My mother was a natural left-hander, but was compelled at school (in the UK) on pain of punishment to write right handed. This was back in the 1940s. I don't know how long this attitude lasted for, but in my mother's day it was more than persuasion, it was compulsion.
I wonder how common this was back then. I know both my paternal grandparents (born 1910s) were left-handed, though they both died before I was born so I didn't get to ask their experiences.
"I was no longer simply a teacher of English, but an ambassador of sorts—an unofficial guide to a world they were still getting to know."
I LOVE this! It's so beautifully written, Nico! As someone who wishes to volunteer as a language teacher in other parts of the world, I felt really inclined to do this!
Thanks so much! I quickly came to view my role as a cultural exchange of sorts - the sharing of information and a deepening of understanding from both sides.
Left-handers would often be forcibly trained to be right-handed. In 2006, a wealthy-enough and educated-enough potential business partner in Yunnan asked me if I thought he should compel his son to use his right hand. It may still be going on. But China isn’t so special in this, my father growing up in St. Louis in the 1950s was lightly pushed to be right-handed but it didn’t take.
That’s a great point, and I definitely felt it as a left-hander learning to write hanzi. The stroke order always seemed to favour right-handers. It reminded me of my school days in England, angling my exercise book awkwardly to avoid smudging everything I wrote. It’s funny how something as small as handedness can reveal those subtle pressures to conform, whether in China or the West.
My mother was a natural left-hander, but was compelled at school (in the UK) on pain of punishment to write right handed. This was back in the 1940s. I don't know how long this attitude lasted for, but in my mother's day it was more than persuasion, it was compulsion.
I wonder how common this was back then. I know both my paternal grandparents (born 1910s) were left-handed, though they both died before I was born so I didn't get to ask their experiences.
Not going to lie, I was hovering over the unsubscribe button after that bombshell of left-handedness. Honestly, you think you know people...
😂
"I was no longer simply a teacher of English, but an ambassador of sorts—an unofficial guide to a world they were still getting to know."
I LOVE this! It's so beautifully written, Nico! As someone who wishes to volunteer as a language teacher in other parts of the world, I felt really inclined to do this!
Thanks so much! I quickly came to view my role as a cultural exchange of sorts - the sharing of information and a deepening of understanding from both sides.
What a beautiful and difficult task lies ahead of you!
Left-handers would often be forcibly trained to be right-handed. In 2006, a wealthy-enough and educated-enough potential business partner in Yunnan asked me if I thought he should compel his son to use his right hand. It may still be going on. But China isn’t so special in this, my father growing up in St. Louis in the 1950s was lightly pushed to be right-handed but it didn’t take.
That’s a great point, and I definitely felt it as a left-hander learning to write hanzi. The stroke order always seemed to favour right-handers. It reminded me of my school days in England, angling my exercise book awkwardly to avoid smudging everything I wrote. It’s funny how something as small as handedness can reveal those subtle pressures to conform, whether in China or the West.
My son struggles with the writing too, but it looks darn good to me. 😊🙏
Thank you 🙏