Writing Weird

A Reader wrote:


So here's a little background. I was taught in the 90's when left-handed writing was never discouraged. However, I can't remember any teacher expressly giving writing directions to lefties either. All the way up to second grade I wrote some of my letters backwards (to the point where I failed a grade over not being able to form proper letters). I know in the FAQ it says that left handed children might do this, but I must have been especially dense to not correct in for three years. Anyway, I'm in honors and AP high school classes so no grudges to the teachers who got me here.

What's bothersome is that I hold a pen/pencil really weird. Searching for it on the internet, only one website I found mentions my approach at all: http://volume22.blogspot.com/2004/04/monkey-grip.html. He calls my way of writing a monkey grip. I love that nickname. Here is the picture they use: http://img1.photobucket.com/albums/1003/dvoyy/p11_124.jpg. When people talk about lefties having trouble holding a pen they don't even give this as an example. I use my ring and middle fingers to form words. The thumb holds the pen in my hand. I'm sure my penmanship would be ten times better with the method this and other left-hand specific websites say is best, but at seventeen I'm still pretty set in my way about writing. Between notes, homework, and random scribbling I can't change this particular bad habit while it is the quickest system for me to write. So, I'm just curious if the way I hold a pen is because I'm left-handed or am I just odd in that area?

Righties teaching lefties

This comment was recently posted by Trisha. Since it's buried in the comments to another post, not everyone may see it, so I want to quote it here: "Remember righty parents, EVERYTHING you're showing your child looks to them like you're doing it in a mirror. Try it looking in a mirror and see if it confuses you-if it does, seek an alternate route of teaching or another lefty to help."

Help for teachers and parents of left-handed children!!

A Reader wrote:


Just wanted to let visitors to your website know about our new website. Parents and teachers of young left-handed children will find it of particular interest.

Some background info: LeftHand N.Z. is a specialist lefty shop in New Zealand, created by a left-hander for left-handers and we have been supplying a full range of left-handed products by mail order for the last two years. We have recently developed a website:

http://www.lefthandnz.com

to make it easier for our loyal customers to access our information and products.

We specialise in helping teachers and parents of young left-handed children by providing information about how to teach a left-handed child:

* how to write comfortably and well as a left-hander and
* how to guide the young left-hander to improve their scissors skills.

We have two unique products in this area:

1: Our "Little Lefty Set" - which is a left-handed stationery set (for children approx. 3 to 8 years old)

2: Our "Write-on Wipe-off Workbook" for teaching handwriting skills to LEFT-handed children. Our Handwriting Workbook contains a STEP-BY-STEP learning programme for teaching handwriting, useful tips and guidelines for parents and teachers, LEFT-handed letter formations and laminated worksheets for endless practice. It is ideally suited for lefty children aged from 4 to about 7 years old. More information can be found on our website.

We can accept orders from other countries in the world apart from New Zealand. The process at this stage is a bit cumbersome but we are working towards a solution to make this much easier.

We invite you to visit our new website soon!

help.......

A Reader wrote:


Hello,
I was forced to use the right hand when I was 7 years. Today I am 53 years. I can write using my left hand, but I still feel kind of tense or rigid. I have been training since I was 21 years. But I feel messy yet.

Are there specific exercises, or drills so I can intensify my self training? You can suggest a site our a neuroscientist, maybe.

Thanks for your help and I apologize for my Italian-English; I am Brazilian born, but with an American soul!!


Celso
celsochini@gmail.com