PC again !

[Bazf]

TAMPA - The traditional red grading pen could be headed for the same fate as Trapper Keepers and ``Dukes of Hazzard'' lunchboxes.



Universities are encouraging education majors to mark papers in something other than red because of the color's association with aggression and anxiety. They can use a fun purple instead. Or a calm blue.

The trend is prompting production changes at pen-producing giant Paper Mate and eye-rolling from observers who say young Americans are getting soft.

Janet Booth, a teacher at Tampa's Lee Elementary, witnessed the transition from red pens. When she started teaching 30 years ago, they were a standard supply. Booth traded hers in for black ink and pencils seven years ago.

``As a student, the first thing you want to do when you see those red marks is quit,'' she said.

Gina Almerico, assistant professor of education at the University of Tampa, advises her students to not use red pens in the classroom so children aren't discouraged.

School psychologists say the real impetus for change is the message associated with the red pen marks.

``The red pen has bad associations with papers coming back bleeding with corrections,'' said Lizette Alexander, Hillsborough County school district's supervisor of school psychology. Alexander said teachers have to mark mistakes, but they should focus more on what's right in the assignment, not what's wrong.
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If you dont focus on whats wrong how do you learn?

[WillowTheWhisp]

Yes of course ----- the world has gone totally mad. I always thought the point of it being in red was so that you could see it easily against the blue/black of the original.

BLEEDING with corrections? Does that mean a McDonalds burger is bleeding with ketchup? Are they going to ban that next?

[janet]

Everybody will be to scared to leave there house in a few years, just in case they upset someone.The world is going totally bonkers.

[Doug]

God forbid that the idiots over here should wish to follow this example of self righteous Psycho Analytical Bo**ocks. This is what happens when idiots want to make there mark in the world? Still I’m sure she will be heard…………..

[Sara]

I work in a school, since last October we have had to do all marking in blue pen.

[pendy]

Originally Posted by Bazf

If you dont focus on whats wrong how do you learn?

The answer, Bazf, is that you DON'T learn. It seems that it is now more important not to upset students than to teach them.

This is the sort of thing that makes my blood boil - my degree was in Psychology but we are not all total w*****rs, honestly!

[Bazf]

The end of the artical sorry I missed it it was on another page.

A study by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, a French economic and social issues research group, compared U.S. 15-year- olds with their counterparts from other industrialized countries. U.S. students received only average scores in math and reading, but ranked highest in their expectations for their success. The study said the high levels of self-esteem can be directly tied to the messages students get from teachers.

``If I get something back covered in red, I think I've done a bad job,'' said Katie Daniel, a fourth-grader at Tampa's Roosevelt Elementary.

Isnt that precious she thinks shes done a bad job, doh!!!

[WillowTheWhisp]

If it's covered in red she probably has!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Busman747]

Originally Posted by Bazf

``If I get something back covered in red, I think I've done a bad job,'' said Katie Daniel, a fourth-grader at Tampa's Roosevelt Elementary.

I was not the brainiest of kids at school, but cannot think of one example of being put down in red ink, but I do remember words like "good essay," and "well done" in red ink!

Perhaps the pc brigade would prefer teachers to write in white ink so that adverse comments would not be noticed by students and so, would not affect their mental stability which they would carry throughout their lives and affecting the way they sign on the dole.....

[pendy]

It's on a par with not being allowed to correct pupil's spelling, "because it is the communication which counts". If nobody can recognise the word because it's misspelt, it's hardly communication. Mind you, you probably can't read their writing, either ....

I always thought the idea of using red ink was just so that it would stand out against the original work, but I'm obviously way behind here.

[Acrylic-bob]

What all this demonisation of offensive words, ideas, images, and objects fails to recognise is that substituting the inoffensive for the offensive only results in the inoffensive becoming the new offensive.

Surely, it cannot be long before children are complaining that Blue Pencils ruined their lives. You can see the process at work in the successive name changes that the former slave population in America have adopted as acceptable, to the extent that I am now at a loss to know what to call them.

The truth of the matter is that there are certain aspects of life that are, perhaps, unpalatably true; a dog is a dog, and no amount semantic acrobatics will make it into anything other than what it is and always has been.

[Busman747]

Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob

The truth of the matter is that there are certain aspects of life that are, perhaps, unpalatably true; a dog is a dog, and no amount semantic acrobatics will make it into anything other than what it is and always has been.

Sorry A-C, must pull you up on this one, only half the population of canines are dogs, the other 50% being bitches. Perhaps the pc brigade will come up with a collective name for canines that does not reflect on their sexual orientation?

[Acrylic-bob]

Dog is the correct collective noun used to describe a member of the genus Canis familiaris, whether male or female. The noun "Bitch" is used to differentiate between male and female Dogs or other canine animal. Further, it is incorrect and meaningless to describe an animal as a Bitch without first identifying it as a Dog.

An alternative non-gender specific collective noun is thus unecessary and may be seen as tautological. I hope that clarifies the matter.

[WillowTheWhisp]

On behalf of female dogs I feel there is need here for a PC demand. How come bitches get a differentiation all of their own whilst male dogs have to put up with 'dog'. If someone uses the word 'bitch' there can be no doubt that they mean a female dog, but if they use the term 'dog' as being non gender specific how is a poor bitch to know if the dog referred to is of the male dog variety or perchance another bitch, being referred to in a non-specific way? If swans can be pens and cobs, if sheep can be rams and ewes perhaps we are in need of a male gender specific word for dog.

But apart from all that I totally agree with you A-b that all this fuss and bother about what is and isn't acceptable PC does lead to a lot of confusion and to some people being accused of being offensive where none is intended. I don't know any black or white people but I do know lots of people who are various shades of pink and brown.

As it is no longer permissible to use a blackboard I wonder how long it will be before Blackburn is required to change its name to the less offensive "Fairly-dark-and-muddyburn" ?

[Busman747]

Ouch!