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April 2023 – Hunting and Pecking
My mother thought it was “in my best interest†and “someday, you’ll thank me†to take Typing and Business Practice courses. These two courses were considered Business and Commerce options or electives.
I had taken piano lessons for several years when I was younger, but nothing prepared me when it came to learn how to type.
During my first year at CDHS, Mrs. Baran was my typing teacher.Â
I don’t know about you, but when I took typing in Grade 9 at CDHS, I found the “hunt and peck†method worked best for me. Using a manual typewriter, the keys needed to be hit with authority and accuracy. I can’t count the number of times; I would hit two keys at the same time and they would be stuck. Of course, this slowed down the typing speed.
The goal that year was to type 25 words a minute. The faster I type, the worse I did. For each mistake, you would have to deduct a number of words typed in a minute.
The sound of manual typewriter keys and the carriage returns ringing reminded me more of a music class or the school band. I guess I could say I played the silent keys.
Like the tortoise and the hare, I figured out the slower I typed, the better my accuracy, so less mistakes to reduce my number of words typed.
I don’t know who was happier, Mrs Baran or me when I managed to type 25 words a minute. It was like winning an Olympic event to me.
As an epilogue to this story, I was doing my “hunt and peck†as I typed up a supply form at my first job when my boss came over to me with a glass of water. He set it down on the desk where I was typing. Being close to break time, I thanked him for the water.
He said, “It’s not for you. It’s for the typewriter. You’re typing so fast it’s heating up the typewriter.â€
Let’s just say, the office had a good laugh.
I still don’t type very fast, but I should say, “Thank you, Mom†for making me take typing class in high school. As you can see by my posts, I type or “keyboard†quite often now but I still use the “hunt and peck†method. Sorry, Mrs. Baran.
- Who designed the Phoenix logo?
- Find out the answer in next month’s newsletter.
Last month’s answer: The marble Memorial Wall removed from the “old wingâ€, was brought out of storage, placed on a pedestal, and positioned beside the school’s front entrance.
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