New Color for Grading Papers

It was just on the news this morning that teachers have stopped grading papers in red ink. Studies have found that the red ink on students’ papers “stresses them out”. The new color for grading papers is purple.

I can hear it now. Rev. Jerry Falwell is going to be saying that by using the color purple (many seem to think that the color purple is THE gay color) to grade papers, the “homosexual agenda” is being pushed in the schools. You think that’s far fetched. It wasn’t long ago that conservatives charged SpongeBob SquarePants with “promoting a gay lifestyle”.

And I’ve been looking for gay sponges to come out in the grocery stores ever since.

Purple is the new red, according to teachers, and pen manufacturers can barely keep up with the demand. Educators say the color purple, a mix of red and blue, carries red’s authority but blue’s serenity, making it more constructive for grading.

“Red is just so bold. It’s kind of an angry color,” says Meghan Dorsett, who teaches sixth-grade language arts and eighth-grade math at Skyline Junior High School in Peoria.

Along with purple, Dorsett is likely to use pink, green or yellow, colors that are a bit easier on middle school students’ self-esteem. (source)