Mumsnet Talk

How do your left handers place their paper to write and do teachers try to influence?

My daughter is G&T leftie. She turns her paper so that it is Landscape and write from top to bottom. Very neat, very fast and comfortable for her. Her preference.

Today supply teacher told her to turn her paper and 'stop showing off' . Dd was nonplussed - even her classmates said " no that's how she writes miss". I asked if teacher was being jokey - no she was cross.

Another teacher has seems this as a problem in the past. I am gobsmacked tbh.

I write exactly the same! Some people just don't get it. (esp if they're not/don't know any lefties) I use left handed scissors but in my right hand. It's the only way they work. One teacher used to moan about it as she thought I was just being silly.
How old is your dd? I would talk to her teacher/form tutor and just explain situation. If It's how she works let her do it.

DP is also a leftie and does the same!

I will pop in again and have a word. I was thinking of making a little card saying "please respect my daughters writing method" signed raven. So that she canniest show it to anyone who interferes? Or would that just be a bit wanky?

She is 9 btw and was quite upset at this today. Also the TA didn't stick up for her

I got shouted at for knitting left handed when I was little, after my mom had spent ages teaching me. Some people are very ignorant.
I would speak to the teacher but also give her the card. Add "she is left handed and we support her in her choice of writing style. "
She's bound to be upset. Sounds a harsh and grumpy teacher. Say you want ta to respect her too.

Thanks. It's a shame cos she is so lovely and is really sensitive. Some teachers have very bad manners.

She should be able to write in a way that she is comfortable with. Don't think it has anything to do with G&T though?
I would speak to the teacher definitely.

No prob not but excels in all areas, so I would expect them to back off and let her be.

Dear Raven

Long gone are the days when left handed people had their hand tied behind their back so they were forced to write with their right hand. As a leftie myself, I would just have a word with the teacher explaining that as a leftie you are writing into your body as opposed to writing away from your body , so your paper does end up on a slant.

My niece used to have a teacher who kept straightening her paper. She always had it at an angle. My DD does as well, her little finger was always covered in pen/pencil from smearing the page as she writes.

info for the teacher

Unfortunately not all that long ago ClareMarriott as it happened to me and I'm not quite in my dotage. I also got taught a lovely rhyme about how left handed chidren are the children of the devil. Nice

However, after that barmy old bat of a teacher was pensioned off (head teacher was horrified when she found out) and I was allowed to use my left hand again I found it easiest to turn the paper side ways and write top to bottom. It's also easier to sit on the left hand side of a two person desk otherwise clashing results.

a lefty's page should ideally be slanted diagonally away, imagine pointing the corner towards the left hand of the person opposite.

the pen is held in exactly the same way, and the letters are formed the same, with the exception of the crossed letters (A T t E F H J ) whose crosses are done right to left instead of left to right.

a teacher should not influence the child's writing.
her way sounds fine if that's the way she does it already.
nasty teacher.

i have the paper landscape and write exactly the same as your dd. am left handed as are dp and ds3 and we all have the paper that way and right down towards ourselves.

the teacher needs to apologise!!

I'm right handed and turn the paper landscape and write upwards

whatever works for her?

in eastern countries, is it China where they write top to bottom?
there is a bigger proportion of lefties in the general population.
which kind of shows that direction of writing is a factor.
it's hard for lefties to right left-to-right.
in fact, when my head is lazy, i write more automatically in mirror. and it's perfectly neat when i do (not so fast though) and legible.
it is showing off though.

i'm at that horrible teacher. i don't know what i would have done. marched to the school, i think.

a left handed child should not sit to the right of a right handed child either.

ideally i tip the page so that the top left hand corner is tipped towards me and I write uphill, so I presume it would be opposite for a leftie?

The main thing is that the left handed person keeps the hand under the line of writing to preven t smudging issues.

bruffin i disagree with that link -it's much easier to write with the paper on the right side of the body, because you're then not writing into your armpit on the left margin

(but that might just be me and having to write closer to my body)
that person looksvery comfy

Thank you for all your support. It's crazy to think that there is still such ignorance in our schools.

My dh had his hand smashed with a wooden ruler whenever he tried to write with his left hand from the age of 7 until he left that part of the uk.

He is resolutely left handed (both his parents were too).

Any page position is fine IMO for a left hander. The only thing I find problematic is seeing a child trying to write with a claw style (turning hand in on itself) as I think this could lead to impediment of speed and damage to the hand in the longer term (I'm a leftie myself and former teacher). Much better to move the paper one is writing on than contort the hand.

I believe this for right-handers too, they may need to position a page differently.

That teacher was demonstrating profound ignorance .