Experts see red in teachers' pen

SYDNEY: Red is the color of happiness, prosperity and good luck in China and may be used to attract good luck. But the color could be harming students' psyche when teachers use red pen to mark their work, according to education strategies drafted by an Australian provincial government.

The "Good Mental Health Rocks" kit, distributed this month to about 30 schools in Queensland province, offers strategies such as "don't mark in red pen (which can be seen as aggressive) - use a different color."

Other tips include structuring time for peer tutoring every day, apologizing to students when necessary and asking them to conduct a "personal skills audit" in which they focus on their individual strengths rather than their weaknesses.