For this week’s task I had a hard time deciding which to do – the potato stamping intrigued me, but I was having a hard time finding a 5 letter word that I really liked!! And with returning into my school (and having to send my own boys back to school, even though I really don’t want to send them), I thought I could reflect on our first day back, Monday June 1. My reflection is to the point and accurately reflects my feelings about that day.
- Do you normally write by hand or type? Did you find this task difficult or easy?
While I still write my lists by hand, most other written work I do is typed. I have never been one to have a journal or regularly record my thoughts on paper. I was surprised how easy it was to write these two pages – probably because it was a reflection of the previous day and it was about events that I feel passionate about. The words flowed easily and I was surprised at the lack of mistakes I made. I was happy with how my thoughts were fairly clear and concise – when reading it back there would really only be a few changes I might make or details I would add.
The cognitive piece of this was easy, but what was hard was the physical part: the writing of two pages of words was PAINFUL! I have dealt with carpel tunnel-like symptoms for years and I find that my arms and hands go numb easily. As someone who doesn’t write regularly I didn’t know the impact it would have. Toward the end of the first page, my hand started tingling just a bit. By the time I started the second page, my hand was completely numb! It was so hard to hold on to the pen and get the words to paper. I had to stop regularly and give my arm a shake, which didn’t really help. I could not even imagine being a monk as described in this week’s podcast from How It Began: A History of the Modern World on “The Printed Book: Opening the Floodgates of Knowledge.” I could not sit by candlelight writing precise lettering all day, every day!
- What did you do when you made a mistake or wanted to change your writing? How did you edit your work? Did your choice of media play a part in how you edited your work?
There were only a few times when I made a mistake or wanted to change my thoughts. I have always preferred to use a line or two to strike out the word. The best mistake I made was that I couldn’t remember how to spell luxury, so I just used another word! Spell check and auto-correct are two things that I believe have resulted in us not being able to spell anymore!
I did not edit my work, other than reading it over because I knew that if I was to make a bunch of changes, I would need to re-write it so that it was clear and clean! I chose to use a pen, because I wanted to get the full effect of this task – if I had used a pencil and eraser then others would not have seen the mistakes I made. Pen has always seemed more permanent, used when things are formal and meant to last. I feel like pencils are for fine art like drawing or painting and for applied skills tasks like carpentry – both delicate and used only for a guide to complete the final project.
- What do you feel is the most significant difference between writing by hand and using mechanized forms of writing? Which do you prefer and why?
Writing by hand is a beautiful, thoughtful and personalized way to convey our thoughts and ideas. I think there is still great value to writing (and receiving) hand written cards and letters. I know many people who type generic Christmas letters to send to everyone in their cards and even have some relatives who don’t write a thing – Just the card with names signed at the bottom (not addressed to anyone) and then the generic letter. In all honesty, I want to see something personal. That’s why I don’t send a ton of cards, but do take the time to write little personal message in each one I do send. The downfall is writing by hand takes time, of which we often don’t seem to have enough of.
Using a computer or phone to type is absolutely essential to my work as a teacher. I need to be able to quickly and easily communicate with my students and their parents. It needs to be professional, legible and the spelling/grammar flawless to properly convey my thoughts. I find I am able to give all students detailed, personalized, strength-based comments on their work because typing is so much faster. The efficiency is what is key for me.
All of this said, if I had to pick one way, it would be mechanized writing. At work, I just can’t picture going back to the days of handwritten report cards and waiting for the mail. Although, if given the option I may just move to the bush (see my Blogging in the Bush post!) – then I may have the time to perfect my writing and will have the patience to wait for the mail.