By Charles Osgood
The custom has been for schoolteachers to correct student papers in red, to point out mistakes with red pencil or red ink. But In many schools now, we're told teachers are being told not to mark papers with red ink because red upsets the children. Red is too stressful too "in your face." Joseph Foriska, the principal of Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School in Pittsburgh, for example has instructed his teachers to grade with colors featuring more ''pleasant feeling tones." so that their instructional messages do not come across and derogatory or demeaning.
In many schools today it's said
teachers should not grade in red.
Red is too negative they say.
In the context of today
with too much student stress resulting
to them red seems downright insulting.
And we don't want their feelings hurt
with red as in a "red alert"
"High risk of terrorist attack."
The kids might be taken aback.
What color then should teachers use?
Purple is now what many choose
or blue. Some educators think
Turquoise, Fuchsia, sky blue, pink.
Almost anything instead
of that old nasty color red.
Red ink now means losing money,
a prospect no one thinks is funny.
They say it has nothing to do
with politics, red states or blue.
But some, I'm sure, will now suspect
that what's politically correct
has some political content,
though they deny that's what is meant.
But simply to remove the dread.
They say some people have of red.
Do you recall when it was said
in the cold war “Better dead than red?
Roses are red, violets are blue
I don't fear roses though, do you?”
