Helping Left-Handed Students in a Right-Handed World

Left-handed people are estimated to make up 10–15% of the world’s population, which means you most likely have a left-handed student in your classroom. We want to steward these fearfully and wonderfully made students well by giving them the support they need to learn comfortably in the classroom.

Handwriting

Left-handed students have the disadvantage of writing a left-to-right language. Instead of the easy flow of pulling the pen away from the body as right-handers do, they must push the pen toward the body which can result in a cramped and smudged hand.

When you teach left-handed students how to write, show them how to angle the paper. Right-handers tilt the right corner of the page up. Left-handers should tilt the right corner of the page down, toward the body, at a 45-degree angle. You can provide a writing position mat or sticker on the desk to help students learn how to hold their paper.

Positioning the hand below the line of writing and gripping the pencil 1–1.5 inches away from the tip can give students a better view of their writing while avoiding the “hooked-hand” style. The hooked-hand style happens when the hand and wrist are angled around and above the words in a way to simulate the action of a right hand pulling the pencil. It can be a very cramped and awkward writing style (although some don’t find it painful and may prefer it).

Demonstrate the left-handed cross strokes in the uppercase letters A, E, F, H, I, J, and T and the lowercase letters f and t. It is usually more natural for a left-hander to cross stroke from right to left.

If you are having students copy letters, words, verses, and so forth, make sure the lefties can see what they are copying by providing the model on the right or above.

Never chastise a left-handed student for “doing it wrong.” Address handwriting issues with understanding and gentleness. Smudges are always going to occur as they are learning. Just quietly offer a wet wipe.

Seating

Make sure your students don’t have to play a game of elbow wars as they get their work done. Seat lefties together or to the left of right-handed students to give every student room to write freely.

Tools

Left-handed people inevitably will become somewhat ambidextrous, learning how to use their nondominant hand for tasks such as playing an instrument, giving a handshake, or opening a can of soup. But there are many tools now for left-handers, king among them being left-handed scissors. My siblings just thought they couldn’t cut straight before getting their own. It will make all the difference having a few pairs in your classroom. Many lefties find it helpful to use pencils and pens designed with left-handed grips and faster ink-drying time. You can also invest in lefty pencil sharpeners and notebooks. Artists of both handedness utilize smudge-guard gloves which can also be a help for left-handed handwriting. And computer mouse settings can be changed to left-handed.

Awareness

When giving tutorials, be aware that the left-handed person might subconsciously reverse the action, which may or may not affect the outcome. Knot-tying and sign language can have very different results depending on which hand you are using.

Classroom Culture

Due to our sinful nature, children tend to point out and criticize differences. Emphasize to your students that physical differences are a testament to our unique design and God’s creativity, not something to be mocked. We are all one race, one blood, and fearfully and wonderfully made.