Post #1915166

Not sure I ever really get mad about it anymore, but it still bugs me from time to time. I struggled in high school. I had anger issues going in, and I got expelled for punching one teacher and throwing a desk at another. I'm a lot better now (plus, that was like 30 years ago). I went into home schooling for a couple years, and kept getting told that I was ahead of my peers due to how much work I was doing. I came back to school at the end of grade 11 having been advised that I would only need to attend half days in my senior year due to how far ahead I was. Turned out I was behind in credits. And a teacher once took advantage of my position. So this teacher had a rule, anyone who could type faster than him — he set the bar at 50WPM, which isn't hard for an adult, but for a student, for a generation mostly not raised around tech (I was, however), it was difficult and most were not expected to meet it (20WPM was required to pass his class) — you could not fail, as he would bump you up one letter grade. Anyone failing would be given a D and pass. Teacher didn't like me because I typed differently. I held my right hand over shift, enter, and space. My left hand hit all the letters. I know, it's unconventional as hell. He said I wouldn't pass his class if I couldn't type right. (Long story short, I do now.) I said, let me take your speed test. He booted up the program and stood over me, and I hit 55WPM. I can't remember what the program was. I remember typing like two paragraphs, so I think he just clocked me in Word or WordPerfect or whatever we were using as a word processor on the computers. He was furious I beat his score, so he marched me down to the principal's office and said he just watched me cheat on a test. He told me privately he'd only let me pass his class if I retook the typing test, but typing normally. So, I learned to do so and hit 60. That's pretty good for a high school student. I think professionals (like, say, a secretary) start at around 100WPM, though. Beat him at his own game, twice. And he couldn't be the bigger man about it and congratulate me or anything. I did pass his class though. Maybe I should be thankful he got me to type "correctly" (and I still do). I've told the story in person and have been asked to demonstrate the old method. I can still do it, but I don't prefer it, and I'm a bit slower. I think I can do it at around 35-45 these days? I type "correctly" between 60-80WPM now. So if you see me up here with a long ass post like this, know that it took about as long as a non-technical user posts 1-2 paragraphs. Really not much at all.