Need to complain to school

aliasojo

I always knew that. :D

Sequeena

mildred1978 wrote: »

Left handed bread knives can make a difference too. Most lefties can't cut bread neatly with a right handed knife, and normal butter knives cause us to mash the bread up because the grooves are on the wrong side.

And I thought I was just crap at buttering bread :rotfl:

Lunar_Eclipse

quantumleap wrote: »

I can't comment on the left vs. right handed debate but the crux of the "complaint" seems to be the issue with the mouse settings. I work in a grammar school with over 1000 pupils and there are quite a few left handed pupils. I teach I.T. and to be honest I've never had a request from a pupil or parent to do this.

The OP discusses how easy it is - well yes on a standalone home computer it is easy. However on a networked school environment where users (teachers) are not administrators it is most likely not easy. You also have to bear in mind that the computer will have to be changed and then reset every time it is used. the view, I suspect, of your average teacher would be that, quite frankly, this is not a practical thing to be doing.

No it doesn't. The practical thing to do is to ensure that a number (approximately 10% but you could check in all your lessons this week) of your computers are changed permanently.

I'm really shocked by this. It's completely unacceptable that the above scenario exists, in a school of all places. Please remedy this situation. I'm astounded that no-one has ever raised this as an issue; have none of your students ever said anything?

Lotus-eater

mildred1978 wrote: »

Left handed bread knives can make a difference too. Most lefties can't cut bread neatly with a right handed knife, and normal butter knives cause us to mash the bread up because the grooves are on the wrong side.

My OH can't cut bread either and if she cuts it after I have, then it ends up a mess.
So I'm the designated bread cutter in this house, then I know we're not going to get a doorstep one end and nothing the other.

crispy_chris

I'm left handed and have never felt at any disadvantage using right handed things because I've never known any different.

The only exception to this, which has been mentioned many times, is scissors - but only at schools because they're so blunt. At home I use right handed scissors which, because they are sharp, don't end up folding the paper like they did when I was a lad.

Show me a left handed ruler or something and I just get annoyed at it and throw it away for a 'normal' right handed one!

And 'normal' mouse but held in the left hand wins for me too, that way nobody gets confused if they suddenly need to use my PC!

milliebear00001

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

No it doesn't. The practical thing to do is to ensure that a number (approximately 10% but you could check in all your lessons this week) of your computers are changed permanently.

I'm really shocked by this. It's completely unacceptable that the above scenario exists, in a school of all places. Please remedy this situation. I'm astounded that no-one has ever raised this as an issue; have none of your students ever said anything?

But that completely presupposes an awful lot about your average classroom. In your scenario, there would need to be more than one computer (rarely the case) and all the left handed children in every lesson, would need to use the same pre-configured machines and work in the same place in the classroom everytime - this rarely happens, nor is it desirable for many, many reasons that will be instantly obvious to a classroom teacher, but are not to a parent.

Lunar_Eclipse

milliebear00001 wrote: »

But that completely presupposes an awful lot about your average classroom. In your scenario, there would need to be more than one computer (rarely the case) and all the left handed children in every lesson, would need to use the same pre-configured machines and work in the same place in the classroom everytime - this rarely happens, nor is it desirable for many, many reasons that will be instantly obvious to a classroom teacher, but are not to a parent.

I assumed that an IT teacher in a grammar school of over 1000 pupils was a secondary school, with more than one computer, so the environment is different to the one you describe.

Having said that, our infant school had two fixed PCs in every class and about 12 laptops in each of the Y2 classrooms when the children started doing ICT lessons. Our junior school has two IT suites (1 computer between 2), akin to those in secondary schools.

I appreciate teachers have different priorities to parents. My opinion, albeit developed through having a LH child, is not subjective based on how she's been treated (no issues), but an objective one based on what I believe is appropriate behaviour for how pupils are treated in school and the fact that the environment should be equally suitable for left or right handed children. Hassle factor and practicality aside, let's be mature about this and admit what is right. All schools manage to make legal adjustments for wheelchair access regardless of whether anybody in the school uses a wheelchair; all teachers know there will be left handed pupils in the school. I honestly can't believe I'm reading this about what goes on inside schools.

sassyblue

The only thing that annoys the hell out of me (as a left-hander) is that the writing on pens is always upside down, oh to have a left-handed PEN!!! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: (Yes l know they do exist like that).

Scissors are annoying but apart from that l use everything as a right hander. OP l think you're over-reacting.

Lunar_Eclipse

milliebear00001 wrote: »

all the left handed children in every lesson, would need to use the same pre-configured machines and work in the same place in the classroom everytime - this rarely happens, nor is it desirable for many, many reasons that will be instantly obvious to a classroom teacher, but are not to a parent.

Surely, it is far more important that a LH child uses a machine configured for her physical needs, than anything else? It's great for children to work with different partners and of same/different abilities, but if they struggle with operating the equipment due to its configuration, it's all elementary my dear Watkins.

milliebear00001

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

I assumed that an IT teacher in a grammar school of over 1000 pupils was a secondary school, with more than one computer, so the environment is different to the one you describe.

Having said that, our infant school had two fixed PCs in every class and about 12 laptops in each of the Y2 classrooms when the children started doing ICT lessons. Our junior school has two IT suites (1 computer between 2), akin to those in secondary schools.

I appreciate teachers have different priorities to parents. My opinion, albeit developed through having a LH child, is not subjective based on how she's been treated (no issues), but an objective one based on what I believe is appropriate behaviour for how pupils are treated in school and the fact that the environment should be equally suitable for left or right handed children. Hassle factor and practicality aside, let's be mature about this and admit what is right. All schools manage to make legal adjustments for wheelchair access regardless of whether anybody in the school uses a wheelchair; all teachers know there will be left handed pupils in the school. I honestly can't believe I'm reading this about what goes on inside schools.

ICT suites would still need several machines set aside for left handers - not always possible given the shortage of machines and the need to move children around.

What is RIGHT, isn't always what is available or possible. That's life in state schools I'm afraid.