We can ease angst of colorblind youngsters.

Behind a wrinkled brow, my 11-year-old grandson, Brock, said, “Bop, I don’t know brown.”

I battled quivers sparked by my insensitivity after I’d casually asked Brock to hand me a brown envelope. His shrugged shoulders reminded me of his color blindness. I hugged my grandson, while struggling to mask watery eyes, and apologized. Then I yanked the brown envelope from my files.

For years, I had relished Brock’s gazelle-like athleticism. I photographed his honor-roll ceremonies. I thought I totally understood the boy, but his comment about “brown” hurled my emotions into free fall. I had not considered his color-vision deficiency.

This stirred a memory. I had mentored 500 dynamic and quality teachers in two states. When I observed interns, I visited each classroom several times a semester. I recall one mapskill lesson presented by a student teacher. On desks blanketed with white sheets of paper, students were asked to color and label states.

As my intern lectured, I saw two grinning boys working together. The smaller boy pointed things out to his friend. The taller boy cleared his throat repeatedly and kept drying his hands on his shirt. Suddenly, my intern’s supervising teacher leapt from her desk shouting, “Do your own work!” Color drained from both of the boys’ faces.

Although my student teacher was not involved in the classroom teacher’s confrontation, I suggested that she diplomatically speak to the teacher about the incident. Based on the chatter regarding color I had overheard, I suspected that the boys’ cooperative work related to color blindness.

I imagined the heartpounding angst buffeting a child’s struggling to identify color. Perhaps the student experienced the same stranglehold of stress I had felt when I lost the admission ticket to my SAT exam last century?

Before our next observation, my intern teacher said she had talked to the boys, and one knew of his pal’s struggles with colors and decided to help. I asked if her teacher was aware of the problem. The intern said when she told the teacher about the color deficiency, the teacher checked the student’s record and confirmed it. She apologized to the boys, adding, “I don’t have a heart of stone.’”

Colorblind youngsters are affected in other ways besides academics. At a basketball championship game involving young players, Brock experienced difficulty distinguishing the baselines at the courts used in tournament play. Out-of-bounds lines looked nearly the same color as the playing floor to him. In this sport, costly court changes are not necessary, just a recognition of possible color issues for some players and ensuring that these lines are more recognizable.

We’ve heard and applauded the success stories of former President Clinton, Howie Mandel and Mark Zuckerberg climbing to the pinnacle of their careers, despite this visual problem. Put yourself in the place of a young student with color-recognition difficulties, however, and imagine the increased pulse rate, fluttering stomach and sweaty palms when pressured by these visual issues.

Why not make life easier for children who say to grandparents, “Bop, I don’t know brown”?