Need to complain to school

neverdespairgirl

izoomzoom wrote: »

Computer mouse changed for left handed use.

And there are lots of legislation in place .... mainly calls for reasonable adjustments to be considered.

"Reasonable adjustments" is a phrase from disability legislation. Being left-handed isn't disabled.

Poppy9

My DD is left handed. Good teachers will make small adjustments to accommodate left-handed pupils.

One of the simplest and most beneficial thing when younger children are learning to write it to sit them on the left edge of a desk or next to another leftie so when writing they don't clash arms.

Left handed scissors are usually available in most schools but often in short supply, Strangely my DD, who is now 16, was moaning about lack of in school recently. They rarely cut out now but were told to cut some diagrams out and stick in book and only 1 pair of left handed scissors available and someone got there first. She said the paper just folded when she tried to cut with the right handed ones. When she was in infant/junior school she kept her own left handed scissors in her pencil case. She adapted and got her friend to cut out for her:D

Ring binders if they use them, she might find easier to use back to front if she has to write on paper in them.

Buy her a left handed pencil sharpener. DD manages with a normal one but when younger she used to like to have her own left handed stuff so again she kept it in her pencil case.

Computer mouse. Huge advantage to using it right handed for lefties is that they can write and operate mouse at same time. I did initially show DD how to change mouse herself to left handed mode but she didn't bother after a while as she's okay with it in right handed mode.

Reception teacher should know the child is left handed as they teach them to form certain letters differently.

Tin opener is a problem and she broke mine but most tins have ring pulls.

She tried left handed pens and still likes quick drying ink ones as she's a smudger.

She had a left handed ruler, more for novelty than useful

She played hockey with a right handed stick and played a right handed guitar.

She uses cutlery the the correct way around.

It's a right handed world and most lefts are quite ambidexterous because they've grown up having to use both hands.

When younger DD would wait to see if new class teacher would ask who was left handed. If they didn't ask and she wasn't on edge of desk she would politely ask the teacher to move because she didn't want to clash arms. She had a couple of teachers who were left-handed and they would always be the ones to ask first lesson!

jamespir

how old is she and does it really matter can she not put the mouse on the other side etc

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Other than lefthanded scissors and fountain pen nibs, my sister and her husband have managed fairly well since the 1950s without any fancy equipment. They use computers the same way round as everyone else.

It's not essential to get everything special for them and can make it harder for them in later schooling when they can't cope without extra equipment.

i.like.cats

Poppy9 wrote: »

She played hockey with a right handed stick and played a right handed guitar.

Interestingly, Jimi Hendrix was a right handed guy who played a left handed guitar. Not that that has much relevance to this thread, sorry

About pens and pencils, sharpeners, etc. when i was at school everyone was expected to bring their own, is this not the case anymore? If not then no wonder schools are complaining of not having any money!

Kaz2904

Funnily enough, my DH is the only right hander in a family of lefties. He's the only one who eats with cutlery back to front too. Unfortunately, both of our kids do too. The pair of them took ages to decide if they were left or right handed and still swap from hand to hand now. One of mine (I can't remember which ) was saying a couple of months ago that they get cramp when writing too much (don't we all?) so they just switch hands and write with the other one.
I get very confused and still lay the table correctly so they all switch their cutlery around when they sit down for meals.
One thing that I do know is not to ever use my MiL's knives or BiL/Sil (DH's brother and his wife). I tried it once and nearly cut my fingers off because her knives are used to cutting to the left. Now, I take my own sharp knife if I'm going to be prepping veggies at their houses!
Their ironing boards also lean the away from me because they stand the other side to do their ironing. BiL/SiL's kids are more right handed than mine despite being from 2 left handed parents. Funny isn't it?
All of them use the mouse with the buttons on the right hand setting but put it to the left hand side of the keyboard. They did have a mac once which is set up opposite to a normal pc and seems very left handed.
My DH laughs at me because I am so incapable of doing anything at all with my left hand !

mirrorimage0

one of my sons is left handed and i didnt even thin twice about buying him what he needed to cope better ie the stabilo pens and pencils (athough when i emailed them to enquire about thier products and where to purchase they did send me a few freebies worth a try)
scissors etc

at the end of the day he is my son and i will prepare him for the world and how to cope

just wanted to add my son is also dyslexic and our local borough does not provide testing for this nor give the schools extra funding for equipment but approaching the school in the correct way and talking things through i have managed to get him extra help and equipment for this.

Caroline73_2

This isnt about being left or right handed but the OP being heavy handed!

OP you don't need to complain about this, just make an appointment with the teacher and say that your child is struggling and you'd like to discuss how you and the school can work together to help. Maybe no-one there is a leftie so hasn't really considered it. How about asking for help in setting up a left handed kit.

Mupette

I'm a leftie, my son is a leftie (16) no adjustments were made just for him, he learnt to use the computer at school just the same as others, he will now move his mouse to the left of the keyboard but the buttons are all the same.

As it has been said before there is nothing much in life provided for a leftie, apart from scissors etc..


OP what you should be looking at is that the school does not force your child to write with her right hand..

storming in demanding specialist equipment and adjustments are not going to work, being left handed is not a disability, but a gift, aparently we are more artistic!!

dibuzz

My eldest is left handed despite the efforts of ex MIL. Every time he picked a toy up in his left hand she took it off him and put it in his right which just used to frustrate him.
When he started school I never thought about the school providing things and apart from scissors there wasn't really much anyway then.
He has managed fine, being in IT he has found it simpler to use the mouse the right handed way, the only thing I ever needed to buy was left handed scissors.