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Left-handers have rights, too What do such diverse indi­ viduals as Alexander the Great, Charlie Chaplin, Billy the Kid and F. Lee Bailey have in com­ mon with Bob Dylan, Cary Grant, Whifey Ford and Pablo Picasso? What trait or characteristic is shared by a significant minority of people, famous and infamous alike, irrespective of nationali­ ty, race or religion? The answer is "sinistrality," which translates as the tendency to favor the left hand for some or all skilled tasks, such as writing, eating, catching or throwing, a ball, and playing a musical in­ strument. Traditionally, left-handed- nessbas been looked upon with disfavor. Granted, the ancient Greek word for "left," that is, "aristera," meant "aristocrat­ ic." ' However, the Latin word for "left" was "sinister," which in Roman times, took on its pre­ sent connotations of "evil," "underhanded" and "sneaky." In French, the word for "left" is "gauche," which is synonymous with "clumsy." One of the Italian words for "left" is "mancino," which means, in addition, "deceit­ ful," "defective" and "maimed." And/there are countless examples in English, when "left" is used in a negative way, while "right" tradition­ ally implies "just," "correct," etc. The insidious effects of lan­ guage are widespread and dif­ ficult to combat -- they inform the way we look at the world. No wonder, then, that left- handedness has traditionally been considered a stigma. However, times are finally changing. More and more people are being allowed to fol­ low their natural leaning, as so­ ciety at large becomes increas­ ingly tolerant of individual dif­ ferences. Fewer and fewer left-handed children, though they still do not get all the support they need, are encountering overt resistance in school, or are being told that they must use the right hand, "just like everyone else." As more research is done, in fact, it emerges that left-handed people may just not be "like everyone el$e." The difference in physiology that is responsible for left- handedness is also related to other, sometimes more subtle differences. These are discussed in some depth in The Left-Hander's Handbook (A & W Visual Li­ brary), by James Bliss and Joseph Morella, and edited by Ann Novotny. The Handbook is a fascinating compendium of facts and fancy about left- handedness (the linguistic im­ plications, the myths, the prob­ lems, the research that is being done on it, and much more, in­ cluding many illustrations that 'The Preppy Look' CURRENT PROBLEMS IN MATHEMATICS Problem solving in mathema­ tics has extended beyond the pages of text books. According to Shirley A. Hill, President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, there are major problems in the pre­ sent system concerning the qual­ ity of mathematics as it is taught today. One problem is the failure of school math education to keep up with the changing needs for mathematical abilities, as dic­ tated by developing techno­ logies. A growing shortage of qual­ ified high school mathematics teachers and the reduction in di­ versified math courses selected by the students themselves are additional problems. The Council surveyed teachers, administrators, math professionals, parents and school board members to come up with a set of policy recom­ mendations geared towards im­ proving school mathematics in the coming decade. Some of the actions suggested include organizing school math at all levels around the development of problem solving ability, making compu­ ter literacy a part of ed . ation in all grades, requiring three years of mathematics for all high school graduates, and providing incentives that will attract and retain highly qualified and com­ petent math teachers. Improving the caliber of math education requires action on the part of teachers and the public. The Council has challenged parents and the General public to join professional educators in confronting these problems and implementing their solutions. Math is an important key to success in many fields, as well as in daily life. M S • PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY. AUGUST 22. Iff* range from the sorious lo the bizarre) and elucidates many of the questions raised by lefties and righties alike. No one yet knows for sure, according to The Left-Hander's Handbook, why some people are lefties, but most experts agree that hand preference is controlled by the brain. Right-handed people are dominated by the left hemis­ phere of the brain, which con­ trols communications functions such as reading, writing, speak­ ing and hearing. "On the other hand," left- handed people are controlled by the brain's right hemisphere, which is considered by many experts to be the seat of various creative functions. In short, righties tend to be more verbal and analytical, more mathematical and logical, while lefties tend to be more in­ tuitive, emotional and creative. School-age children who are lefties may well face problems which their rightie friends can­ not share. All too frequently, desks are not available which afford proper writing surfaces for lef­ ties. As the left-handed child be­ gins to learn penmanship, this, plus the fact that he or she will probably attempt to conform by slanting handwriting toward the right, a task which is unnatural for lefties, may cause the child a good deal of anxiety. * Bad penmanship, a common enough problem for lefties and one which they are hard pressed to avoid, plus a very slow writ­ ing speed, which is particularly detrimental in pressured situa­ tions such as exams, may result if teachers do not take the time to show their leftie pupils how to write comfortably and legibly. Two common solutions for children who are lefthanded but who are forced to write in a right-handed fashion, are to angle the paper to make the let­ ters come out with the" proper" slant, and to crouch over the paper in a "hooked position." Also, because lefties tend to read from right to left (another insult of (heir dominant right hemisphere), problem! may blc adapting to the cultural norm of a left-to- crop up for those school-age lef­ ties who have trouble right reading pattern. If a child is discovered doing "mirror writing," or otherwise indicates a difficulty in starting at the left-hand side of the p*ge, it may indicate a reading prob­ lem. FOR MCX TO SCHOOL « John's Sport Stop "THE HOM1 Of THI ATHLETE MMK/T JOHN'S BM NIKI 1 TlSCNOOl MVKAWAYIII ^^AUGUST 21 • AUGUST 30 Com* in and ragitter for NIKE POSTERS • NIKE SHOES PLUS FRKI MKI T-SHIRT With tvtiy POM of Nike Shoe* Sold |* hfctttui | McW--nil |T shts| * W/UNMIP MCUIl Utimhk shoesI * SHOWS lS0tt| *itsroH * UK PAIS & MACE! 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