lizv@tektools.UUCP (Liz Vaughan) (08/23/85)
Draconian teachers switching left-handed kids is not as long-gone as you might think - I had a real beast in first grade (about 1969) who was sure I was the spawn of the devil and kept telling my mother to pray for me. Needless to say, we left THAT school in a hurry. I'm mildly dyslexic anyway, so I can't imagine what switching would have done for me, but my grandfather was switched and routinely wrote/read words backwards all his life (was <=> saw etc). The thing with twins having opposite hand dominance is quite common; so are hair whorls in opposite directions, mirror image birthmarks and fingerprints, and the like. Why are people so uptight about this? It really isn't much of a handicap. Eating isn't nearly as much of a problem as you'd think; just be polite and don't stick your elbows out. The biggest problem I've ever had is "army" style can openers, and no-one to teach me sports. I think this is why lefties get a reputation for being klutzy - frequently there just isn't anyone to teach them to do it left-handed. For example, I was AWFUL at tennis for years because people kept trying to teach my to play right handed. I finally had a lefty camp counselor and discovered I was quite good at it! The thing someone posted about righty parents teaching their kids things using a mirro was helpful; even easier is just to face them - I learned to tie my shoes this way. Along the sports line, another pet bone to pick with teachers: DON'T make the kid take off his/her glasses. If they WANT to wear them for gym, chances are it's because they need to. I've worn lenses since I was 4, and literally can't see my hand in front of my face - objects come into sharp focus at about 4 inches. Especially with younger children, gym teachers tend to force kids to take off their glasses so they won't break them. Great - instead the kid gets a broken nose from a baseball coming out of hyperspace 8 inches in front of him. If your glasses-wearing child HATES gym/sports, find out if someone's making her/him take them off; often even insensitive teachers will respond to pressure from parents on this. Also, if your non-glasses wearing child has trouble with sports and/or a significant drop in school, attention level, etc, try having her eyes checked. Many a "slow learner" is discovered to be nearsighted years too late. You can monitor this yourself even with very young children; when riding in the car, get them to "read" signs (many of which don't use words these days), point out people and things at a distance etc. If the child says "what tree", take her to the eye doctor! Liz Vaughan ...tektronix!tektools!lizv
whitehur@tymix.UUCP (Pamela K. Whitehurst) (08/27/85)
In article <379@tektools.UUCP> lizv@tektools.UUCP (Liz Vaughan) writes: > For example, I was AWFUL at tennis for years because people kept >trying to teach my to play right handed. I finally had a lefty camp counselor >and discovered I was quite good at it! I discovered this spring that teaching knots to scouts requires knowledge of left and right handed techniques. Luckily we had a left-handed adult volunteer to teach the 10% we were not prepared for. -- PKW hplabs!oliveb!tymix!whitehur
suze@terak.UUCP (Suzanne Barnett) (08/27/85)
> Why are people so uptight about this? It really isn't much of a handicap. > Eating isn't nearly as much of a problem as you'd think; just be polite and > don't stick your elbows out. My mother is left handed. We solved the problem of clashing elbows by carefully arranging the seating pattern. At rectangular tables she always sits at the left end of a side or at the end of the table. Round tables don't seem to pose a problem. Even when 6 people are sitting at a table designed for 4. > Along the sports line, another pet bone to pick with teachers: DON'T make the > kid take off his/her glasses. If they WANT to wear them for gym, chances are Get a safety strap for the glasses so they don't fall off during active play. Also, be sure the child has hardened plastic lenses, not glass. This makes it much harder for the glasses to break, and if they do, minimizes any injury. Wearing glasses in this manner is MUCH safer than not, even disregarding the fact that now the child can see well. Why do you think eye doctors recommend eye protection for sports such as handball and racketball? -- Suzanne Barnett uucp: ...{decvax,hao,ihnp4,seismo}!noao!terak!suze phone: (602) 998-4800 us mail: CalComp, 14151 N 76th street, Scottsdale, AZ 85260