Left-handed challenges
While the estimates vary, about 10 percent of the population is left-handed. I am one of that minority. The first time I realized that this was going to be problematic was in Catholic elementary school. The nuns taught us the Palmer method of handwriting, and they really meant business with this stuff! I vividly remember struggling mightily to craft the lower-case f; I kept getting it backwards. While the right-handed students easily managed to handle their fountain pens (yes, we were required to use fountain pens) I held my pen in an upside down, claw-like death grip. Every once in a while, a nun would smack my hand with her ruler because I just could not master this stuff.
There must have been more than one left-handed student in my class, but I can't recall anyone but me suffering through the Palmer method. My ink would smear as I dragged my helpless claw across the page. Eventually, the nuns succeeded and I have beautiful penmanship to this day. I wonder how much longer that will matter in our digital world.
When I went to college, I was introduced to those right-handed desks that I loathe to this day. While my non-lefty friends took their notes and their exams with relative ease, I spent considerable time twisting, turning, and contorting my way through the class. I still see these half-desk instruments of torture and I wonder if I could have been a better student if I had a suitable desk.
Here are just a few more challenges for lefties: spiral notebooks, three ring binders, scissors, number pads on right side of computer keyboards, ink stains on left hand, eating meals next to right-handed people. I admit that I struggle to learn exercise routines or dance moves. When my husband tried to teach me to play tennis, he told me that I had, "no hand-eye coordination." He's right. I wonder if I can blame that on my left-handedness, or if I'm just a klutz. I'll blame my left-handedness.
There must have been more than one left-handed student in my class, but I can't recall anyone but me suffering through the Palmer method. My ink would smear as I dragged my helpless claw across the page. Eventually, the nuns succeeded and I have beautiful penmanship to this day. I wonder how much longer that will matter in our digital world.
When I went to college, I was introduced to those right-handed desks that I loathe to this day. While my non-lefty friends took their notes and their exams with relative ease, I spent considerable time twisting, turning, and contorting my way through the class. I still see these half-desk instruments of torture and I wonder if I could have been a better student if I had a suitable desk.
Here are just a few more challenges for lefties: spiral notebooks, three ring binders, scissors, number pads on right side of computer keyboards, ink stains on left hand, eating meals next to right-handed people. I admit that I struggle to learn exercise routines or dance moves. When my husband tried to teach me to play tennis, he told me that I had, "no hand-eye coordination." He's right. I wonder if I can blame that on my left-handedness, or if I'm just a klutz. I'll blame my left-handedness.
My sister broke her right arm at age 3. That switched to be a lefty. Mom was, too and so was my stepdad so I was the only right-handed member in my house.
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