Red Out of Favor As Teacher’s Choice

I’ll admit that when I saw the headline I thought it was a political reference regarding red states and liberal teachers. Upon reading the article, I found instead it was another glimpse into the watering down of our nation’s public education system.

Of all the things that can make a person see red, school principal Gail Karwoski was not expecting parents to get huffy about, well, seeing red. At Daniels Farm Elementary School in Trumbull, Conn., Karwoski’s teachers grade papers by giving examples of better answers for those students who make mistakes. But that approach meant the kids often found their work covered in red, the color that teachers long have used to grade work.

Parents objected. Red writing, they said, was “stressful.” The principal said teachers were just giving constructive advice and the color of ink used to convey that message should not matter. But some parents could not let it go.

So the school put red on the blacklist. Blue and other colors are in.

“It’s not an argument we want to have at this point because what we need is the parents’ understanding,” Karwoski said. “The color of the message should not be the issue.”

Fine, if it’s not an argument worth having and the color is not the issue, simply avoid the argument rather than cratering into it. Surrender is not avoidance.

In many other schools, it’s black and white when it comes to red. The color has become so symbolic of negativity that some principals and teachers will not touch it.

“You could hold up a paper that says ‘Great work!’ and it won’t even matter if it’s written in red,” said Joseph Foriska, principal of Thaddeus Stevens Elementary in Pittsburgh.

He has instructed his teachers to grade with colors featuring more “pleasant-feeling tones” so that their instructional messages do not come across as derogatory or demeaning.

“The color is everything,” said Foriska, an educator for 31 years.

The color is most assuredly not everything, nor is passing along pleasant vibes when returning an evaluation to a student.

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.”

My guess is that Kazmark saw a lot of “abrasive” red on his papers back in high school. He also probably carries esteem issues from elementary school stemming from poor dodgeball and kickball performances.

When I was in school, there were right answers and wrong answers. There were also essay and short answer questions, wherein gray areas could actually exist. All of these could adequately be addressed in red ink.

The disillusionment with red is part of broader shift in grading, said Vanessa Powell, a fifth-grade teacher at Snowshoe Elementary School in Wasilla, Alaska.

“It’s taken a turn from ‘Here’s what you need to improve on’ to ‘Here’s what you’ve done right,’” Powell said. “It’s not that we’re not pointing out mistakes, it’s just that the method in which it’s delivered is more positive.”

Her students, she said, probably would tune out red because they are so used to it. So she grades with whatever color — turquoise blue, hot pink, lime green — appeals to them.

And at what age should students learn that life can be harsh, that it isn’t always about what appeals to them or what they’ve done right? Should they wait until college, where weed-out courses await them? Should we water down education at that level as well, based upon “feelings” and “esteem” and such? News flash: the real world can be harsh. The realm of business can be affected just as much by what one does right as well as by what one does wrong. Disappointment cannot be avoided, and allowing young students to confront it early can have a vaccinating effect to prepare for greater disappointments later in life. Oh no, my layoff notice wasn’t written in an appealing ink! What will I do?

Life can be harsh and there’s no value in softening this lesson for kids who get things wrong. These kids need to learn two things. First, red ink is one of the lesser adversities they will face. Second, they are not all destined for greatness and equal success. As Judge Smails once said, the world needs ditch diggers, too.

Use the red ink. Hell, use a red marker.

UPDATE: As Eric points out in the comments, he’s blogged the same story and it’s almost frightening how of like minds we are on this matter. It’s strange how similar our view on this matter is and, yet, that view is completely ignored in the story.