Purple Marker

This morning I proctored an English exam for one of the Sophomore English classes. After some multiple choice questions they were prompted to write an essay about Catcher in the Rye. With 5 minutes left of the exam, I noticed that one student had be writing her essay in purple marker. I wasn't sure what to think of this. Maybe her pen ran out? Maybe this was some kind of statement? Maybe it is kind of awesome because if I could, I would use a purple marker for everything too. If I had noticed earlier, I would have offered her my extra pen.

You see something new everyday, even in a high school. I wonder what Holden Caulfield would have though about using a little kid's marker to write a serious final exam essay. Something tells me he might have approved as an effort to keep kids from growing up.