Dial W for Wussy
I now, officially, think that human rights have come way too far in North America. No, I am not talking about the lady in Florida and whether she had to die or not, and I am not talking about the Pope and how everybody is still in shock. I am talking about red pens. Just normal red pens.
In a news story on the radio yesterday they were saying how using red pens to mark a student's work can be harmful to the child. They said that if the student gets a paper or test back with a big red F on it, that is all they remember, and that it is suggested that they use softer colours like purple or blue.
I shook my head when I heard all of this. What are we doing to the kids of this generation? We are going to have a bunch of kids that have no way to deal with failure because they have been coddled so much.
First of all, if your child got an F on the test they deserve to see a big red gross one that everyone else can see. That way they are humiliated and will work really hard to not get another one next time. Now if it is a continual pattern of F's then there might be a bigger problem, like the kid is dumb and has a life of janitorial work ahead of them. Better to know that now then have them set unrealistic goals for themselves. I mean, not everybody can be a brain surgeon.
Second, every other grade that is given out is also with the big red marker. I have never met a teacher, or had a teacher, that would switch pens to put a different grade on the paper. Let me see, that student got a B+, I will put that on their test with a pastel pink crayon and add a couple of flowers. NO! Red is the colour for marking! Not purple, not blue, not yellow, not anything else. Give those grades in red and learn to love it all over again.
This all leads up to on all encompassing statement; "Quit worrying about everybody else's kids and start paying attention to your own". Just because your wussy kids cries when ever he gets a big red "F" doesn't mean that it is a good idea to remove it for everybody. I mean, if you spent as much time worrying about the colour of the teacher's pen as you did studying with your children, then they could bring home a big red A that you can put on your fridge. A fridge probably filled with soy milk and tofu, you damn dirty hippies.
So in the end use red markers and bring back the gold star. Let's start teaching our kids about failure and success again and quit telling them that mediocrity is ok, because it is not. Society after school will be a cold slap in the face if you keep protecting your kids from that and then you will have them living with you until they are 38. Do you want that? I didn't think so.
In a news story on the radio yesterday they were saying how using red pens to mark a student's work can be harmful to the child. They said that if the student gets a paper or test back with a big red F on it, that is all they remember, and that it is suggested that they use softer colours like purple or blue.
I shook my head when I heard all of this. What are we doing to the kids of this generation? We are going to have a bunch of kids that have no way to deal with failure because they have been coddled so much.
First of all, if your child got an F on the test they deserve to see a big red gross one that everyone else can see. That way they are humiliated and will work really hard to not get another one next time. Now if it is a continual pattern of F's then there might be a bigger problem, like the kid is dumb and has a life of janitorial work ahead of them. Better to know that now then have them set unrealistic goals for themselves. I mean, not everybody can be a brain surgeon.
Second, every other grade that is given out is also with the big red marker. I have never met a teacher, or had a teacher, that would switch pens to put a different grade on the paper. Let me see, that student got a B+, I will put that on their test with a pastel pink crayon and add a couple of flowers. NO! Red is the colour for marking! Not purple, not blue, not yellow, not anything else. Give those grades in red and learn to love it all over again.
This all leads up to on all encompassing statement; "Quit worrying about everybody else's kids and start paying attention to your own". Just because your wussy kids cries when ever he gets a big red "F" doesn't mean that it is a good idea to remove it for everybody. I mean, if you spent as much time worrying about the colour of the teacher's pen as you did studying with your children, then they could bring home a big red A that you can put on your fridge. A fridge probably filled with soy milk and tofu, you damn dirty hippies.
So in the end use red markers and bring back the gold star. Let's start teaching our kids about failure and success again and quit telling them that mediocrity is ok, because it is not. Society after school will be a cold slap in the face if you keep protecting your kids from that and then you will have them living with you until they are 38. Do you want that? I didn't think so.
posted by Duncan McAllister at 11:56 p.m.
2 Comments:
honestly, this one made me laugh Bill...people are so messed up sometimes...trying to keep their damn children in a bubble! and HEY I love soy milk and tofu...yes I am defending it...and I am NOT a hippie (yet)
this one also made me laugh out loud
'Follow your dreams until you are 21 years old, then get new dreams, or maybe lower your standards.' although I always wanted to be a bee-ologist since I was 18...
My kids are gonna have as tough of a life as I had -- no Nintendo, no abundance of toys, no "time-outs"... that'll teach 'em. They can play with my discarded shoe boxes like I had to do... Diaramas can be tons of fun!
Post a Comment
<< Home