Washable pens have their advantages and disadvantages. They can help the child reduce school anxiety, relieve him of the fear of mistakes. But they can also mask serious problems in a child, and precious time to fix them will be lost.
The adult generation will probably remember many devices with which they tried to correct mistakes in notebooks and bad marks in diaries: chlorine solution, a blade and bread crumb, a pencil and an eraser … Today, schoolchildren have come to the aid of "write-erase" pens, which allow them to quickly and easily correct what was written. But are they really that useful? Why are more and more teachers forbidding children to use such pens
Most modern washable pens use thermal ink that will fade when heated (such as rubbing with an eraser). There are also liner pens with ink absorbers.
Washable pen - schoolboy joy
So, the baby entered the 1st grade. There are many months ahead of hand positioning and handwriting formation. The child diligently draws out the first sticks, hooks and ovals, but small fingers do not obey well, and it turns out not at all as in the recipe. Parents scold, the teacher corrects crooked elements with a red pen, the first grader gets upset. This is where a washable pen can be a lifesaver! It is not for nothing that some elementary school teachers ask their students to work in copybooks not with a pen, but with a simple pencil.
School years go on as usual, and now the write-erase pen already saves the child from having to rewrite entire pages of homework. And the test also does not cause a panic attack - after all, you can correct the error in such a way that the teacher will not notice.
Why are washable pens so attractive? Of course, the ability to correct a mistake or a mistake without consequences. That is, the main reasons are fear of mistakes, shame for carelessly performed work. If your child refuses to write with an ordinary ballpoint pen and asks for one that can be washed, think about it; perhaps you are too strict with your child, or he has an overly demanding and authoritarian teacher.
Teachers' View of Washable Pens
Here are the main reasons teachers oppose washable pens:
- Carelessness, negligence. When writing with an erasable pen, students cease to follow the accuracy and spelling (after all, everything can be corrected right there), the written work becomes sloppy. In addition, children often write with strong pressure. Therefore, it is still not possible to correct the error without leaving a trace.
- Inability to track typical errors. The teacher is deprived of the opportunity to see exactly what the child made a mistake, therefore, he cannot help him in a timely manner. Of course, there are single mistakes and slips of the eye. But if a student makes mistakes of the same type, the teacher can organize additional work to eliminate them.
Identifying common mistakes, understanding their causes and not making any more mistakes is more important than just hiding mistakes from the teacher.
- Difficulty in diagnosing speech disorders. Parents should remember that a number of errors may indicate that the child has speech therapy problems, in particular, dysgraphia. The teacher, drawing attention to typical mistakes, will recommend that parents contact a specialist. Early diagnosis of violations of written speech will allow them to correct them in time and thereby save the child from further difficulties.
It is useful to temporarily use washable pens for children with increased anxiety: the child gradually ceases to be afraid of mistakes, becomes more confident in his abilities. Over time, the need for such a pen disappears.
