Which direction does your leftie cross her T's and F's?

[Marylou]

Okay, I'm pretyy sure I just have to let this go and get on with life :tongue_smilie:.

My leftie (6th grade) continues to cross certain letters (like "T" and "F") from right to left, which seems not right to me.

 

When I think about why this bothers me, I guess I think it is because it slows down the flow. After all, we write English, right? Therefore we write from left to right. Why waste time to go back (backwards) and cross the letters the "wrong" way??????

 

The other thread about writing mirror images of words is interesting to me, so I thought I would finally ask my leftie question about crossing letters.

 

If you are a leftie or teach a leftie . . .which way is the right way to cross letters that need to be crossed?

 

Help me!

Edited February 28, 2012 by dmmosher
clarification of age of student

[Mommy_of_4]

I am left handed and do it that way. I don't way. I just always have.

[Snickerdoodle]

I don't have a lefty, but one that writes his number "5" starting from the bottom and I have not been able to dissuade him from this practice despite my best efforts.

[Lady Florida.]

I am a lefty, and I cross my letters from right to left. I never knew why until I read something in Handwriting without Tears.

 

When you are right handed, you pull the writing instrument across the page. A lefty has to push it. Pulling a pen or pencil is easier than pushing one, so anytime we can make it easier on ourselves by pulling, we do. Let it go. It would slow you down because you aren't left handed. It would slow her down to force her to do it the other way.

 

There are lefties who do cross letters from left to right, but those who start out from right to left shouldn't be made to change.

[shalom22]

I am a lefty and that is how I cross my t's. When writing cursive, I wait unit I am finished with the word then quickly go back and cross t's and dot i's.

[Snickerdoodle]

 

When you are right handed, you pull the writing instrument across the page. A lefty has to push it. Pulling a pen or pencil is easier than pushing one, so anytime we can make it easier on ourselves by pulling, we do.

That is a very good point. I never thought of that before.

[JudoMom]

I have no idea. 3 of my 5 are lefties (weird, since dh & I are both righties). They aren't here now, but I'll check them tomorrow.

[Marylou]

I am a lefty, and I cross my letters from right to left. I never knew why until I read something in Handwriting without Tears.

 

When you are right handed, you pull the writing instrument across the page. A lefty has to push it. Pulling a pen or pencil is easier than pushing one, so anytime we can make it easier on ourselves by pulling, we do. Let it go. It would slow you down because you aren't left handed. It would slow her down to force her to do it the other way.

 

There are lefties who do cross letters from left to right, but those who start out from right to left shouldn't be made to change.

 

 

THANK YOU for taking the time to reply!!!!!! This post has helped me (a rightie) tremendously. Much appreciated!

[happi duck]

Okay, I'm pretyy sure I just have to let this go and get on with life :tongue_smilie:.

My leftie continues to cross certain letters (like "T" and "F") from right to left, which seems not right to me.

 

When I think about why this bothers me, I guess I think it is because it slows down the flow. After all, we write English, right? Therefore we write from left to right. Why waste time to go back (backwards) and cross the letters the "wrong" way??????

 

The other thread about writing mirror images of words is interesting to me, so I thought I would finally ask my leftir question about crossing letters.

 

If you are a leftie or teach a leftie which way is the right way to cross letters that need to be crossed?

 

Help!

 

I'm a leftie and I cross 'f' and 't' from left to right. I don't remember learning this, it just feels natural to me.

 

I have been told that I make other letters 'backwards', they don't look reversed but I guess the way I make the letter is backwards to what righties do, kwim?

 

In school, as a leftie, I was just left to my own devices to adjust so I think I just did what felt 'right' to me.

 

My thoughts on handwriting are that we use a standard system so that we can communicate and that the 'proper' method helps with clarity, speed and less fatigue.

 

My backward letters don't slow me down, tire my hand or reduce clarity so I don't see the need to change. If they were a problem I would try to change. If crossing letters right to left is slowing your leftie down or making the letters hard to read it might be worth trying the other way, however if it's not a problem I wouldn't bother, imho.

 

hth

[ErinE]

I am a lefty, and I cross my letters from right to left. I never knew why until I read something in Handwriting without Tears.

 

When you are right handed, you pull the writing instrument across the page. A lefty has to push it. Pulling a pen or pencil is easier than pushing one, so anytime we can make it easier on ourselves by pulling, we do. Let it go. It would slow you down because you aren't left handed. It would slow her down to force her to do it the other way.

 

There are lefties who do cross letters from left to right, but those who start out from right to left shouldn't be made to change.

 

I was going to say this. HWT has really helped my leftie dd with her letters and since I'm a rightie, I can help her without giving her anxiety on making letters the "right" way.

[LucyStoner]

Leftie here with only lefties for parents and siblings and my spouse is one too and we all cross from right to left all of us. No one on the planet has better handwriting than my husband or my mother. My husband hand wrote and drew every single one of our wedding invitations. They were works of art. My handwriting? Eh. Well, I am literate and that is all I can say for it. :tongue_smilie:

 

It is not going to hurt her- it is a reflex for most lefties and I would not hassle her to change it.

 

Oddly enough of our 2 sons we have 1 def. rightie and 1 probable rightie. :confused:

[Lady Florida.]

THANK YOU for taking the time to reply!!!!!! This post has helped me (a rightie) tremendously. Much appreciated!

 

You're welcome. Like Lynn, I never knew why I did it. I just knew it felt right. It wasn't until I started using HWT with my righty that I learned some things about my left-handedness.

[sbgrace]

My son is right to left and so is my husband. I think this directionality is absolutely normal for left handed people.

[In the Rain]

When my leftie dd was learning to write, a leftie friend told me to let her cross letters from right to left. It came up because I was trying to have dd use the prewriting program by the people who make calculadders. Dd couldn't make a straight line from left to right to save her life. My friend pointed out the difference between pulling and pushing lines. It made a huge difference!

[nukeswife]

I'm not leftie nor are my dh or kids, but my brother is and he was always a right to left kind of guy.

 

The way I see it, as long as you can read their writing be grateful and move on to something more important. :)

[Alphabetika]

I'm a lefty and do it that way, too. Try it yourself - it just makes....better physical sense that way, is the only way I can put it. And I suspect it won't hurt her chances in life. ;);)

[gardenmom5]

I am a lefty and that is how I cross my t's. When writing cursive, I wait unit I am finished with the word then quickly go back and cross t's and dot i's.

 

I'm a rightie and when writing cursive I finish the word - then go back and cross letters. My "handwriting" is more a combination of print and cursive.

 

My leftie goes from right to left.

[Mommyof4ks]

I am a leftie, and I have always crossed my letters from right to left. I had no idea that was the 'wrong' way to do it. I learn something everyday, but I won't change it. ;)

[Brindee]

I am a leftie, and I have always crossed my letters from right to left. I had no idea that was the 'wrong' way to do it. I learn something everyday, but I won't change it. ;)

My dd is a lefty, and she goes right to left. I never thought about it. As she was learning it seemed right to her and me both, so it was never an issue. :001_smile:

[JessReplanted]

I'm a leftie, and I also cross things right to left, and I've never thought about it until now. :lol:

[Marylou]

I am a leftie, and I have always crossed my letters from right to left. I had no idea that was the 'wrong' way to do it. I learn something everyday, but I won't change it. ;)

 

I shouldn't have used the word "wrong". I just didn't want her to learn a habit that would be a hindrance in the future.

 

I told her at supper she can write anyway she wants, equals signs and all! She said, "It just feels right to do it that way!" Go for it, girl!

 

I really wanted to let it go, and now I can do so thanks to all of you! [Maybe you really are in your right minds :D]

 

Now off to poll whether you hook your arms!

[MamaT]

I have two lefties. One crosses right to left, and the other from left to right. :001_smile:

[Word Nerd]

I cross from right to left and encourage you to drop it. I didn't even know it until I checked just now—that's how unimportant it is to my writing.

[ThisIsTheDay]

I'm left handed, and I cross my letters from right to left. That's because, when I am done writing the word, I go back through the word, right to left, crossing as I go.

 

I am assuming though that this is when writing cursive, and I answered the poll that way.

 

When printing, I cross left to right. Weird that I do it differently so automatically . . .

[Ellie]

You probably wouldn't win the battle with a child this age. :)

 

But Spalding and its spin-offs teach children to write all horizontal lines in the direction that we read and write--IOW, left to right--because it helps remediate any potential learning difficulties. It also makes sense to do it that way because it is, after all, the way we write in that direction; if you write horizontal lines from right to left, you have to sort of backtrack to continue writing, KWIM?

[Marylou]

You probably wouldn't win the battle with a child this age. :)

 

But Spalding and its spin-offs teach children to write all horizontal lines in the direction that we read and write--IOW, left to right--because it helps remediate any potential learning difficulties. It also makes sense to do it that way because it is, after all, the way we write in that direction; if you write horizontal lines from right to left, you have to sort of backtrack to continue writing, KWIM?

 

 

Thanks.

 

Just to clarify, this was never a huge deal. It just would happen every so often when I would look over her shoulder to help with something like math or spelling, I would see her doing the right to left marks (T's, F's, H's, E's, J's, minus signs, equals signs, etc.) I would tell her to make her horizontal lines the other way (after all, we write left to right!), and she would not say a thing, no tears, no protests--just switch to what I thought was the "right" way. Like many left-handed people she seems able to do things with both hands and in various ways :001_smile:. If she had said, "Please, Mom, can't I just do it my way; it feels more comfortable that way?", I probably would have written this thread/poll 3 years ago for advice :tongue_smilie:

 

It has helped a lot to hear how lefties write. Thanks!

 

And as a bonus chuckle from her. . . as we were discussing this at supper, my husband (a rightie) was explaining to her how some languages are written "backwards" like Chinese. She exclaimed, "Oh! I always thought when you said, 'We don't write Chinese' it was because you thought my writing was messy!"

 

Well, it is messy compared to her rightie twin sister, but that's another story!

Edited February 29, 2012 by dmmosher

[5kidsforME]

Okay, I'm pretyy sure I just have to let this go and get on with life :tongue_smilie:.

My leftie (6th grade) continues to cross certain letters (like "T" and "F") from right to left, which seems not right to me.

 

When I think about why this bothers me, I guess I think it is because it slows down the flow. After all, we write English, right? Therefore we write from left to right. Why waste time to go back (backwards) and cross the letters the "wrong" way??????

 

The other thread about writing mirror images of words is interesting to me, so I thought I would finally ask my leftie question about crossing letters.

 

If you are a leftie or teach a leftie . . .which way is the right way to cross letters that need to be crossed?

 

Help me!

 

I'm a leftie. I cross my t's and f's right to left. If you think about it, for a leftie that makes sense. If I had to go back and do it left to right that would slow me down. It is more of a fluid motion to cross them that way and swing your hand in a circle back around for the next word.

[Firestar Academy]

I voted "other"

 

I am a leftie and I cross my T's left-to-right. but my F's go right-to-left.

 

although, I never really thoguht about it until now.

 

Robin

[elinnea]

I'm a lefty and 2 out of three of my kids are lefties. My lefty dd doesn't write yet but my lefty ds and I both cross from right to left. I wasn't aware that there was another way to do it until I read this post. So left to right, huh? That's really weird. :lol:

 

Can I also use this opportunity to say that I hate it when right handed people talk about lefties having "messy" handwriting like it's a given? There are plenty of right handed people with atrocious handwriting too. I have been told that I have beautiful handwriting. My lefty ds also has nice handwriting. The two people with really messy handwriting in our family are right handed ds and dh.

[Brindee]

Can I also use this opportunity to say that I hate it when right handed people talk about lefties having "messy" handwriting like it's a given? There are plenty of right handed people with atrocious handwriting too. I have been told that I have beautiful handwriting. My lefty ds also has nice handwriting. The two people with really messy handwriting in our family are right handed ds and dh.

:iagree: My lefty dd writes WAY neater than either of my boys (all the rest of us are righties)! :001_smile:

[helena]

I shouldn't have used the word "wrong". I just didn't want her to learn a habit that would be a hindrance in the future.

 

I told her at supper she can write anyway she wants, equals signs and all! She said, "It just feels right to do it that way!" Go for it, girl!

 

I really wanted to let it go, and now I can do so thanks to all of you! [Maybe you really are in your right minds :D]

 

Now off to poll whether you hook your arms!

 

:thumbup: Right on mom!

I don't know about other lefties, but I've heard about how I'm doing everything wrong or weird my whole life. It got old around 1978. :D Good for you for rolling with it.

 

I'm a lefty who crosses right to left (never thought about it before). I just tried it left to right and it felt sooo odd! :tongue_smilie:

[Mommyof4ks]

I shouldn't have used the word "wrong". I just didn't want her to learn a habit that would be a hindrance in the future.

 

I told her at supper she can write anyway she wants, equals signs and all! She said, "It just feels right to do it that way!" Go for it, girl!

 

I really wanted to let it go, and now I can do so thanks to all of you! [Maybe you really are in your right minds :D]

 

Now off to poll whether you hook your arms!

 

Sorry, I did not mean anything by using the word wrong, it is the opposite of right, so I went with that. I am not offended that easily. :D Really though, it has caused no ill effects, and my dh of 13 years had no idea I crossed my letters the opposite way (ah that is the word I should have chosen the first time) until I asked him which way he crossed his letters after reading this post (he is a righty).

 

As for being in my right mind, that is questionable. :lol:

 

Yes, I hook my arm as does my father. It keeps the pencil from smearing and getting my hand dirty. :001_smile:

[orangearrow]

ha! - I had to write down a few words to see. :D I've never even thought about it before.

 

I cross them from right-to-left IF I write the word completely (in cursive) and come back to cross the t (I start with the last letters first, so I guess my brain is operating "in reverse" when I do this).

 

I cross from left-to-right if I cross the t as I write the word (my handwriting is a print/cursive hybrid... and will often begin the next lower-case letter off the cross of the t). IF I try to cross the t from right-to-left in this situation, it feels very wrong.

 

(and NO to the hook-hand! :p My one and only lefty child seems to have a natural predisposition to hook hand and I am fighting it tooth and nail!)

[rocketgirl]

My leftie is finally not freaking me out, she's in 6th now but as a tiny 1st grader, & 2nd in public school she wrote all of her letters & numbers from the bottom up. It worried me but I thought, when she starts writing in cursive, it'll all work out. She does still cross t's from the right to the left, for an F she'll go right to left for the top then left to right for the middle. Whatever she does, it works for her & I wouldn't try to change what's right for her or reteach something unnecessarily.

[CupOCoffee]

I wouldn't worry unless she starts making her check marks "backwards" :D.

 

(backwards meaning the tail is on the left hand side, of course)

 

Please, j/k here! I am a leftie and I agree with everyone else. In the long run, it really doesn't matter.

 

Maybe I should make a s/o thread to see if I am THE ONLY one who makes backwards check marks? Funny thing is, my kids were always copying my handwriting, and when they would want to make check marks, they copied my backwards ones -- and they are righties. :) :tongue_smilie:

[helena]

I wouldn't worry unless she starts making her check marks "backwards" :D.

 

(backwards meaning the tail is on the left hand side, of course)

 

Please, j/k here! I am a leftie and I agree with everyone else. In the long run, it really doesn't matter.

 

Maybe I should make a s/o thread to see if I am THE ONLY one who makes backwards check marks? Funny thing is, my kids were always copying my handwriting, and when they would want to make check marks, they copied my backwards ones -- and they are righties. :) :tongue_smilie:

 

:lol:

Is this the "correct" way? http://www.google.com/search?q=check+mark&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvnsa&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=l8RNT4-CDIPhsQLr4NkJ&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1344&bih=966Have Have I been making backward checkmarks my whole life?!

[SABE]

My 5 year old is a leftie who crosses from right to left.

[Malory]

 

And as a bonus chuckle from her. . . as we were discussing this at supper, my husband (a rightie) was explaining to her how some languages are written "backwards" like Chinese. She exclaimed, "Oh! I always thought when you said, 'We don't write Chinese' it was because you thought my writing was messy!"

 

Well, it is messy compared to her rightie twin sister, but that's another story!

 

This is only partially true by the way. Some Chinese texts are read top-to-bottom, right-to-left. But some are read across the page, left-to-right, especially children books. BUT, in handwriting you are supposed to create each stroke in the Chinese character from left to right, top to bottom. And yes, my one lefty frequently writes his characters from right to left, which is definitely, officially wrong in writing Chinese. I, too, have turned a blind eye.

[desertmum]

I'm arriving a bit late to this discussion but this is what I do:

 

I write and cross everything but left to right. However, I "hook" my hand over the page. I keep my paper turned 45 degrees anti-clockwise (so it looks like I'm writing up the page, is this makes any sense). Because of the hook hand I drag the pen, I don't push it.

 

Sometimes, especially if I am using very wet ink there will be some smudging as I make my way down the page. When I write birthday cards I usually start writing from the bottom up to avoid smudging -so yes, I write the kisses and the signature first and the text above starting with the last line and work my way up.

 

I write this way because my teacher didn't know what to do with a leftie and I was left to figure it out on my own (shrugs).

 

p.s. How come we haven't got a smilie for "shrugging" in the forum?

[Heather in AL]

:thumbup: Right on mom!

I don't know about other lefties, but I've heard about how I'm doing everything wrong or weird my whole life. It got old around 1978. :D Good for you for rolling with it.

 

I'm a lefty who crosses right to left (never thought about it before). I just tried it left to right and it felt sooo odd! :tongue_smilie:

Yep, it got old for me, too, at about the same time. In fact, I actually gave up on scissors and started cutting as a rightie.

 

I also adjusted my grip so that I could write in a spiral notebook. Binders are still impossible for me and I have to remove the page to write on it.

 

I wouldn't worry unless she starts making her check marks "backwards" :D.

 

(backwards meaning the tail is on the left hand side, of course)

 

Please, j/k here! I am a leftie and I agree with everyone else. In the long run, it really doesn't matter.

 

Maybe I should make a s/o thread to see if I am THE ONLY one who makes backwards check marks? Funny thing is, my kids were always copying my handwriting, and when they would want to make check marks, they copied my backwards ones -- and they are righties. :) :tongue_smilie:

 

I make my checkmarks backwards, too! Can we form a club?:lol:

 

Because I didn't really know how I wrote, I had to do a test. I noticed that how I formed my letters depended on whether I was printing or writing in cursive.

 

In cursive, because I already have an ink flow, I will cross letters left to right, but in print, because I have to lift the pen from the paper, I will cross from right to left.

 

I make my O and zero marks counter clockwise.

 

My minus and equal signs are right to left.

 

I do not have a 'hook'. I align my paper so my hand is just under what I am writing. I don't have smear issues unless I am using a pencil~~ I'm not sure why that is, though.

 

Ds is also a leftie and he writes his letters the same way I do (but makes normal check marks).

 

Ds does have a slight hook... just enough of one that what he writes will go under the spot where his wrist is (a slight indentation) allowing the ink to not be smudged.

 

Oh, and because I am so interested in this.....

 

Left to my own devices on learning new things, I seem to have learned/learn the leftie way, but if I am taught something by a rightie, I do things the rightie way.

 

Examples: taught myself to ride a skateboard and turn backwards on roller skates---- as a leftie. I was taught to throw a football and play baseball rightie. I paint walls as a rightie (from watching my rightie parents), but if I paint w/oils or watercolors, it's as a leftie. I push a vacuum and sweep on my right (from watching my rightie mom). I use a screwdriver, drill, and jig saw as a leftie--- self taught. I hammer with both hands, but start right. I play racquetball left (self taught), but will switch hands at will in tennis, but only serve left~~ I was self-taught until a class in college, in which I switched to rightie because the instructor was clueless as to how to teach me.

 

Also, I taught my right brother how to ride his skateboard and turn backwards on his roller skates---- he's probably the only rightie to push his skateboard with his left foot and turn backwards the 'wrong way' on roller skates! :lol:

 

This is a very interesting thread!!

[Marylou]

Yep, it got old for me, too, at about the same time. In fact, I actually gave up on scissors and started cutting as a rightie.

 

I also adjusted my grip so that I could write in a spiral notebook. Binders are still impossible for me and I have to remove the page to write on it.

 

 

 

I make my checkmarks backwards, too! Can we form a club?:lol:

 

Because I didn't really know how I wrote, I had to do a test. I noticed that how I formed my letters depended on whether I was printing or writing in cursive.

 

In cursive, because I already have an ink flow, I will cross letters left to right, but in print, because I have to lift the pen from the paper, I will cross from right to left.

 

I make my O and zero marks counter clockwise.

 

My minus and equal signs are right to left.

 

I do not have a 'hook'. I align my paper so my hand is just under what I am writing. I don't have smear issues unless I am using a pencil~~ I'm not sure why that is, though.

 

Ds is also a leftie and he writes his letters the same way I do (but makes normal check marks).

 

Ds does have a slight hook... just enough of one that what he writes will go under the spot where his wrist is (a slight indentation) allowing the ink to not be smudged.

 

Oh, and because I am so interested in this.....

 

Left to my own devices on learning new things, I seem to have learned/learn the leftie way, but if I am taught something by a rightie, I do things the rightie way.

 

Examples: taught myself to ride a skateboard and turn backwards on roller skates---- as a leftie. I was taught to throw a football and play baseball rightie. I paint walls as a rightie (from watching my rightie parents), but if I paint w/oils or watercolors, it's as a leftie. I push a vacuum and sweep on my right (from watching my rightie mom). I use a screwdriver, drill, and jig saw as a leftie--- self taught. I hammer with both hands, but start right. I play racquetball left (self taught), but will switch hands at will in tennis, but only serve left~~ I was self-taught until a class in college, in which I switched to rightie because the instructor was clueless as to how to teach me.

 

Also, I taught my right brother how to ride his skateboard and turn backwards on his roller skates---- he's probably the only rightie to push his skateboard with his left foot and turn backwards the 'wrong way' on roller skates! :lol:

 

This is a very interesting thread!!

 

 

Yes, it amazes me how lefties can switch back and forth. I wish I could do that.

[desertmum]

Yes, it amazes me how lefties can switch back and forth. I wish I could do that.

 

I make backward checkmarks too! I only use them for my notes but then write "right" checkmark on ds's reward chart because I caught him doing my weird ones, so...

 

I write with my left, but I use right handed scissors (when I grew up there were not any others). I crochet with my right, but knit continental style (holding the yarn in my left hand). I use knives,screwdrivers,and tools with my left but throw and catch ball with my right. The only two times in my life I've slapped someone (you would do it too if someone pinched your...) I used my right hand! :tongue_smilie:

[vettechmomof2]

I had to actually write those letters to see which way I do it. I write very fast and have never found it bothersome to do it this way since I did not notice until you mentioned it;)