple is emerging as the new red.

"If you see a whole paper of red, it looks pretty frightening," said Sharon Carlson, a health and physical education teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Northampton. "Purple stands out, but it doesn't look as scary as red."

That's the cue pen makers and office supply superstores say they have gotten from teachers as the $15 billion back-to-school retail season kicks off. They say focus groups and conversations with teachers have led them to conclude that a growing number of the nation's educators are switching to purple, a color they perceive as "friendlier" than red.

As a result, Paper Mate introduced purple to its assortment of blue, red, and green X-Tend pens and increased distribution of existing purple pens this school year. Barry Calpino, Paper Mate's vice president and general manager, estimated that the Bellwood, Ill., company boosted production of purple pens by at least 10 percent. He said purple will now be a standard color in all its new product lines.

Office superstores such as Staples and OfficeMax also are making a splash with purple pens, stocking more of them, adding purple to multicolor packs, and selling all-purple packs. By comparison, Staples did not stock any exclusively purple pen packs last year and it hardly had any purple pens in its stores two years ago, said Robert George, the Framingham chain's senior vice president of general merchandise. Now, he said, sales of purple pens are growing at a faster clip than pen sales overall.

A mix of red and blue, the color purple embodies red's sense of authority but also blue's association with serenity, making it a less negative and more constructive color for correcting student papers, color psychologists said. Purple calls attention to itself without being too aggressive. And because the color is linked to creativity and royalty, it is also more encouraging to students.

"The concept of purple as a replacement for red is a pretty good idea," said Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute in Carlstadt, N.J., and author of five books on color. "You soften the blow of red. Red is a bit over-the-top in its aggression."

For office supply stores, color and fashion trends spell opportunity and risk. The trends allow them to freshen up staid old categories such as pens and markers, fueling sales. But getting a trend wrong -- betting on purple pens when teachers and students are buying green, for example -- can cost them sales during a critical retail period.

Red's legacy as the color used in correcting papers and marking mistakes goes back to the 1700s, the era of the quill pen. In those days, red ink was used by clerks and accountants to correct ledgers. From there, it found its way into teachers' hands.

But two or three decades ago, an anti-red sentiment began surfacing among teachers. Since then, no one color had emerged as red's replacement.

Is purple here to stay?

"I do not use red," said Robin Slipakoff, who teaches second and third grades at Mirror Lake Elementary School in Plantation, Fla. "Red has a negative connotation, and we want to promote self-confidence. I like purple. I use purple a lot."

Sheila Hanley, who teaches reading and writing to first- and second-graders at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Randolph, said: "Red is definitely a no-no. But I don't know if purple is in."

Hanley said a growing contingent of her colleagues is using purple. They prefer it to green and yellow because it provides more contrast to the black or blue ink students are asked to write in. And they prefer it to orange, which they think is too similar to red.

But aside from avoiding red, Hanley said she is not sure color matters much. At times, she uses sticky notes rather than writing on a child's paper. What's important, she said, is to focus on how an assignment can be improved rather than on what is wrong with it, she said.

Ruslan Nedoruban, who is entering seventh grade at his Belmont school, said red markings on his papers make him feel "uncomfortable."

His mother, Victoria Nedoruban, who is taking classes to improve her English, said she thinks papers should be corrected in red.

"I hate red," she said. "But because I hate it, I want to work harder to make sure there isn't any red on my papers."

Red has other defenders. California high-school teacher Carol Jago, who has been working with students for more than 30 years, said she has no plans to stop using red. She said her students do not seem psychologically scarred by how she wields her pen. And if her students are mixing up "their," "there," and "they're," she wants to shock them into fixing the mistake.

"We need to be honest and forthright with students," Jago said. "Red is honest, direct, and to the point. I'm sending the message, 'I care about you enough to care how you present yourself to the outside world.' "

Naomi Aoki can be reached at naoki@globe.com.

Little Johnny can't read because his teachers were more worried about what color ink than getting him to read.

[PhillyKev 0]

Sounds like an issue that Nader should take up after the election. Right down his alley.

[unformed 0]

this is what is wrong with our country ... that we have become such whiny little bitches that "ooooooh, not red, red makes me feel bad."
well, hot damn, don't fuck up next time, and you won't get red.

This ad space for sale.

[kallend 2,174]

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Sounds like an issue that Nader should take up after the election. Right down his alley.

Why wait? ACT NOW!

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[mr2mk1g 10]

Who the hell cares what they think - they're a PE teacher! What in the hell are they marking anyway?

"Those who can; do. Those who can't; teach. Those who can't teach; teach PE."

(sorry all teachers - not my quote).

[peregrinerose 0]

That has got to be one of the most freaking assinine things I have ever heard. No scores in kids sports, no red ink, how the hell is a kid supposed to learn how to lose (which is probably more important than learning how to win)? How is a kid supposed to learn from mistakes if mistakes aren't taken seriously? I just don't get it.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[jdhill 0]

Its all part of the "wussification" of our youth... first they ban dodge ball, then they stop keeping score all together, now they stop using red pens, what's next?

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[mr2mk1g 10]

"If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball!"

If you can cope with some red pen you can cope with being shat on by your boss for screwing up.

[CrazyIvan 0]

So..what's next?, they're gonna start coloring new born's and toddlers blood purple so when they have a boo-boo is not shocking?

PLEASE STOP THE WORLD....I WANNA GET OFF!!!

__________________________________________
Blue Skies and May the Force be with you.

[mcrocker 0]

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When it comes to correcting papers and grading tests, purple is emerging as the new red.

"If you see a whole paper of red, it looks pretty frightening," said Sharon Carlson, a health and physical education teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Northampton. "Purple stands out, but it doesn't look as scary as red."

I live in Hatfield which is 1 town north of the 'Peoples Republic of Northampton' My son swims in the JFK pool. Northampton is the home of Smith College, you will not find a more liberal spot on the planet, unless of course you cross the river and go to the 'Peoples Republic of Amherst' home of UMASS, Amerst College, Hampshire College. The region is FULL of feel good intelectuals that are systematically dumbing down our children.

Some other WONDERFUL things they have done include.

Scoreless sports, everyone makes the little league team. There are NO outs, NO strikes, NO SCORE. Everyone bats. The innings end when everyone has skipped around the bases.

Letterless grading, You don't get A,B,C,D,F in school you get a number score 1-6 which is 'does the task all the time' or 'rarely performs the task'. No challenges to the students.

I moved to Hatfield which is a small, right wing farmer town which has a real school system.

GRRRRR

[pajarito 0]

It's not about results anymore. It's not about what you can do. It's about how you felt about what you did even if all you accomplished was shit. Kind of like the Army taking away the black beret from the Rangers. Everybody in the Army nowadays can get themselves a little bit of that eliteness feeling even if they didn't do anything at all to earn it. Nevermind that the beret is probably the worst possible headgear in reference to usefullness. Doesn't matter. If you can "feel" like John Rambo, that's all that matters. They're just starting younger with the kids in this whole "red ink" thing. Don't want to hurt their feelings.

[akarunway 1]

So..what's next?, they're gonna start coloring new born's and toddlers blood purple so when they have a boo-boo is not shocking? ///////////////////////////// I was hoping the GOVT. would get rid of RED INK AND RED TAPE

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[CrazyIvan 0]

I'M GOING TO BE A MILLIONAIRE!!!!!

I'm gonna patent a Tampon or Maxi pad that turns the......, PURPLE so is not SHOCKING to teenagers, especially the ones who get their 1st period.

Any inverstors?

__________________________________________
Blue Skies and May the Force be with you.

[pajarito 0]

That's.....gross.....man.....

You so silly!

[Nightingale 0]

when I was teaching, I always used green instead of red. It was just easier on my eyes.

[pajarito 0]

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when I was teaching, I always used green instead of red. It was just easier on my eyes.

Yeah...but how did it make you feel?

[CrazyIvan 0]

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when I was teaching, I always used green instead of red. It was just easier on my eyes.

I also do training classes and seminars, and I use a FAT RED SHARPIE.

__________________________________________
Blue Skies and May the Force be with you.

[Guest]

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this is what is wrong with our country ... that we have become such whiny little bitches that "ooooooh, not red, red makes me feel bad."
well, hot damn, don't fuck up next time, and you won't get red.

"What's important, she said, is to focus on how an assignment can be improved rather than on what is wrong with it, she said."

Positive reinforcement is more effective for teaching, and if changing the color of a silly pen helps that a little, what's wrong with it? After all, is the purpose of the markings to 'punish' mistakes, or to simply point them out?

mh

.

[Zenister 0]

riiiight because we totally need someone to mandate every teacher use a red pen....

if the marks are consistent wtf do you care if it's red, green, orange, or purple??

the fact that someone is trying to make an issue of a change in color usage is what is assine

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when I was teaching, I always used green instead of red. It was just easier on my eyes.

exactly...but look at how bent the majority of people get because teachers have started to prefer colors other than red for marking papers???

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[jdhill 0]

I don't think its an issue that teachers choose to use colors other than red... but to tell them they can't, because it scares the kids is just silly...

Teachers have used other colors for years, but most likely they started doing it for other reasons, like the other colors are easier on their eyes, or they were expressing themselves...

J

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

[kelel01 1]

Um, yeah, tell the kids to get their shit right and they wouldn't have to be "scared". In ten years, if my kids come home with purple corrections on their papers, I'm home schooling them.

[FrogNog 1]

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Positive reinforcement is more effective for teaching, and if changing the color of a silly pen helps that a little, what's wrong with it? After all, is the purpose of the markings to 'punish' mistakes, or to simply point them out?

I'm with you that pointing mistakes out, for correction (learning what wasn't done as well as possible, and doing better next time), is the name of the game. Punishing is not.

But I think the core issue with the "purple instead of red" is they're saying children have come to associate red ink on a paper with punishment. But wait - the red ink had the purpose of pointing out the mistakes, for correction. So we can deduce that students (or the people speaking on behalf of the students) have come to associate merely calling out the mistakes, for correction, as punishment.

That is fertile ground for two arguments.
The first, which we have seen above, is "BFW." (The "W" is for "waaaaaah".)
The second, which makes my head swell to think I pointed it out here on a skydiving web board first, is that in no time at all children (or those speaking on behalf of them) will begin to associate purple, blue, and green writing on their papers with pointing out mistakes, for correction, and not long after that those colors of ink will be seen as punishing.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[Zenister 0]

where exactly does is say they 'cant' use whatever color they wish? what ever color they believe is most effective for whatever reason? this is someone making an issue over teacher preference and look how the alarmists react?

whats funny is the attempts to dismiss color and behavior theory...red DOES contribute towards aggressive attitudes....

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.