Teacher Said: "get A Ballpoint."

[ScriptDuNord]

Hello,

I'm new here and a new FP user.

 

The other day I was receiving some work back from a teacher when he said: "Get a ballpoint." "There's a reason they stopped using those things".

 

I just took my work, as I didn't feel like questioning him about it.

The pen is a Regal Windsor, with medium nib. It is thicker than a ballpoint, but my writing is quite legible. So, I'm not sure what the problem is?

 

I wrote in Palmer cursive, with Waterman Florida Blue.

 

I'm also curious to find out what his answer is to the "Reason they stopped using 'those things'."

 

I read once that ballpoints were developed for clumsy people that got ink all over themselves.

Any truth to this? Anyone have any other reasons?

 

-

Edited October 6, 2010 by ScriptDuNord

[bphollin]

Yikes! Any chance you can drop that class???

[scrawlhand]

A friend of mine is a teacher, and I talked to him once about pens. He stated that he preferred papers written with fountain pens because the handwriting is generally more legible.

Needless to say that he uses a fountain pen for corrections, too.

 

So, in my opinion your teacher seems to be quite narrow-minded :bonk:

[Yaniel]

If your writing was legible and neat, I don't think he has any right to tell you that you "need" a ballpoint. If he tries to make it a rule, I'd make sure no one in the class has a rollerball, gel pen, felt tip, etc because it's only fair EVERYONE has to use a ballpoint if you do.

[mdoering]

I think I would have burst out in laughter and likely ended up getting removed from the class... :roflmho: I've been using fountain pens since fifth grade with no ill effect, and in fact, most of my instructors and professors applauded me for putting in the extra effort to find a unique, comfortable, and more efficient instrument with which to write... Not to mention I always ended up giving them one at the end of the year... Maybe you should buy the man a preppy...

[rwilsonedn]

I suppose you could ask the teacher (out of curiosity, not to start an argument) why he wrote that. He may have some specific reason why he wants you to use a ballpoint. Or not. If he does, you should find it out.

Either way, there is a reason why people not only did not stop using those things, but why people are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of question in order to continue using those things. But this is not a subject worth picking a fight over. You can always carry a ballpoint just for his class.

ron

[Odinraider]

I suppose you could ask the teacher (out of curiosity, not to start an argument) why he wrote that. He may have some specific reason why he wants you to use a ballpoint. Or not. If he does, you should find it out.

Either way, there is a reason why people not only did not stop using those things, but why people are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of question in order to continue using those things. But this is not a subject worth picking a fight over. You can always carry a ballpoint just for his class.

ron

 

+1 about not worth fighting for.

Very wise. Fountain pens are nice, but the teacher makes the rules of the class. We should not take it as a matter of personal honor that the teacher dislikes the pens.

[macaddicted]

Ask if a rollerball is OK.

 

If so explain that they use the same ink as FPs.

 

 

 

You might want to explain that not all of "they" stopped using them as he's talking to one of them.

 

 

 

If you're feeling particularly snarky tell him to use the newer gel pens rather than the old fashioned writing chisels (BP). Newer is better, right?

 

 

 

Ask if you will be given extra time for in class assignments/exams given that it is more difficult to write with a scribble stick.

 

 

 

You could go to the department and ask when it became policy for instructors to squelch individual preferences that do not affect the proper completion and presentation of required work.

 

 

 

You might want to think about a black ink, which would leave him little room to complain. His complaint might actually be with the ink color and not the pen.

 

 

 

If all else fails go out and find a BP refill with the brightest fracking blue you can afford.

 

Welcome

Take comfort that you are among friends.

Oh, and I gave up on Palmer a long time ago. Something my fourth grade teacher could attest to, if you could find her.

 

 

edit: P.S.: Sorry about the format. I'm in a bad fracking mood today.

Edited October 6, 2010 by macaddicted

[cubic archon]

A friend of mine is a teacher, and I talked to him once about pens. He stated that he preferred papers written with fountain pens because the handwriting is generally more legible.

Yes, it does seem a bit odd for a teacher to say "use a pen that generally produces much more scrappy-looking handwriting". Maybe he likes the challenge of reading it.

[IonutZ]

The ballpoint was made so that it doesn't work in outer space!! Tell your teacher it's not your fault they're incapable of using one...

[Bo Bo Olson]

He/she/ or it more than likely drives an Automatic too.

 

 

Of course I drive a six stick....I don't have the normal 20 mile traffic jam on my way to work and I got the mountain twisties seven miles away, that I'll drift from time to time under perfect conditions...ie I can see nothing is coming on the 120-160-180 corner; and my wife ain't with me. In spite of me never hitting anything while doing it; for some reason, she just don't trust my driving.

Living in Germany I can drive the hell out of the mountain twisties.

 

How ever with ever increasing use of radar to fill the states' coffers, I too may give up excitement for cruise control.

 

Did the teacher smear ink on himself?

 

 

Having used a ball point in the '50's and just got a couple of NOS sets from the mid '50's.

One needs the plastic clicker shaved a bit.

The other won't retract 100% if the pen is twisted totally shut.

That was normal BP as a '50's kid for me.

 

In that I have not written other to see that they work, I don't have to worry about the '50's ink smearing on the point..often a blue or black all over the brass end....making for real sticky smear everywhere '50's ink.

It was not ink that quickly dried on your fingers like Fountain pen ink...it was smeary on your fingers. Like finger print ink.

 

Ball points won because there were faster to use, and one didn't lose or break the top. If you dropped it on the point, you could replace the 'stift'. Hell I lost the English word for it.

Parker had a ball point cartridge; that was too expensive for working men's kids. You could get a pack of the 'stifts' for 10 cents, that would last half a year.

 

Fountain pen cartridges were also too expensive for working men's kids also. Sooner or later, you was going to run out of ink and have no money to buy new cartridges.

 

The real reason fountain pens died was they started giving away ball point pens for free.

That and you could get a Skill Craft Ball point for 10 cents or the cost of a bottle of 8 oz Coke, Pepsi was in a 10 oz bottle and Royal Crown was in 12 and later 16 oz bottles, when Coke and Pepsi went to 12 oz in bottles in the summer of '60.

 

Why don't you write a paper for an F- and tell him that. He unless he's 60 was not there. I was.

 

On second thought don't...a thing I learned a bit too late, but many teachers only want parroted back what they said. Original thought is not what they want. I was in collage when I finally realized not to gamble that way...It has to get them ...there....and they pat where most folks have a heart.

 

Take care ...with that teacher, give him what he wants.

 

PM me and I'll give you how to write a paper and get a good grade. I was ever so lucky, I had to take 101 English in night school. He was not an English teacher, he was not a teacher. I learned more English in the first 15 minutes of that class than in all my schooling before. I wrote a paper and knew exactly what I was doing...for the very first time....I was taught how to make and use a Theme paper for making clear concise Collage papers, in 15 minutes. That was a great teacher.

Edited October 6, 2010 by Bo Bo Olson

[Ghost Plane]

You have now learned a great and fundamental truth of life. Just because someone is hired to a position, does not mean they know what they are talking about.

[Ernst Bitterman]

I read once that ballpoints were developed for clumsy people that got ink all over themselves.

Any truth to this? Anyone have any other reasons?

 

ALSO: Lazy brutes can't be bothered to refill a pen; simple novelty of THE NEW THING displacing the old; inability to look at the long-term costs of constant replacement vs. refilling a lifelong pen (which may provoke a "Why ya got so many?" so let's not dwell on it).

[riff raff]

Yes, do ask for an explanation. I'd be interested in hearing it.

[macaddicted]

I suppose you could ask the teacher (out of curiosity, not to start an argument) why he wrote that. He may have some specific reason why he wants you to use a ballpoint. Or not. If he does, you should find it out.

Either way, there is a reason why people not only did not stop using those things, but why people are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of question in order to continue using those things. But this is not a subject worth picking a fight over. You can always carry a ballpoint just for his class.

ron

 

+1 about not worth fighting for.

Very wise. Fountain pens are nice, but the teacher makes the rules of the class. We should not take it as a matter of personal honor that the teacher dislikes the pens.

 

The problem is that it's worth fight for, but it's not worth risking your grade for. I had a professor who would close the door at the beginning of class. If you weren't in the room then you missed class that day. I'll readily agree with that as it pertained to class discipline. Coming back to the OPs point I'll even grant that Florida Blue might be a bit bright for reading and that a blue-black or black ink is a better choice. But why does it matter what tool a student uses to lay down the ink? Presumably a rollerball or gel pen is acceptable in addition to the ball point, so why not a FP? Would we agree that it would be out of bounds for the instructor to require a dress code more strict than that specified by the institution (Ties? Slacks? Skirts?) ? When I was in grad school every typed paper had to follow the schools formatting specifications. But would anyone think it was appropriate for the professor to say I have to complete the assignments using a PC? Or using only Word?

[KCat]

he might be concerned about spilling on papers he's grading. Use Noodler's WP black or the like.

[meiers]

Tell him from me (I am a teacher, too) that this comment is way out of line.

 

It reminds me of the time I got yelled at for illegally using a ballpoint pen and ordered to get out my fountain pen. [that was a few years ago.]

I expect my students to write thoughtfully and legibly in blue or black ink. That is the only reasonable demand a teacher could make.

 

Have a conversation with your teacher and tell him that you enjoy fountain pens.

 

Matt

[meiers]

You have now learned a great and fundamental truth of life. Just because someone is hired to a position, does not mean they know what they are talking about.

 

 

Thank you GP

[Bo Bo Olson]

On second thought don't don't write a paper on fountain pens...a thing I learned a bit too late, but many teachers only want parroted back what they said. Original thought is not what they want. I was in collage when I finally realized not to gamble that way...It has to get them ...there....and they pat where most folks have a heart.

 

Take care ...with that teacher, give him what he wants.

 

PM me and I'll give you how to write a paper and get a good grade. I was ever so lucky, I had to take 101 English in night school. He was not an English teacher, he was not a teacher. I learned more English in the first 15 minutes of that class than in all my schooling before. I wrote a paper and knew exactly what I was doing...for the very first time....I was taught how to make and use a Theme paper for making clear concise Collage papers, in 15 minutes. That was a great teacher.

[TWRDO]

You could just say the inordinate amount of pressure required to write with a ballpoint inflames your carpal tunnel, and/or aggravates your arthritis.