fear the red pen
an old flatmate of mine was a primary school teacher . She taught year 3 pupils so about 7 to 8 year olds.

One night i was sitting in front of the tv when she asked me to help her do some marking. Just a maths test with an answer key provided questions like 4 + 9 or 5 x 3 . " Just put the total in a circle at the top" even welgars brain can cope with this.

So i grab a pile and a pen and get to work being the nice guy that i am. After marking and totaling the paper i put it on the done pile only to hear a shriek "WHAT have you done ????"

"Erm iv marked the test . Sally got 16 out of 20"

"But you used a RED pen"

"So ?"

"It could scar them for life"

Apparently teachers are no longer allowed to use a red pen to mark a pupils work , it has to be a green one instead. Someone has decided that seeing all that red on a page could be construed as negative regardless if it is a tick or a cross.

Never mind that some of these kids had scores that could be added up using just their thumbs as long as its not in red thats ok. What difference dose it really make if you use a red or a green pen because 5 + 3 is not 17 either way.

What future do our children have growing up wrapped up in cottonwool like this?
(welgar, Thu 29 Nov 2007, 6:20, 4 replies)

it gets worse
I marked first year undergrad maths work in my final year at warwick. We were told not to use red pen there either. You'd think 18 year olds would be able to cope with the sight of a red pen!
( catness, Thu 29 Nov 2007, 10:40, closed)

It depends entirely on the school - it's not something handed down from central government...some schools have a policy of not using crosses, but rather will put a dot next to incorrect answers and allow the pupil to change it so they can get a tick.
Don't forget, no one is a failure these days, you've simply got deferred success!
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Thu 29 Nov 2007, 10:52, closed)

I use a red pen
when marking students' papers. Sod it, if they're upset by that then they're not fit to be at university.

I should also say that only one of the 18 students in the class passed my question on a particular paper last year. And he only got 10/20. So there were a lot of red crosses on the papers.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Thu 29 Nov 2007, 11:06, closed)

Pens
Mrs Osok is a primary school teacher (admittedly in Wales, which may have fewer silly policies) and goes through the world's supply of red biros every term.

I suspect her response to being told that they were not allowed would involve the use of naughty language and ludicrously threatening behaviour towards whatever dickhead came up with it.

It's red so you can see it more easily FFS.

(And green ink is fer puffs)
(osok Rebel without a clue, Thu 29 Nov 2007, 11:26, closed)