short takes

[cellio]

Funny: Only in... $location.

Overheard in the office: "Should that be on fire?"

From the whiners-with-too-much-time-on-their-hands department, a new education fad: some parents (and students) object to grading in red ink. Red is "stressful", some say, and teachers should be using more "positive" colors like blue. Sheesh. Some people will read negativity into anything. It's just a color, people! And for the record, I much prefer mark-up in red as opposed to blue or the fluffy alternatives like turquoise (which is too light to be able to see easily). Red has the best contrast with the black ink on the white page; if you want me to see your little squiggle, don't use lime green!

Comments

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

I used purple because it was ideosyncratic. ;-)

And I bet those teachers aren't using gel pens, either, which are forbidden in our school systems. (Please don't ask why.)

[cellio]

Ok, I won't ask why since you said not to (though I'm curious), but what's a gel pen?

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

Well, you can see them here at Staples. You've probably used them already -- the ink is gel instead of liquid. They're banned at schools because 1) they come in lots of weird colors, and kids are only allowed to write in black or blue, and 2) when they break and get all over things they are pretty messy. But Mostly, I think, because it's easier to ban them from school property than to have to cope with "Well, I'm writing in Gold and flourescent green because it's recess, and not in class!" by banning all of them from the school and making a color requirement for classes, i.e., blue and black.

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

I said don't ask why because it's one of the 1010 stupid rules that they have at school.

Hilary of Serendip once said to me, about SCA issues that people insisted went to the Board first, instead of being worked out locally first. She said something that has stuck with me for a long time. "If you make the Board make a decision, it won't fit any of the Kingdoms, or especially the group with the problem."

I feel that way about schools and school boards. To solve tiny problems, like kids being fascinated with the new gel pens, they make huge onerous rules, and they try to take all possible conflict out of the schools.

When Jen was ready for preschool, all the schools I investigated were currently going with the "no sharp edges, no conflicts" philosophy. I found a private home daycare for her, and public schools for K-12. I think these teachers must have been educated in the type of place I didn't send her to.

[cellio]

To solve tiny problems, like kids being fascinated with the new gel pens, they make huge onerous rules, and they try to take all possible conflict out of the schools.

Yup. For any given problem there is an appropriate level at which to resolve it. For this one, that level is the classroom. Teachers can set any rules they want about the work students will turn in; that should cover this.

[cellio]

The mess argument makes sense (especially for younger kids), but ballpoints also come in weird colors so I'm not sure how color matters. But it's bureacracy; it doesn't have to make sense. :-)