Universities are encouraging education majors to mark papers in something other than red because of the color's association with aggression and anxiety. They can use a fun purple instead. Or a calm blue. The trend is prompting production changes at pen-producing giant Paper Mate and eye-rolling from observers who say young Americans are getting soft.
School psychologists say the real impetus for change is the message associated with the red pen marks. ``The red pen has bad associations with papers coming back bleeding with corrections,'' quoted a school district's supervisor of school psychology. "Teachers have to mark mistakes, but they should focus more on what's right in the assignment, not what's wrong".
Purple pens seem to be a teacher favorite for this task and, as a result, are making their mark outside the classroom. Paper Mate workers first noticed an increase in purple pen sales during the summer of 2003. Public relations manager Michael Finn said focus groups and consumer interviews confirmed the push toward purple. ``What teachers have told us is that it's part of a move toward a kinder, gentler education system,'' Finn said.
The attitude that red pens have a negative impact on students is part of the softening of U.S. schools, according to journalist Michael Barone, and it's leading to failure in education. ``Ultimately the idea is that you can't hold anyone accountable,'' said Barone, author of ``Hard America, Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation's Future.'' Barone said the transition from red to purple pens ranks alongside other softening efforts such as banning dodge ball and resisting standardized testing.
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