Left Handed!

This morning as I was getting ready and putting on my make-up I picked up my mascara with my right-hand and quickly changed it to my left-hand. Big whoopdie deal, you're right it isn't... however this made stop and analyze my ambidexteredness. I am a lefty! Only 7 - 10 % of the adult population is left-handed. My mom and I are both lefties. My Maw Maw Dancy was a lefty. We all three have nice handwriting. Dad and Tyler are right handed with horrible penmanship.

You are left handed if you prefer your left over your right hand in writing. As a rule left handers have very neat penmanship because of the natural slant in their writing. I tend to write quickly in cursive. Most left-handers show some degree of ambidexterity. Personally I write, eat (with utensils) and apply my makeup with my left hand. When I cut things with scissors(most scissors are designed to be used by the right hand), open drinks, play sports (shoot a basket, swing a bowling ball, swing a bat) I tend to use my right arm/hand. This might be due in part that the world as a whole, justifyably so, is more right hand oriented.

If the theory is true that the opposite sides of your brain control the opposite side of your body- then maybe its correct to say that I'm right brained? Along that note right brained people are generally visual learners- and I could definately attest to that.

This year I had a student ask me, "Ms Dancy... does it hurt to write with your left hand?" My response- "Does it hurt to write with your right hand?" I thought this was the funniest question. In my classroom, year after year, I've only had 1 or 2 at the most if any left handed students. This can sometimes be a challenge as I model writing for them.

Some famous left handers:
Ford, Reagan, the elder Bush, Clinton, Gore, and now Obama and McCain are all left-handed.
Benjamin Franklin
Henry Ford, automobile manufacturer
Helen Keller, advocate for the blind
Edwin Buzz Aldrin, astronaut
John F. Kennedy, Jr, lawyer/publisher
David Letterman (?), TV host
Jay Leno, TV host
Matt Groening cartoonist; 'Simpsons'
Tim Allen
Carol Burnett
George Burns, comedian
Charlie Chaplin
Tom Cruise
Robert DeNiro
Whoopi Goldberg
Jim Henson, puppeteer of Kermit the Frog
Angelina Jolie
Diane Keaton
Lisa Kudrow
Joey Lawrence
Chloris Leachman
Shirley MacLaine
Harpo Marx
Marilyn Monroe
Sarah Jessica Parker
Luke Perry
Julia Roberts
Sylvester Stallone
Dick Van Dyke
Bruce Willis
Oprah Winfrey