Mediocrity In Eunice Bates's A Nation At Risk

731 Words3 Pages
Sitting at her desk, Eunice Bates received her graded crossword assignment. She only found it slightly odd to be doing a crossword puzzle in her senior physics class. Her paper was covered in purple ink with words of encouragement and suggestions for better answers. Eunice was not alarmed or confused by the check minus that she received on her assignment. She had little reason to be concerned about schoolwork with only two days left in the semester and no finals. The story of Eunice Bates depicts how society has tried to ease the pressures of schoolwork on children. As a result, society has politically corrected themselves into mediocrity. “A Nation at Risk,” a scathing report on the American educational system, was published in…show more content…
In the United Kingdom, a group of teachers hope to ban the word fail and replace it with “deferred access” (Smerconish 65). Teachers believe that using more politically correct words is better for students. They also believe they can ease pressures on students by changing their grading tactics. Grading papers in red ink has been commonly accepted since the 1700s. However, society has come to believe that the color red is harsh and can be demoralizing to students. Our growing politically correct society believes that using “kind colors,” such as purple, will place less stress on children. The general public believes that purple ink will spare kids from an unpleasant life. Papermate’s sales in purple pens have gone up ten percent, proving that the purple pen phenomenon is real (Smerconish…show more content…
Kids are no longer pushed to excel in schools. The school system tries to convince children that they are all doing well when it is not true. When schools allow students to retake all their tests for better grades, students will not strive for perfection on their first attempt. If they do not have letter grades or finals, it is difficult to evaluate student success. These policies will keep children’s feelings from being hurt, but if Eunice cannot do poorly, she has no motivation to do better. When teachers conform to giving easy assignments, grading in purple pens, and not requiring finals, all students will perform the same in school and fall subject to

More about Mediocrity In Eunice Bates's A Nation At Risk

Open Document