LK and I had a side discussion during lunch about the time we started learning how to type. We both began in the 7th grade. We started learning to type on those old manual typewriters, with really heavy keys that required strength and dexterity. Compared with today’s computer keyboards, it was much harder to type on one of those manual typewriter. I went to Windfields Junior High, 27 years ago. I could still remember my typing teacher, Mr. Douglas, with his booming voice telling us when to start and stop typing. I could still remember the clackity-clack sounds, as we started doing our typing exercises in class. I could still remember the drills, “A. A. A. L. L. L. Q. Q. Q…”, just like doing the scales on the piano. I could still remember seeing my name in the Top 5 list, a pinned paper rocket (Mr. Douglas ran the Rocket Club) on a giant cork bulletin board at the back of the room. I typed 52 words per minute back then.
Typing is such an essential skill. I don’t think I can be where I am without it. Thank you, Mr. Douglas, wherever you are!
Thanks to Robin at Nykazafamily.com for the link lead to Touch Typing Speed Test site.
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I have never learned to type and I regret it. I had no computer training whatsoever in school… and I’m pretty young. Weird eh? Nope, just France!
I was really slow at first but I had to type pages and pages for uni. so I’m better now. Not as for as you but about 60 wpm I think.
Zhu’s last blog post..Snow Sculptures And Winter Fun
Thanks for making me think of my typing teacher, Mrs. Mackey, who couldn’t have been more than 5 feet tall and who wore the tallest heels I’ve ever seen. She could type so fast she made an IBM Selectric sound like a machine gun. :o)
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@Zhu : 60 wpm is not bad. I thought you were going to say you were a two-finger typist. 😉 But with 60 wpm, you can get a lot of blogging/commenting done.
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@Carolyn: oh I love those IBM Selectrics! I did like the fact it sounded like a machine gun. I also used the old IBM PS2 computer keyboards that made those smacking sounds. But after a while, people did get annoyed by the noise and eventually I had to give them up.
Not quite faster – I can do 71 wpm. I agree though, typing is so important! I didn’t take classes though, I taught myself 🙂 Actually, I’ve taught myself everything I know computer related 😀
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Hi “fragileheart”. You must be talented to be able to teach yourself computers. I can’t even operate the VCR without consulting the manual. 😉 Schooling is important to teach the basics for perfection; but eventually perfect practice makes perfect!
ahh memories…u know what’s trippy. my 7th grade typing teacher’s name was Mrs, douglas.
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Hi “bloggernoob”. That’s such a coincidence! Almost too good to be true. How well did she teach you? How fast do you type then/now?
If you chat a lot, you’ll surely know how to type fast 🙂 (at least it will train you to type faster and faster)
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Hi Michael. You’re right, I do chat a lot. I guess the requirement for online chat is fast typing. 😉
i used to average 3 words per second with proper grammar.. i kept taking this test over and over because i would stop and judge the horrendous grammar… lol… got an 83 on my last test… i took your score as a challenge! my last complaint is that the first time i started that test, a pop-up window came from that site and screwed me up royally lol…
Hi David. The test is kind of different than what I use to take in school. I used to have to wait at least 1 second when we hit carriage return. Then I had to watch out for the margins and got points deducted for overrunning it. So this version of speed typing is actually much easier.
I would say that it adds 10-15 WPM to what I would normally get in a proper typing speed test. 🙂
[…] Apparently, I like typing. I could type 50+ words per minute when I was a teenager. Now I can type up to 79 WPM. […]