Teachers no longer allowed to Grade with Red Pencils

[Uncleal]

http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifest...4B811Q20081209

Aussie teachers told Red Pencils are a sign of aggresion

I kid you not

[CybrSlydr]

Well, first off, reading that article tells a different story.

Nowhere in that article did it say that they were no longer allowed to use red pens.

It said that the pack SUGGESTED they use a different color.

Are you even reading the same story as us, Al?...

The "Good Mental Health Rocks" kit, which was distributed this month to about 30 schools in Queensland state, offers strategies such as "don't mark in red pen (which can be seen as aggressive) - use a different color."

Where do you see it saying that teachers have been banned from using red pens?

[Uncleal]

I've been discovered, what do I do now. I don't bother reading them, I report on what I hear on the radio, when I see the headline the story clics. You'll find this usually happens with lite hearted stories. Stories that have little or no bearing on an existing subject. Those I take the time to read, prior to posting to be sure that the argumentative point exists.

[USCG76]

How about the view from Down under.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/s...006301,00.html

[bzhyoyo]

Very bad reporting.
The journalist focuses on a minor point and buries the most important ones in the middle of the article.

Other tips include structuring time for peer tutoring every day, apologizing to students when necessary and asking students to conduct a "personal skills audit" where they focus on their individual strengths rather than their weaknesses.

Of course, some common sense is needed when you apply such measures - you must tell a student when he is screwing up, but all the above points are perfectly sensible, and already in use with a lot of teachers (in my high school anyway)

[Opie]

bzhyoyo,

I agree with your selection as the main "issue." I see a real problem developing if teachers and students ignore learning "weaknesses." There's already a tendency to be lazy about things we don't do well. Should students be allowed, then, to ignore basic math if they're not good at it? What about spelling or grammar? Goodness knows we already suffer from some of that in these forums... (please note tongue firmly planted in cheek on this last comment!)

My mother taught overseas at the same schools I attended, so I was exposed to education from behind the scenes quite a bit. From first-hand experience there's actually some good buried in some of those statements. I think students respond better when praised for good work, and teachers can build on students' strengths to help address any weaknesses and bring them up to par. It worked for me.

[bzhyoyo]

It's all about "assessing" the pupil's work. Even if there's just a tiny part of good, and the rest is mostly bad, you must point out the tiny good part. It doesn't mean you have to forget the rest. But this tiny good part is the foundation upon which you will be able to correct the rest.

[Opie]

Originally Posted by bzhyoyo

It's all about "assessing" the pupil's work. Even if there's just a tiny part of good, and the rest is mostly bad, you must point out the tiny good part. It doesn't mean you have to forget the rest. But this tiny good part is the foundation upon which you will be able to correct the rest.

I think you're right on the nose. The key is to reward good performance so the "young minds" remain eager to learn more and do better, while avoiding methods that put students on the defensive (e.g. the negative connotations of red ink) and cause them to shy away from learning.

[Snuffy]

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners ... He is a joy to be around.'

His second grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.'

His third grade teacher wrote, 'His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken.'

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.'

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, 'Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.'

After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her 'teacher's pets..'

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honours. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favourite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favourite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer ... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, 'Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.'

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, 'Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you.'

(For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Doctor at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)

Random acts of kindness, I think they call it!

[Opie]

Doesn't sound random at all, Snuffy. That's the mark of a damn good teacher. Made me proud to be a teacher's son. Thank you for sharing that.