to not want my left-handed child to have to use a fountain pen ...

[Nickoka]

Child is in year 5. The school previously tried to get year 6s to use fountain pens but this year has extended policy to year 5.

My DD writes slowly and with 'hook hand' sometimes, so I bought her the Stabilo left handed rollerball pen in the holidays. The teacher however has issued (right handed) fountain pens and wants the kids to use them for everything but maths. I had a meeting with teacher. He was nice and it was a reasonable discussion. Teacher's argument was they wanted all children to be the same. However I think fountain pens are a rubbish idea in the 21st century for left handed children, just causing smudging and frustration. I don't want to buy a left-handed one as suggested by the teacher. Am I just being stubborn or am I right to fight this? Views from lefties particularly sought!

YADNBU The teacher needs to get their priorities sorted out.

exoticfruits
I would find writing backwards from right to left easier too.

I struggle with birthday cards as they are often made with slightly shiny paper which smudges so easily. I have to put a piece paper over what I've just written or else it will smudge. I often resort to pencil instead.

I hope they do now Exoticfruit but in the dark ages when I was at primary we sat in strict alphabetical order with the girls on the right and the boys on the left. Typing was my salvation, now I can sit next to anyone and not interfere with them. Also all my letters and numbers are the correct way around when they are not when I write: D's and B's, E's, Z's and 3's etc.

I would say to be careful just how right handed you push a left handed child. I got terribly confused - I still can't knit, or use a can opener, or play golf (this may be a good thing) because I simply cannot get my befuddled brain to understand if I should be doing it left or right handed.

YANBU. DD3 isn't left but is Dyspraxic . She uses a very peculiar grip when writing and was unable to use a fountain pen at primary school because of this. The school let me buy owns suitable for her. When age went to Hugh school she and all the other students were allowed to use what ever own they wanted to.

I also wanted to say a big thanks to pugsandseals for the link to the left handed website. My DS is 3 and seems to favour his left hand, myself and DH are both right handers (my dad is a leftie with by his own admission very poor hook handed writing skills).

I was a bit on how to teach DS hand positioning. He's also just started doing letter shapes at preschool so I will check which way they are teaching him too

It is the schools responsibility legally to provide ALL classroom equipment ( I am a teacher and this drives me bonkers as pens go missing everyday - arrgh~) so why has this teacher only provided RH pens and not LH ones???? You have provided a LH pen, if he wants her to use the same as the rest he needs to provide it not you! From a purely logical POV I think kids have enough barriers to learning as it is without making up new ones. It is entirely reasonable to ask kids to try out a range of different pens and to experiment until they find one that WORKS FOR THEM!!! not all kids are the same - we all have different learning styles and this should be taken into account!! I would support the teacher by saying that you agree to your daughter experimenting with the pen he has favoured, ( you never know - it might be the thing that does work for her!!), but that if this is NOT HELPING her you would expect him to show some professionalism and allow her to try out other options!!

I'd be sticking with the pen you have bought for her. The school are being ridiculous.

I found writing on an interactive while board hell (much as I love them), I simply couldn't stand in the position that I wanted-the shadow falls in the wrong place.

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I don't have a problem with digital ink, no shadow issue, nothing. That doesn't make you an excuse making, whingy type.

It just means people, being all different and everything, tend to find that a tool that others may a breeze can have barriers to ease of use for them.

All hail a range of implements available, so they can be chosen to suit. Rather than one size fits all, regardless of individual disadvantage.

I think the answer is that you let the DC work out what suits them best. Even as a left hander my writing is best with a fountain pen (this thread has made me think that I ought to find it) but I accept that some left handers can't cope. I have never known a school insist on one particular pen and they are generally very good at helping those with problems, e.g. pencil grips and slopes for the desk top.

I do however get fed up with people telling left handers they are awkward. Even now my mother is likely to say 'I can't stand watching you with that knife'-to which I say 'don't watch then!' It is very easy for a DC to roll out the excuse that they can't do something or they do it badly because they are left handed.

YANBU. I'm a leftie and was not permitted to use left-handed scissors in primary school. They had them, but only gave them out to those who really were left-handed. They never believed me . And I was told off time and time again for my cutting. I think the teacher is behaving outrageously and it's a typical attitude of a right-hander: my own husband thinks I struggle with the can opener on purpose and my cutting's crap because I'm lazy (he chucked out my left-handed scissors after he used them for one of his master's projects - just don't ask).

There was a massive craze for fountain pens when I was at secondary school and I had to give up as my work was an absolute mess.

I love fountain pens, I really really love them and have fond memories of using them at school, but they should be optional. Making any type of pen compulsory is a bit weird.

I love them as a left hander-I wouldn't force anyone to use them-I just hate the fact that people tell lefthanders it will be too difficult and they can't do it. Very often I am the first person the DC has come across who has said 'rubbish-there is no reason that you can't try and be good at it'. (if they have tried and they are not then fair enough-but at least get the poor DC a pen for lefthanders and let her try-she may well love it).

I am left handed. I spent hours in writing with a fountain pen at primary school. I had to blot after every word and still often smudged. I hated it. I am also a teacher and don't feel this is a fair approach from the teacher. Good luck.

OP - is your child the only leftie in the whole class? I think it's unlikely. Speak to the other parents and see what they think.

They are penalising your child for being different. I bet they have left handed scissors in school. So why not left handed pens if they have to use them and school supply them for eveyone else.

My mother was left handed and had her arm strapped down at school to prevent her using her left hand. Maybe the teacher would like to see that happening again....

I would be speaking to the head about this. Setting a child up to fail and not providing the equipment to enable them to complete the work, when everyone else is given what they need, is unacceptable.

why why why, just why do children need to use fountain pens in this day and age?

YADNBU.
They should be providing left handed pens if they are doing so with right handed ones. Also the hook handed writing is an isuue. DS1 is a hooked leftie (sounds great) and he always drags his hand through what he's just written. Tell the teacher you are prepared to try it, but if it doesn't work out you want her to use her leftie stabilo pen with no more fuss and nonsense.

Exotic Fruit - Schools make sure that a left hander is sitting where they are not bumping into a right hander.

That may be true in your school, but it is certainly not true in all schools. My DD is constantly complaining about how little desk space they have & how her & the boy next to her keep bumping arms when they are writing / colouring.

They did with my lefthanded DS-have you been in and asked?

I'm not left handed, but do write hook handed. (weirdo) don't know what the evidence is but I suffer terrible tendonitis if I have to write more than a few lines longhand. So id beware of anything that makes them exaggerate that wrist angle eg slow drying inks. And I would be interested to see if any research has been done on this.

I'm a leftie who had a similar policy at school and was forever getting into trouble for smudging my work. Getting a left handed fountain pen helped a lot, but what helped most was being able to type my essays/homework - a skill which is far more valuable than using a fountain pen! Having said that, I'd doubt I'd be as good a typist without this stupid policy, so perhaps it may have a silver lining?

What a fuss over nothing!! I'm a left handed messy writer but can use a normal fountain pen which does mould to your use. Life can be difficult!!

I live in the Middle East where all official documents are written in Arabic (i.e. right to left)

I have yet to see a Left handed local, and I am yet to see a smuged document