How Kids/young Adults Learn Keyboarding/typing

My grandfather taught me to type on his typewriter when I was 8 or 9... so...get this: "I would never have to hire the 'wrong' secretary out of desperation, but could take care of myself until I could hire the perfect one." My grandfather was something of an original feminist. He said only secretaries needed to know the "real" way to type... he just had me split the keyboard roughly in half and go from there. (He also taught me modified shorthand for the same reason). That is STILL the method I use (looking down as needed) and I type 80-120wpm.

When I was in school keyboarding was a required class in middleschool, for my son it's a required class in 1st grade. I could NEVER "get" the "right" way to type... I am soooo much slower doing it the "right" way, that I suffered through for the class and then dropped it as soon as possible.

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I second J.L. on Mavis Beacon--that's how my brother learned. I also took typing in school (on these ancient machines called typewriters, lol), but it wasn't offered until high school. I took two years, in 9th and 10th grade. That was a long time ago, though--you'd think that with how integrated computers have become in our everyday lives, typing would be taught earlier nowadays. Can you call the school and ask if and when typing is included in their curriculum?

I just wanted to say that I know what you mean. I took a year of typing in high school also... because I wanted to know how. This was over 20 years ago and nobody had computers at home.. well... a few people did, but it wasn't like EVERYBODY did and kids weren't using them for everyday things.

My son, also 12, gets a 9 weeks computer "exploratory" class at school each year in middle school. Last year (6th grade) was his first time and they did teach keyboarding (the proper fingers on the 'home' keys, etc)... but they spent VERY little time on it. And frankly, it just isn't/wasn't enough. Also, remember too, that when I (and probably you) learned to type it was on an electric typewriter... a far cry from the computer keyboards of today that take very little finger muscles to depress. So the muscle memory isn't developed to the same extent (in my opinion).

They spend more time on learning the keyboard shortcuts and how to do power point presentations than on how to type. I'd get your daughter one of the typing "games" that teach them, if you think she is motivated enough to actually do it. I bought them for our kids (a SpongeBob one) and our daughter did it some, but our son was bored with it really quickly. I bought him a different one (that has skiiers,lol) but he got tired of the repetition pretty quickly and quit that one too.

I learned the old-fashioned way, and working in an office for an attorney for 10 years a lifetime ago.... and I still type pretty darn fast... I'm probably well over 75 wpm... but I haven't tested myself in YEARS... lol. No hunting and pecking here.

My husband did NOT take a typing class like I did. He is slow, and he hunts and pecks. Actually, if he has to do much more than filling out a pop up auto-fill screen, he asks me to do it for him, lol.

My brother is a screen play writing and he types using his two index fingers and he's FAST! hahaha
I learned in a class over 15 years ago, but I would test myself using learn2type.com about 5 years ago. They have lessons on there and they can time you and stuff. When I used it back then it was free and easy.

I took an elective class in the 9th grade and so glad that I did! Before that my dad had gotten me a cd-rom (I know, lol), and I used it all the time. If the school doesn't offer it, I'd check online or for some software that has it.

In our school system keyboarding starts in Kinder. They use a program called Paws in Typing Town. Each grade level uses this system.

It is a part of computer time that is required.

I find it odd that a school has not had some sort of keyboarding implemented for the children. Typing was one of the best classes I had and something I do use on a daily basis.

I took typing O. year but still use a "modified" hunt-and-peck.
My son is in 2nd grade and they had weekly keyboarding classes last year and this year....

I swear they just do it by osmosis...I don't think lessons are needed any more.