Need to complain to school

PoorCharleyBear

I use a mouse a lot and so have taught myself to be ambidextrous with a mouse.
It probably took 2 days and now feels completely natural either way although I could not write with my left hand to save my life.

No huge effort to be left handed with a mouse!

FBaby

Another LH person who never thought twice about using LH machinary and absolutely can't use the mouse with my left hand. It didn't even come to my mind to use the mouse on the left. I also have a RH co-worker who prefers using the mouse on the left (was quite funny when we used to share a desk).

Poppy9

milliebear00001 wrote: »

LOL. Funny, cos we teachers usually blame the parents when we get a chronically disorganised or badly behaved child...

Managing behaviour MEANS moving children around - it was always thus. That IS meeting the needs of the well-behaved children, who will be far more likely to get a good education if their lessons are not constantly disrupted by poorly behaved kids. Behaviour management though, is only one small reason why children need to move around a classroom. Most of the important reasons are to do with effective teaching and learning.

How nice to have the luxury of being an 'armchair expert' though! Off topic, but you are exactly the kind of person whom I would LOVE to hand a class of thirty can't-be-arsed teenagers over to for a bit - you wouldn't last an hour!

The poster I quoted, a teacher, was the person who said how the pupils behaved. I commented what a lovely insight into the classroom it was and how different to my days in school/college.

My DD was on the receiving end of "behaviour management" in primary school. This meant teacher would move disruptive pupils next to her in the hope that her good behaviour would rub off on them and then I had DD complain about how they disturbed her! Plus she could never work out why badly behaved children were rewarded when the ocassionally behaved but well behaved children weren't. When I was in school badly behaved children were sent to stand in the corner (though no dunces hat) to reflect on their behaviour or to stand outside the door they weren't given stars or medals.

At secondary level, all the classes she was streamed in the learning enviroment was much better. Maybe it was the teachers had higher expectations of the pupils and they lived up to it.

At A levels now I'm not impressed when I hear of a teacher chucking a pupils bag out of the window for a laugh and trying to be their "mate" etc. They are all saying "he's a good laugh but he doesn't teach us much".

I wouldn't be fazed by a large classroom of children because I'm not the sort of person who is fazed by things like that. I've helped at afterschool clubs, run the school discos at primary every year while DD there, been chaperone at swimming galas, drama and dance shows etc. I was always asked to be a chaperone as I was known for having the best behaved group, and there were some confident, challenging children at these events (oh and pushy mums).

Have a party in my honour though and I'd die as I hate being centre of attention.

Anyway off topic. It's no big deal swapping the buttons on a mouse and if a pupil requests it I can't see why a school would object.

Poppy9

PoorCharleyBear wrote: »

I use a mouse a lot and so have taught myself to be ambidextrous with a mouse.
It probably took 2 days and now feels completely natural either way although I could not write with my left hand to save my life.

No huge effort to be left handed with a mouse!

I have tried because it would be mean I could write and operate my computer at the same time but I just can't master it. I tried after seeing one of my colleagues use his mouse LH and write RH. I thought it was brill but for the life of me I have zero co-ordination in moving the cursor around LH. The strange thing is I can write a bit with my left hand and will use both hands to iron and I type and use both hands equally. I can't even use the pad on my laptop with my left hand which annoys me. Maybe when I have more time I'll get the knack!

mikeandrach_2

i havent read all of this thread, but the whiney opening statement of i have to go in to complain that my left handed kid is being discriminated against (or words to that effect), pretty much sums up all that is wrong with our society. if your kid chooses or has developed to be left handed, they will improvise to make right handed things work. left handed people are not special and therefore dont deserve special treatment. there are millions of starving kids in the world and you are whining about this??? get a grip woman

Tiddlywinks

mikeandrach wrote: »

i havent read all of this thread, but the whiney opening statement of i have to go in to complain that my left handed kid is being discriminated against (or words to that effect), pretty much sums up all that is wrong with our society. if your kid chooses or has developed to be left handed, they will improvise to make right handed things work. left handed people are not special and therefore dont deserve special treatment. there are millions of starving kids in the world and you are whining about this??? get a grip woman

I was hovering over the "thanks" button for your post until I got to the highlighted bit - very, very few children CHOOSE to be left-handed, it is how their brain is programmed to work.

I still do think the OP is being a bit precious about this issue though - as many others have said, the mouse settings do not need to be changed around. I think the OP is an overly protective parent and should see that encouraging her DD to adapt to an essentially right-handed world would serve her better than fighting for her right to be different.

mikeandrach_2

but i like being thanked!


lol, joking aside i did also add if the kid develops into being left handed, ie is naturally/becomes. maybe could have been worded better, but im a bloke so cut me some slack.

i know loads of left handed people, magically every single one of them lives pretty normal lives. except one, hes nuts, not due to being left handed though.

i really do think some people need to just grow some balls and get on with life.

mikeandrach_2

anyone got martins email address???

im illiterate and need to complain that having a website that relies on words is discriminatory

(might get some compo out of this too ;-) )


i'm going to give him hell, he should have a picture based forum site aswell for those of us who cant read.

and a free paper version for those of us who dont have the internet, he is discriminating against non internet users by having this forum 100% online

phunkles

I was going to post a long reply to the comments made about my post, but its not worth the time or the effort and would take the post off topic.
You have obviously never been in a classroom with 30 11-19year olds - and youd be surprised how often passwords and usernames are forgotten as for saving documents - you can say name it a certain name til your blue in the face your still going to have a handful who name every file ksjsndajsns1 kfnwefnjwejw wjqjwnqjq etc - ive been into pupils systems and seen it myself. 2 clicks yes in an ideal world would be lovely to give every child the option but in reality no child wants to high light themselves in anyway that makes them different!
As for behaviour management - did you not think that seating plans for behaviour can also be made to seperate two pupils who are under performing whilst next to each other or improving the attainment of one pupil who is being affected by a 'friend' sorry your daughters one experience has shaped your view of the whole education system and the method of behaviour management
Thanks for your critique on my teaching though!!!Much obliged for that! I shall be sure to send your posts to ofsted to amend the rating they gave me!!!

FatVonD

I've not read the whole thread so apologies if this has already been said but I do think they should be supplying left-handed scissors. As a right-handed person I've tried them and they're impossible to use so I can imagine how difficult it is for a left-handed child to use regular scissors.