The end of an era

[hiddenmuse]

Out Damn Spot!

Yes, it's the end of Red Ink in schools. Apparently, there are parents that think of it as being "too traumatic" on their sprogs' egos.

Pardon me while I cry a river, and call for the waaahmbulance to pick you up.

What have we come to, that kids are being coddled to this point? That red ink is "damaging" to their fragile self-esteems, and teachers are going to other colors, like purple and blue - because they're more "feel-good" colors?

I don't know about anyone else, but red ink worked for me. It pointed out where I did wrong - and how to make it right. And isn't that the point? It certainly didn't traumatize me - or anyone else I grew up with.

Then again, we also made mud pies, ran with scissors, turned appliance boxes into majestic castles and (sometimes) ate paste in kindergarten for a cheap thrill. Yet, we turned out okay.

Comments

[beckysioux.livejournal.com]

OMG! That is so stupid. What the hell?

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. Purple is just a little bit more gentle. Part of my job is to be attuned to what kids respond to, and red is not one of those colors."

Dude, you turned out okay. You're a teacher. Get with the program. It's in your face so that you know what you need to work on, what you did wrong and need to make right.

And don't they realize that in twenty years the same thing will happen to purple and we'll go over this stupid subject all over again.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

Oh no kidding! I'm guessing that in 50 years, they'll be using invisible ink, because kids will be so sensitive and fragile (read: spoiled and obnoxious) to having anything negative said about their work.

*rolls eyes* It is getting ridiculous, isn't it?

[kathykat.livejournal.com]

what gets me is those parents (and I see alot of them in my career) that are afraid to tell their kid no...come ON!

unfortunately I'm not allowed to grab any of those adults by the shoulders and just shake them....

:/

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it would be nice to shake those parents back to reality.

What is wrong with disciplining kids? People are so afraid to lay a hand on their children - so afraid to say NO to their every whim - it's disturbing.

And then, they'll bitch and whine when their kids become sociopaths.

[kathykat.livejournal.com]

exactly! once I was late for a function at the fire station and a parent from my classroom looked at me in the parking lot and said, "I can't get my child to get into the car..." This as I was rushing to get into my own car...I told her to just pick her child up and put her in, and she did! It was like a Zen moment for her!

Sheesh!

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

Oh man - I don't know whether to laugh or cry on that one.

Yes, kids should be given some independence - but at the same time, they do need to be taught limits on that independence and respect for other people!

[kathykat.livejournal.com]

Word!

[among-the-waves.livejournal.com]

When I was in AmeriCorps, on one of my projects I was supervising an afterschool program where kids could stay after, have a snack and play quietly for a bit, but then they had to buckle down and start studying. Of course, some of them had issues with this. One day I was informed that I was allowed to kick misbehaving kids out (as it was after school and the school had no official responsibility for the kids). That was a beautiful, beautiful day. I only had to kick a couple kids out, then they all started listening to me! Funny that they whined about having to do homework, but that getting kicked out was this horrible thing.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

Strange what motivates some kids, isn't it? They get pissy about having to do homework - but when they're threatened with being sent home, they shape up. Go figure!

[among-the-waves.livejournal.com]

One kid in particular could NOT focus on his homework. Until one day I said, "I bet you can't do all those math problems in one minute!" And then he worked his ass off. I don't know why that was a good motivator for him, but it worked well whenever I tried it.

[screwthedaisies.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's the end of Red Ink in schools. Apparently, there are parents that think of it as being "too traumatic" on their sprogs' egos.

Oh for crying out loud.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

My thoughts exactly.

*hugs the red ink pen - like the geek she is* It's a writer/editor's best friend.

[mom-o-cass.livejournal.com]

*laughing my ass off*

WAAAAAAAAAHMBULANCE has now become a word here at work.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I'm glad that you're all liking it!

I'd read it someplace on LJ - and thought it was appropriate for describing people that whine about things like that. ;)

[full4zaccordion.livejournal.com]

I hate this "Everybody wins!" bullshit. In real life, sometimes you lose. That's the way it goes. But no, we have to let everybody win, and celebrate even the most mediocre things, like "graduating" from 2nd grade to 3rd grade, because God forbid we hurt little Johnny's self-esteem :P What's going to happen to these kids when they get out into the real world and realize everything's not all kittens and rainbows?

[fragbert.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid that by the time Johnny and Janie DO get into the world, it WILL be 'all kittens and rainbows'...and anything fun, like eating meat and slurping hot fudge sundaes and ogling naked women and drinking coffee and having sex will be illegal.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

Well dammit, I don't want to live in a world where I can't slurp hot fudge sundaes off naked women, or eat meat and drink coffee ... and have sex because it feels good.

[yokie.livejournal.com]

*shakes head* what the fuck is WRONG with people!?!? why can't they accept responsibility for anything anymore?

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

That's what I'm trying to figure out ... and I can't. So I just gave up ... lol

Let Darwinism take over. ;)

[msvu20.livejournal.com]

OMG... just STFU! I read that on CNN earlier today! Red pen is too harsh? Like, honestly now, HONESTLY! I fucking love you.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, really. The world is going insane.

And if you really loved me, Steven, you'd come to San Francisco, dammit! ;)

[chrissycam.livejournal.com]

These kids are going to have major issues dealing with problems once they actually are in the real world. They aren't going to be able to handle it.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

Oh I know. Once it occurs to them that they *have to* actually take criticism, actually work for grades, or anything else ... hoo boy. It's not gonna be pretty.

[kbelly55.livejournal.com]

Oh c'mon! Why does everything have to be so sugarcoated these days? Y'know what? My mom disciplined me. I got papers back covered in red ink. I was told "no" all the time as a kid. I didn't have every damn thing handed to me or watered down. And, you know what, I turned out ok. Kids are so babied and sheltered today. It's ridiculous. wtf, mate. w.t.f.

[hiddenmuse.livejournal.com]

Exactly. They're being brought up to be high-maintenance and demanding, and when they get into the "real world" (or something like it), they find out that life isn't all Paris Hilton/Britney Spears/no red pens goodness.

It may seem harsh, but perhaps it's easier to teach kids those lessons earlier on - so they don't get such a shock later in life, when they find out that they have to play well with others to get along in the world. I say, bring on the red pens, dammit!

[hamymcboobyflsh.livejournal.com]

you know what's even better than that? students complain about having too much homework!

the reality is that school aged children spend less than 1 hour after school on studying/homework/preparing for the next lesson, that regardless of how much homework they have, it's too much.

effectively, most teachers (including myself), have stopped giving out homework, because it just doesn't get done. it is a waste of my time for none of them to do it. and that is just PATHETIC!!!

but this is the best line: "I don't think changing to purple or green will make a huge difference if the teaching doesn't go along with it," Jones said. "If you're just looking at avoiding the color red, the students might not be as frightened, but they won't be better writers."

i have a box of red pens in my desk. i PREFER using green (OOOH! PRETTY!), but i'll fucking use red when i want to, god damnit!

[season.livejournal.com]

an F is an F.. doesnt matter if its in red or plaid. i dont see how changing the color of the F is going to be easier on their kids..