Need to complain to school

dizziblonde

I'm the only rightie in a family of lefties. The only thing they do with the computer mouse is to move it to the other side of the keyboard - neither of them can be bothered with the faff of reversing mouse buttons and what-not, and we don't buy the curved type ergonomic mice which would be hand-specific.

Scissors - all schools have some left handed scissors - half of the time the right-handers are obsessed with trying to prove they can cut out with them for some reason only known to the logic of kids (it's not the handles that are the issue, it's the way the blades are - you can't see the line you're cutting along if you use the "wrong-handed" ones).

One of the things that occurred to me last night when I was tutoring - was when I'm doing handwriting work and writing up words as examples for a child to copy - it's much easier for the left-handed lad I was working with if I write my initial word at the right hand side of the page so he can see it to work from as his hand moves along, also sitting on the other side of a left-handed child so I can see what they're writing as they're writing, seating them in a sensible place on tables so they don't bash elbows with a right-handed child as they're writing... it's mainly adaptations like that, slight differences in how you angle paper and the like when writing rather than actual "stuff" - which they'll be doing anyway in-school.

Fountain and gel pen can be a bother - but my brother resolutely uses fountain pen even now anyway and has just learnt how to write without smudging it (he's still got awful handwriting though)! Basically anything that doesn't dry instantly - a left-hander drags their hand over what they've just written moving along the line of the page. Chequebooks used to be another one because folding the page back to write on the stub, while manouvering your writing hand to get very close to the fold like you have to with them, is quite tricky if you're left-handed (my mum considered switching bank to get a left handed chequebook when they came out) - but since cheques are dying a slow miserable death (to the extent my husband can't even remember how to fill one in) - that's not really a factor now, but any kind of books where you have to write very close to the page fold, or ringbinders like someone mentioned, have the same sort of issue going on.

The only other thing that particularly my mum really moans about are potato peelers (of all things)... not really an issue in the average reception class. Oh and if you ever learn to knit - my mum could never teach me to knit because she reverses the patterns or something like that... I survived that loss unscathed!

newcook

Poppy9 wrote: »

I'm trying to visualise but can't! How are they fiddly?

because the bit that needs to be opened to slip the keys in is usually on the left side meaning that its opened with the left hand to put the key on/take it off with the right.
It just seems a little fiddly to me for my weaker hand doing the work when my stronger hand just prises opens the keyring!
Luckily Ive got a couple of keyrings (only just checked!!) that seem to open from the right – I find them a damn sight easier to take off than the other ones!

MackemPunk

i.like.cats wrote: »

Nah, he was predominantly right handed. A lot of people think that cause he played left-handed that he must have been left-handed. He wasn't - he wrote with his right hand. But yeah you're right in that he played a right-handed guitar re-strung for left-handed use as opposed to a "proper" left-handed guitar (there wreen't many proper left-handed guitars made at that time). To me, a guitar strung for left-handed use IS a left-handed guitar, albeit a makeshift one with the dials in the "wrong" place.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/feb/25/jimi-hendrix-ambidexterity-virtuosity

see here
He was born left handed but his father forced him to change.

Birdy12

Enough with Jimi...:cool:

i.like.cats

MackemPunk wrote: »

see here
He was born left handed but his father forced him to change.

Rather than turn this thread into a fight about what constitutes right or left handedness and which definition should be forced onto Hendrix can we just agree that he was a god?

And that there may very well be advantages to having a high degree of versatility and ambidexterity?

kazmc

my DD is 9 and left-handed. It has never even occurred to me to make sure there is left-handed equipment available in school.... blimey what a bad mum
There's a whole big wide world out there for them to learn to bumble through without wrapping them up in cotton wool for the journey.
Just my opinion

Tiddlywinks

Why does your DD need to use the mouse with the buttons configured to left-hand mode? As many can confirm (and have on this thread) it is easier to get used to using it the standard way if having to share equipment.

The Head Teacher is right - changing settings needs to be done each time by an administrator. Not because they are being difficult but to protect the integrity of the system and prevent unauthorised changes. Why make this an issue for them?

As to your DD, you are her mother and should be normalising her life not reiterating her differences all the time. Life can be hard and helping her to adapt now could save her a lot of heartache later.

pulliptears

Birdy12 wrote: »

Enough with Jimi...:cool:

Just to further throw great musicians into the mix, Kurt Cobain wrote with his right hand yet played guitar with his left.
Sabbath's Tony Iommi plays left handed, as does Bob Geldof.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

i.like.cats wrote: »

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

That looks like a common or garden right handed guitar turned upside down and restrung the other way round to me.

Kinda got onto my area of meaningless junk information, there.

mrs_marty

By all means have a conversation with the head of nursery, and try to avoid a stand off, as you want to enjoy a good relationship with the teachers and school.

I agree with the left handed scissors and consideration to the mouse, as cutting skills are high up the list of skills for a child and must add to frustrations if the "cant do it" when really they can but just not with given equipment.

Hope it goes well