Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tottenhamtaipeinick]

I had a meeting this morning with some clients and had to discuss new bushfire regulations for Townhouses.......... Failing to tell my point I decided to show them on a white board in the conference room....

It wasn't embarrassing but trying to tell myself I am not retarded would go along way. I am left handed and using the whiteboard was fricking difficult to not smudge the writing and then trying not to smudge the writing made it look like a 7 yr old was writing for the first time in his life because the way I had to hold the pen.....

Ok it was a little embarrassing considering it was a meeting with clients but you guys are teachers and have to do this on a daily basis so any ways to overcome being a lefty on a whiteboard! Geezz to think I am coming to Korea to teach haha

[micechasekittens]

Being a lefty can be difficult. My handwriting gets critiqued often. When I take my time and don't rush, it doesn't look as awful. If you have a classroom with a projector, I find using powerpoint and typing out your instructions/lecture beforehand helps. I did that when I taught adults back in the States.

My classroom just has a whiteboard so I have to make do. Finer tip boardmarkers don't smudge as easily.

I also have to remind myself to hand things over with my right hand, because doing so with one's left hand is considered rude.

[Landros]

i'm a lefty and I know exactly what you are talking about. If the white board is on wheels push it back against a wall. also just don't touch the white board with the side of your left hand. you have to let the marker touch the board and get used to keeping your hand lifted from the board. don't rest it on it. you can use your right hand to steady the board if it moves around a little.

you'll get the hang of it with a little practice.

[johnnyrook]

You know I'm left-handed and though I'm familiar with the whole ink smudging problem I've never had it while writing on the board.

Those marker pens have much bigger nibs than a pen and you write much bigger on the board than in a notebook, which means you really don't need as fine control, so your grip can be further down the pen. Well, that's what I find anyway.

[johnnyrook]

Btw, has anyone ever had a student that is left-handed? I've been looking out for one since I've arrived and never seen any. I've asked some of my students about this and they always maintain that Korea has many left-handers, despite none of them actually knowing anyone at their schools who write left-handed.

The closest I've heard from any koreans is some people who are ambidexterous, but do everything right-handed anyway, so who knows how proficient they really are with their left-hand? I can write right-handed and I play sport right-handed/footed but I don't really think I'm that ambidexterous.

[micechasekittens]

I have quite a few lefthanded students. I was actually surprised to discover that, because I know some left handers are pressured to use their right hand. I even had a kindergarten teacher who refused to teach me how to write since I used my left hand. I just knew that I had to trace the letters and in a sense taught myself which can explain my poor penmanship.

[decolyon]

I had a student that was left handed. His parents and Korean teachers instructed me to force him to use his right hand. I thought this rather cruel and intolerant, but did it none the less. Poor kid. Good that they started on him when he was young though. He was in 2nd grade then. He's almost in 6th now and his right handed penmanship is just as good as his classmates. Sometimes even more because he still has to force it.

I had a friend in high school that got so sick of the ink smudging and had tried to learn right handed, but totally failed. Instead, he figured out a way to write all his words in reverse. Meaning, he would start on the right side of the paper and write "cat" for example t-a-c. I thought this was a kind of extreme, round-about way of solving the problem. But he stuck with it and I'm pretty sure he still writes this way. Talk about having to plan out what you want to write a head of time.

I know these little anecdotes don't relate to the OP's post, but I thought they were fun to share.

OP, learn to write right handed. Left handers, like gingers, have no soul. Learning to write right handed wont save your wicked soul from the eternal hellfire, but at least people wont know you're already doomed for damnation.

[mj roach]

sounds like you've got the typical lefty
contorted 'curling' of the hand at the wrist

just straighten your hand and hold the marker
perpendicular to the board - easy with a little practice

[tomato]

I'm left-handed, but for some reason, I can't hold chopsticks any other way than right-handed.
I had a few left-handed students in a public school job.
I watched to see which hand they used to hold chopsticks and found that they held chopsticks left-handed.