[ungruntled]

I can attribute a great deal of poor school results due to books and timed or take-home handwritten assignments.

I had a 40lb backpack for school filled with books and notebooks and implements required for class. Forgot a book? Lose a mark. Random checks on note-taking during class. Forgot your notebook? Lose a mark. Protractor split due to the compression between two books? Lose a mark.

I walked to school on many days. My back hurt permanently.

I write with my left hand. Nobody knows how to teach this. Letters smear into the next. Ball point pens get jammed. Can’t read your handwriting? Lose a mark. Know exactly what you want to write but cant produce it in time? Lose a mark. Hand is cramped from P.E. from doing 30 pull-ups? Lose a mark. Its a pain to think faster than you can write as you watch the clock run out.

When it started being possible to turn in typed assignments or timed tests, life became easier.

Don’t do this to kids.

[doubleg72]

Sounds a bit dramatic, don’t ya think?

[ungruntled]

The effects were measurable. For instance, paragraphs within essays were crossed out as illegible and removed from the final marks. So for instance if you had to write a 5 paragraph essay, and 1 paragraph was missing due to this, then maximum grade would be a C+ due to missing a conclusion section or introduction or other required section.

[dinkleberg]

Wow, I haven't thought about the joy of carrying textbooks in ages. Those were the days.

[lawn]

Sounds like a teacher problem more than a book/handwriting problem to me.

Also, you walked to school -many- days? Good to be you, as I walked to school every day throughout all my life, including to University.