Today is World Left-Handers Day

13th August, 2021
August 13 is left-handers’ day worldwide, for the 45th time. The commemoration day, dedicated to raising public awareness of the pros and cons of being left-handed, was created by left-handed American Dean R. Campbell. Left-handedness is caused by the dominance of the right hemisphere of the brain. Therefore, it is said, left-handed people tend to be creative, to solve problems with intuition, they are artistic, imaginative and grasp complex relationships holistically. The proportion of left-handers in Germany is 10-15%.
Although left-handers shouldn’t have any disadvantages, they were still confronted with uncanny prejudices well into the post-war period. Many left-handers were retrained to use the right hand as children. Today one can only shake one’s head at this practice. Politicians, athletes, musicians and writers are often left-handed. They celebrate their individuality and have personal advantages as a result.

Left-handedness in school

Learning to write can be more difficult for left-handers than right-handers for a variety of reasons. In our culture, we write from left to right, a spelling that is easier for right-handed people. It’s easier to drag a pen or pencil across a page than to push it. Then, as the left hand moves across the page, not only does it cover the writing, it can also smudge the ink or pencil marks. The spiral binding or rings on a notebook also bother left-handers.
Many children have developed writing habits, such as holding a pencil, by the time they enter school that can be counterproductive to good writing. Skilled workers can positively counteract habits through teaching techniques. The Berlin Cosmopolitan School therefore also trains left-handed people in, among other things, a different sequence of strokes for each letter, a special pen hold, positioning of the writing paper, sitting position and, if necessary, marking the table.
Today, parents and teachers know the importance of being left-handed. In doing so, they should avoid treating the left-handed person as different or as an exception. Yvonne Wende, founder and director of the Berlin Cosmopolitan School, says: “Like all other children, left-handers are individuals with their own strengths and abilities. You have to give all children the right opportunities so that they can develop equally.”

About the Berlin Cosmopolitan School, Preschool and Kindergarten

The Berlin Cosmopolitan School is changing the traditional way schools and kindergartens work with different approaches to learning in the areas of nature and environmental protection, sports, new work, culture, dance, music and art and much more. The aim of the independent school, preschool and kindergarten is to bring all students along according to their abilities.

“When school motivates, everyone learns more” is the conviction of the Berlin Cosmopolitan School. Regular outdoor learning, sports activities and competitions, digital projects such as robotics, internships from grade 6, music-making from kindergarten age, dance clubs, bilingual education and much more help the children to discover and develop their own preferences and abilities.

Important concerns of the Berlin Cosmopolitan School, Kindergarten and Preschool are social justice, equal opportunities in education and a balanced community. The school regularly awards scholarships to students and accepts refugees. Through its established network and internationally trained staff, the educational institution has the opportunity to explore new educational paths for every age group.

The Berlin Cosmopolitan School was founded in 2003 as a non-profit organisation by Yvonne Wende. In 2004, the first bilingual (English-German) kindergarten and preschool opened for Berlin-Mitte with 18 children. Shortly after, the primary school started and most recently, in 2009, the accredited bilingual Gymnasium of Berlin Cosmopolitan School 01P22. Since then, the number of students has steadily increased. Approximately 1,000 students from all over the world are now being taught on the Rückerstraße and Invalidenstraße campuses. The kindergarten has grown to a number of more than 300 children between the ages of 1 and 6.

In 2013, Berlin Cosmopolitan School was accredited as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, first for primary school and also for the Gymnasium. The IB Learner Profile is about developing children and young people into lifelong learners. The school and kindergarten use primary experiences to design lessons.