The Ink That Teachers Use To Grade Papers Has Parents Seeing Red

By Linda Orlando

Most people over the age of 30 have fond memories of teachers handing back homework assignments and tests with their grades and comments written on the pages in bold red ink. In fact, it was usually only the oddball or hippy teacher that used any color other than red when grading papers. Teachers have always graded papers by giving examples of better answers, or by commenting on a student’s answer to a particular question. For students whose work isn’t perfect, that approach means kids may find their papers covered in red, the color that teachers have always used to grade work. But today parents are more concerned about their children’s little psyches than they are about tradition. So at Daniels Farm Elementary School in Trumbull, Connecticut, parents have objected to the use of red ink for grading papers. Red writing, they said, was "stressful."

The principal of the school responded to the criticism by saying that teachers, when grading papers, are just giving constructive advice to their students, and the color of ink used to convey their feedback shouldn’t matter because the comments themselves are more important than the color they appear in. However, some parents couldn’t let it go, and kept complaining. So the school gave in and banned teachers from using red pens, instructing them to use blue and other colors instead. "It's not an argument we want to have at this point because what we need is the parents' understanding," school officials said. "The color of the message should not be the issue."

The disillusionment with red is part of a major shift in grading, and three top pen manufacturers have heard the complaints. As a result, Bic, Pilot Pen, and Sanford (the manufacturer of Papermate and Sharpie) are producing more purple pens in response to rising sales. According to Pilot Pen’s vice president of marketing, school leaders are "trying to be positive and reinforcing rather than being harsh. Teachers are taking that to heart." Young teachers in particular agree with the idea. Justin Kazmark, a 25-year old teacher in Manhattan, uses only purple to grade papers. "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." A fifth-grade teacher in Alaska, Vanessa Powell, further explains, "it's taken a turn from 'Here's what you need to improve on' to 'Here's what you've done right. It’s not that we're not pointing out mistakes, it's just that the method in which it's delivered is more positive." Powell said that her students would probably tune out red because they are so used to it, so she grades with whatever color appeals to them.

Many other schools have taken the same approach, because they feel the color red has become symbolic of negativity. With society so focused on not giving children negative feedback that people even object to keeping score in children’s soccer games, the issue of avoiding all negative feedback is a hot button with many parents and educators. "You could hold up a paper that says 'Great work!' and it won't even matter if it's written in red," says Joseph Foriska, principal of Thaddeus Stevens Elementary in Pittsburgh. Foriska, an educator for 31 years, has instructed all of his teachers to grade students’ papers using ink colored with "pleasant-feeling tones" so that constructive criticism does not come across as derogatory or demeaning. "The color is everything," says Foriska.

A very interesting comment, since most people over the age of 30 always thought the lesson being taught was everything. America’s students may not have the highest test scores or the greatest educational aptitude in the world, but at least they don’t have to deal with the "stress" of being corrected in red ink.