Ink For Grading Student Papers

[ink-syringe]

^your attitude impresses me. You care about your students as much as I used to care about my teachers.

You don't know enough about me to judge. Aside from this one completely and totally unimportant thing I'm not sure you know anything about me. But I'm teaching two classes tomorrow both of which I've taught before several times. Yet I still spent nearly 8 hours prepping to improve my classes after I taught a long seminar today which I stayed up till 4 AM prepping for last night. I'm just walking in the door now at 10:30. And I'm only home this early because I didn't eat dinner. I love my students and I work really hard. I just don't believe that I should coddle them and I don't believe that I'm their buddy. They all have lots of friends, friends who are much younger and more hip than I am. That's not my function, that's not what they pay me for. If one of my students actually came to me and said, "look I don't like your use of red ink," I would change in a second. But of all the things they have to worry about I somehow feel like the color of my correction pen is pretty far down on their list of concerns. I also happen to just like the color red.

 

I however will never write their names in red ink out of respect for that traditional taboo.

 

I also have given out plenty of fountain pens to my students with expressed even the remotest interest in them.

[Dhruv_Sood]

^i think that came out as sarcasm. That was never meant to be. Sorry.

 

Yep, I don't know you, at all. I don't even know your name. Neither do I know how much time you spend preparing for a class. But I don't think I am supposed to know that either. Now that's taken care of, let me get to what I meant.

 

Had my teachers not decided to care about me so much (it wasn't exactly caring, more like picking on me in front of the whole class because of a certain incident), I wouldn't have 90% of the hatred towards people, teenage drinking and constant running away problems that I had.

 

Here is what I like about your attitude and wished my teachers had that too. Going about your business and not caring (above a certain limit) about your students. Doing your job as it should be done (with a red pen). Not exactly same but you would agree that it's one of the aspects of teaching.

 

Again, sorry if that came out the wrong way. But can't expect much clarity in 2 lines.

 

Edit: My teachers wrote our names with red pen and mark our attendance with the same. But like I said, I never gave it or them any importance.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Dhruv_Sood

[ink-syringe]

I see. Thanks. I misunderstood you clearly. Sorry.

 

For the record my students seem to like MB Corn Poppy Red anyway. Lamy Orange too.

 

I'm surprised at of how many my students write with my fountain pens upside down when i let them try them out. hehe.

 

I bought 4 Pilot Metropolitans to hand out this term if any take an interest.

[Dhruv_Sood]

What a post that sort, I am practically asking to be misunderstood. I should be the one apologizing.

 

Based on the number of recommendations I have received, I should buy a bottle of MontBlanc corn poppy red, and quick too, since it's a LE.

One of my friend who started writing with FP's with me used to write feed-up. Perhaps to get a finer line.

Maybe you use a broad nib and they need a finer line too.

 

Nice. I have had good teachers too, but none who would give me some pens. Most good teachers have me books. Not that I am complaining.

[CAG_1787]

I like the combo of the Platinum desk pen (ease of access, ultra thin line works on the worst paper) and Diamine Oxblood, Noodler's Nikita, Noodler's Red Black.

[ink-syringe]

That platinum desk pen is a surprisingly nice little pen.

[ink-syringe]

Based on the number of recommendations I have received, I should buy a bottle of MontBlanc corn poppy red, and quick too, since it's a LE.

Is it? It comes in a regular bottle. I didn't realize it was limited. MB seems to have a thing for reds. The ink of love is nice as is that chalk red and, of course, the Hitchcock LE.

[Dhruv_Sood]

I think it is LE since this said so: http://www.lacouronneducomte.nl/webstore/main/montblanc-corn-poppy-bottle-limited-edition-p-6025.html

 

They are extremely reputed seller, so I wouldn't expect any mistakes from them.

Is it a wet ink? I like wet inks since I tend to write very fast. The less wet inks colors tend to turn pale after half a page due to extremely fast writing.

 

My writing work isn't supposed to be checked by anyone, so I take the liberty to use N number of colors.

Are the students in your school allowed to use any other color apart from blue and black?

[ink-syringe]

Good to know on the MB ink.

 

Our school requires certain final assignments for the first three terms be done by hand and in black ink. All official stuff I sign needs to be in black too, even signatures (which is odd as in my day signatures were always done in blue). I have kids take exams and do class work in pencil as is tradition in conservatories.

 

When in was in school we had to use carbon black ink. Now of course it is mostly done by computer most places I guess.

[Dhruv_Sood]

Oh, by any chance, are you a junior school teacher? I have never seen middle or senior school students not writing with pens apart from when we were writing in the book. Perhaps only 10% of the class bothered to switch to pencils for the book, rest continued with pens.

I liked to see my book new at the year end so that someone else could use it the next year.

 

When I finished school in 2011, we were still writing with pens and not using computers at all since I didn't take computer science. This was our school only, many other schools had switched to computers entirely.

[eloquentogre]

Diamine Oxblood. In a juicy fat wet nib. Smudges only add to the impact.

[TSherbs]

very few reds hold up well on cheap paper

 

My Sheaffer Red does as well as my Yama-budo (not a red, I know), and is a heck of a lot cheaper. I have trouble throwing expensive inks onto cheap paper. I use ballpoints on the crudest of papers.

[TSherbs]

..... They all have lots of friends, friends who are much younger and more hip than I am. That's not my function, that's not what they pay me for.....

Interesting. My school pays me and asks me to do several things other than be a purveyor of information:

 

purveyor of information? yes

 

"friend"? --no

 

mentor, yes

 

guide, yes

 

compassionate, sensitive adult, and responsible adult? yes

 

someone who can see the truth even though the student cannot or will not express it? yes

 

someone who will make adjustments for the better even if a student does not request it? yes

 

I let go of stark blood red on papers a long time ago (despite the fact that this was how I was graded) because I write A LOT on papers and the bright red would dominate and make the papers bleed (we call it bleed-through for a reason). My commentary on the papers should not be primary, nor should it dominate, or even "hurt" the eye. These are counter to the mission with the majority of young writers. Sure, some students are indifferent, immune, or even stimulated by the starkness. I have chosen to avoid that kind of teacher-student exchange on all major papers (I will use red on many other types of small assignments). But none of this was spurred on by any student requests: they mostly feel disempowered or discouraged from saying such things (especially the boys). But I can still choose for myself as the professional in the room responsible for the tone and atmosphere and dynamic of the exchange. I am indeed "payed" to manage this.

[TSherbs]

Diamine Oxblood. In a juicy fat wet nib. Smudges only add to the impact.

I see too many bloody noses in class and weird clotted drippings on paper from time to time. I can't stand this ink. Smudges...heck no!

[ink-syringe]

I get that one thing red ink can be associated with is aggressive authority.

 

 

But a teacher's relation to students results from a complex range of interactions, within which the color of the ink is exceedly minor.

 

 

Interesting. My school pays me and asks me to do several things other than be a purveyor of information:

 

purveyor of information? yes

 

"friend"? --no

 

mentor, yes

 

guide, yes

 

compassionate, sensitive adult, and responsible adult? yes

 

someone who can see the truth even though the student cannot or will not express it? yes

 

someone who will make adjustments for the better even if a student does not request it? yes

 

I let go of stark blood red on papers a long time ago (despite the fact that this was how I was graded) because I write A LOT on papers and the bright red would dominate and make the papers bleed (we call it bleed-through for a reason). My commentary on the papers should not be primary, nor should it dominate, or even "hurt" the eye. These are counter to the mission with the majority of young writers. Sure, some students are indifferent, immune, or even stimulated by the starkness. I have chosen to avoid that kind of teacher-student exchange on all major papers (I will use red on many other types of small assignments). But none of this was spurred on by any student requests: they mostly feel disempowered or discouraged from saying such things (especially the boys). But I can still choose for myself as the professional in the room responsible for the tone and atmosphere and dynamic of the exchange. I am indeed "payed" to manage this.

[tinto]

Scabiosa (Rohrer & Klingner) and Absolut Brown (Waterman) work for me, and I think they'll fit your criteria.

[jvcn]

You said to leave out blue, but have you considered a brighter, lighter blue that would stand out? Something like Private Reserve Naples Blue or whatever equivalents are preferred today? Or else one of the brighter blue greens. It would stand out from the page without announcing it was a "different" color

[mr dodo]

There are a lot of great suggestions here. I'm a big fan of Diamine Deep Dark Orange for annotations - it basically does what it says on the bottle - it is very easy on the eye, and a sufficiently unusual colour that it stands out. I like Diamine Red Dragon, Pumpkin, and J Herbin Lie de Thé for similar reasons.

A review: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/268488-diamine-cult-pens-deep-dark-orange/

 

All that said, I wouldn't sweat the small stuff - write with something you enjoy writing with and I'm pretty sure no one will mind if it's readable and not blue or black.

Edited September 15, 2015 by mr dodo

[FLZapped]

Noodlers Kung teCheng - permanent and a nice dark purple.

[TSherbs]

I get that one thing red ink can be associated with is aggressive authority.

 

 

But a teacher's relation to students results from a complex range of interactions, within which the color of the ink is exceedly minor.

 

 

true, sometimes

 

not always, though

 

may be symbolic or representational (indicative of a greater pattern). Like the meaning of a gesture or tone: it is all about how often the message is repeated throughout the interactions. *I* don't consider the meanings of gestures or tonal suggestions "exceedingly minor" when dealing with young people; they are very good at reading suggested meanings in gestures, particularly those from persons in authority over them. These things are hard-wired (visual and aural interpretations of tone) into our neural net, although some persons are better at the decoding than others.