More School Stupidity...

Scholl is back in session, and that means a return of zero-tolerance insanity and other school stupidity...

ITEM ONE
A 15-year-old sophomore at Central Cabarrus High School in Concord, North Carolina has been suspended for three days for... hugging a friend in front of the school. Apparently the school's student handbook says, "...it has been determined there will be no 'body contact' between individuals beyond the holding of hands."

The girl's mom says, "They said hugging leads to groping, groping leads to kissing, and you know what kissing leads to. And I said, 'It's not like my daughter wanted to have sex with him in the hallway. She was just saying hello.'"

ITEM TWO
Across the country teachers are breaking with an old tradition - marking students' papers with red ink. Calling it scary and unfriendly, a new generation of teachers are replacing red ink with more "soothing" colors like purple. "Red has a negative connotation, and we want to promote self-confidence," one teacher says. Sounds a bit silly, doesn't it? Instead of promoting self-confidence ,why not promote striving for the correct answers.

Not all teachers agree on the stigma attached to red ink. Carol Jago, a 30-year high school teacher in California, says, "Red is honest, direct, and to the point. I'm sending the message, 'I care about you enough to care how you present yourself to the outside world.'"

We need more teachers with this attitude. The reason kids go to school is to learn. They can't learn what's correct without also learning what's wrong. Red ink on a term paper or a test should have a negative connotation. It should let the student know they've made a mistake. Or have we gotten to the point where we can't point out students' mistakes for fear of hurting their fragile little feelings?