How To Impose Handwriting Improvement?

[KellyMcJ]

Also, a think ink will force him to slow down. At the other end, I really enjoy my vanishing point with a smooth ink and the pleasure slows me down. The challenge in school is the rate of information flux. It can be so high that slowing down one's handwriting becomes a learning penalty.

I agree and I am convinced that's largely why I grew up to have abominable handwriting (although people did say it was pretty).

[Old_Inkyhand]

Yes, I have a possibility to get a TWSBI, but I don't have a possibility of getting Conklin.

I am so glad to hear that your handwriting has improved thanks to fountain pens. This is what I've hoped to hear. Also thank you for such precise advise.

[FromTheNetherlands]

Yes, I have a possibility to get a TWSBI, but I don't have a possibility of getting Conklin.

I am so glad to hear that your handwriting has improved thanks to fountain pens. This is what I've hoped to hear. Also thank you for such precise advise.

 

Yeah, that goes for me too! I had a terrible handwriting using ballpoints. Then I remembered I once used I fountain pens, and decided to try that again.

 

Since then my handwriting has improved alot, and my girlfriend sometimes enjoys reading the stuff I write because somehow she thinks it looks really good!

[zwack]

My handwriting is pretty bad, but has improved since I started forcing myself to write in cursive...

 

This is the key. He has to want to improve his handwriting. (I do have a few decades on your brother)

 

Unless he wants to improve his writing it won't.

 

I have coordination issues, my handwriting was bad enough in school that I could turn in my English essays on tape.

 

Looking at his handwriting a wider line would force him to write larger which might make it easier to read, but you can't enforce that.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I have a degree in Applied Physics worked at a Nuclear Physics lab, and have a Masters in Software Technology. So it is possible to do this without having good handwriting.

Edited February 5, 2016 by zwack

[tinta]

I would not suggest any "imposition" to improve your brother's handwriting, certainly not at 15 years of age.

 

What kind of writing instruction has your brother received in his primary or junior years?

If printing & handwriting had not been taught throughout the early years, it may be difficult for him to develop new hand writing skills as an early teen. His writing sample shows that he has a lot of unlearning to do. And that's harder to do than learning.

 

There needs to be some incentive for him to learn this skill. As others have said, he has to 'want' to print or write legibly. What positive reinforcement would your brother respond to?

Encouraging him to print, instead of trying to write in a connected hand, may be a good beginning.

[IrishEyes]

I have never heard of your brother's disability, so I googled it and found a good article, here:

 

http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10707.aspx

 

As it seems that Dysgraphia often goes along with ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Asperger's Sydrome (an autism spectrum disability), etc., I wonder if he will be able to improve his handwriting in school without individualized attention. Here in the U.S., where I was a Special Education teacher until I retired, children with disabilities are often put on IEPs (Individual Education Plans) so that they can get the extra, individualized attention that they need. I don't know if you have such a program where you live, but I have seen some amazing progress with ADD, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum disabilities when the child thus affected has a VERY structured envirnment where s/he learns the motor and life skills (including social skills) necessary to make it in the world despite the disability. Generally speaking, a child will NOT be able to learn the necessary skills without extra help. That he can use his computer for some of his tests is good, but he should really be able to use that computer for all of his school work, while at the same time getting individualized, structured instruction, and he should get that for the rest of his time in school (prior to university). It sounds like your brother is highly intelligent (something not uncommon with autism spectrum students, among other disabilities), but has difficulty with the skills he needs to express himself adequately. He probably wouldn't find it a lot of fun, but it may very well be the only way he can learn the writing skills he needs (if, indeed, he needs them in school if he is allowed to use his computer for everything writing-related).

 

If/when he ever gets that one-on-one attention from his school, having positive reinforcement-driven instruction might be an appropriate place to add a new fountain pen for diligently doing his work, IF he perceives it as a reward for hard work. For him to improve his handwriting skills, it will require that HE wants it to happen. Otherwise, once he's out of school, no matter what kinds of excellent instruction he gets during his school years, the results may not last.

 

My guess is that it's going to be a bit of a struggle to get his handwriting improved. But please don't be discouraged. My husband, who is VERY intelligent, has dyspraxia, and horrible handwriting comes with the diagnosis (along with frustrating amounts of clumsiness! Poor guy has absolutely no clue about where his body is in any given space, and is constantly banging into things, dropping things, tripping over things--or tripping ME with his size 12 feet, etc.). While it does NOT come easy for him, when he recently took an interest in improving his totally illegible handwriting, it made all the difference! Now, although his handwriting is like what I would expect from the average 3rd or 4th grader, it is VASTLY improved, and totally readable. It was all about motivation. In his case, he was motivated by his interest in fountain pens and this very forum.

 

So, it CAN be done. Don't lose faith in his ability to learn to write legibly, but don't expect it to be easy for him. Focus on all the things he does well, and try to find exactly what kind of appropriate motivation works for him. And if you or your parents can, see if there are programs available for "special needs" students like himself, and if there are, make sure he gets into one. In the US of A, the simple act of hinting a lawsuit might be forthcoming if his needs aren't met will usually get the ball rolling, as no school or school district wants to be sued. Here, students with disabilities (as well as adults) have legal protections to make sure they get the help they need, when they need it. Perhaps there is some "lever" where you live that would have the same effect?

 

Good luck. You are obviously a caring and loving sister, and you two are lucky to have each other :-).

 

Edited for misspelled words (and hoping I've spelled "misspelled" correctly!).

Edited February 6, 2016 by IrishEyes

[Old_Inkyhand]

Yeah, that goes for me too! I had a terrible handwriting using ballpoints. Then I remembered I once used I fountain pens, and decided to try that again.

 

Since then my handwriting has improved alot, and my girlfriend sometimes enjoys reading the stuff I write because somehow she thinks it looks really good!

Congratulations! When I have to ask some of my schoolmates to have a look at their notes, I tend to choose those who use FPs, it is much pleasant for me to read something written with a fountain pens than to read something written with a ballpoint, even if the handwriting isn't perfect. I guess that the thicker and smoother line can be the main reason of my choice.

 

 

My handwriting is pretty bad, but has improved since I started forcing myself to write in cursive...

A friend of mine had a similar solution to his handwriting problems. In his case, the handwritten text was pretty readable, but he couldn't keep the same size of letters (he had a tendency to make 'hills and valleys' not even in the whole line, but in a single word. Writing in cursive helped him a lot.

 

 

Unless he wants to improve his writing it won't.

I know, I'm working out the strategy

 

I have coordination issues, my handwriting was bad enough in school that I could turn in my English essays on tape.

I'm sorry to hear that, but I am very glad that hear about your amendment.

 

 

Looking at his handwriting a wider line would force him to write larger which might make it easier to read, but you can't enforce that.

I was thinking about the same thing. The problem is that he writes a lot on checked paper and I guess it would be hard to read his letters if the letters' height was 5 mm and the line was wide.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I have a degree in Applied Physics worked at a Nuclear Physics lab, and have a Masters in Software Technology. So it is possible to do this without having good handwriting.

Yay, good news I don't know anything about his future studies and requirements in Poland and abroad, but - as we don't have a nuclear power station in Poland (yet) - he would probably study abroad, where the rules are probably easier to modify to suit his needs.

 

I would not suggest any "imposition" to improve your brother's handwriting, certainly not at 15 years of age.

 

I have a problem with this issue - the junior high is the last school in his life where someone cares about his awful handwriting (for example, teachers tend to ask him to read his answers when the aren't sure), but he'll go to high school this year in September (he went to school one year earlier than most of the children) and it will be a big change. Massive amount of notes, many difficult tests, a lot to write and more strict rules. When my teachers can't read something, they don't.

 

What kind of writing instruction has your brother received in his primary or junior years?

If printing & handwriting had not been taught throughout the early years, it may be difficult for him to develop new hand writing skills as an early teen. His writing sample shows that he has a lot of unlearning to do. And that's harder to do than learning.

 

During the first three years in primary school, which he started at the age of six, we were supposed to write like that. He has never had enough patience to make it beautiful, but it was quite good.

 

There needs to be some incentive for him to learn this skill. As others have said, he has to 'want' to print or write legibly. What positive reinforcement would your brother respond to?

Encouraging him to print, instead of trying to write in a connected hand, may be a good beginning.

 

I think it would take too long before he would start to print legibly AND fast. Unfortunately, this fast writing is quite important. I am very happy that he doesn't criticise my idea. I think that he would be glad to see some improvement. To make it work, his fountain pen would have to be:

• smooth
• comfortable to use during long periods of fast writing
• somehow cool
• reliable - no hard starts and skipping
• durable - he wouldn't be very careful, I guess
• "clean" - no risk of self-opening in a backpack and making a huge inky paddle
• easy to fill (cartridges) or capacious (I can't imagine him using a bottled ink without messing everything up)
• not too big (to make it handy)

I was thinking about TWSBI, they seem to be nice, but my "pen lover's heart" would suffer a lot if I gave him anything more valuable than TWSBI Eco, which costs about 44,5 $ in Poland (I want to get a Diamond 580 for myself). Do you have any other ideas, just in case? I'm not buying anything yet.

 

Hmmm, maybe he'd like to have Diamond 580RB, as a FC Barcelona fan

 

I will reply to IrishEyes's post separately to avoid making my post too long.

 

EDIT: One more thing - a big thank you - all of you You are so kind and helpful.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Old_Inkyhand

[Old_Inkyhand]

@IrishEyes

 

Thank you for the reasearch! There are a few programs or schools for children with disabilities in Poland. They are usually aimed at children who have more severe problems. There are for example Special Education Schools, where all the students have some mental disabilities. They have Special Education teachers sitting next to each child during a lesson (at least in one school which I know) to provide the needed assistance. Of course, the teaching methods and the amount of knowledge are modified to make the whole process painless for children. They get some education and they can become (for example) hairdressers, shop assistants or refuse collectors. They feel that they are useful for their society, but it is not a right place for an ambitious child. There are also schools in which healthy children and their disabled mates learn together. This is a place for children with minor disabilities. It works well in schools, where the education level is not sky high - a friend of mine used to go to such a school where they were both winners of international competitions and children who couldn't read fluently. It was a frustrating experience for all of them - the lessons were too easy for the healthy and ambitious children, and too hard for those who needed some help to succeed. Of course there were also more incidents, accidents, acts of irresponsibility, fights, cases connected with alcohol and smoking - many children from the disabled group had fairly unsettled characters, what - with the addition of some frustration - led to frequent visits of police and emergency service.

A talented child may participate in at least two valuable programs, IPN and ITN. IPN allows him (or her) to have some extra lessons and additional help in his specific area of interest. For example I have always liked writing stories and I've been quite knowledgeable about Polish grammar, so I had an opportunity to have additional Polish classes with a truly wonderful teacher (and therefore I could become a winner of a few competitions). ITN is intended to help those children who want to speed up their education - complete two school years in one, change the schedule, go to university for some of the classes. There are also - theoretically - additional classes which can be organised by the schools' headmasters for children who have some problems, like my brother does. He had such classes during a year perhaps (in the primary school), but they were valueless, as the teacher wasn't competent enough and had no idea what to do.

​Unfortunately, it is not easy to become a beneficiary of such a program, not because one doesn't meet the requirements, but because of the fact that many schools have neither money nor teachers to create the extra lessons for a few children. For example I have an official certificate which should theoretically assure that I'll have special IT classes in my high school. But the school says - sorry, we don't have money, time, place and people to create such classes for you. ITN is even worse, you can have all the papers and be stuck in front of a deadlock.

My brother had a number of tests to find out if he has any other disability apart from dysgraphia (he underwent the testing three times in different clinics, so we are sure) and it was confirmed that the dysgraphia is his only problem. He has no social problems, no coordination issues. He's a brilliant tennis player and a captain of a fairly successful football team. The only problem is the unsatisfactory level of his precise manual skills. I don't have a feeling that he's hit the wall. He used to write much better. I guess that they were dysgraphia certificate (I don't have to) and the mad speed of writing (I can't do it), which killed his sweet neat letters.
But there is hope!

 

Thank you for your kind words and all the best for your husband

 

I wish my brother understood that I want to help him. He treats me like an enemy sometimes. But he's in a difficult age, I hope it will change before I'll leave the home.

[Venemo]

Reading the description of your brother, it feels like he is very similar to myself when I was 15. To be honest, primary school and high school just made me more and more lazy. I was smarter than other children so it was easy for me to get good grades without much studying, but I was never motivated enough to change my attitude. After that I went to university and had to find out for myself what it really means to study and focus my attention on learning. It was very difficult and I failed many times because I had never learned how to learn. (Fortunately, I never had issues with handwriting.)

 

The good news is that your brother will probably "grow out" of this on his own, but it is also possible for you to help.

 

Most importantly, you shouldn't try to impose, or force anything on him because that will only make him refuse even harder. It has to be his choice to want to improve himself. The way you could help is to have an honest talk with him. Tell him that you see that he has a problem and that you believe that he can solve this and be better. Show that you believe in him and then tell him that if he wants to, you can help.

 

If he is a rational type (after all, he wants to be an engineer, right?), you might also try to reason with him ― for example, if he gets his handwriting better, he well be more popular in university because then he can lend his notes to classmates or help them. There are many other reasons, the other people in this topic have also presented several good ones.

 

But at the end, it must be him who decides to improve. (And he will, eventually, when he grows a bit older.) When he does, he will appreciate it if you will be there for him to help.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Venemo

[IrishEyes]

@IrishEyes

 

 

Thank you for the reasearch! There are a few programs or schools for children with disabilities in Poland. They are usually aimed at children who have more severe problems. There are for example Special Education Schools, where all the students have some mental disabilities. They have Special Education teachers sitting next to each child during a lesson (at least in one school which I know) to provide the needed assistance. Of course, the teaching methods and the amount of knowledge are modified to make the whole process painless for children. They get some education and they can become (for example) hairdressers, shop assistants or refuse collectors. They feel that they are useful for their society, but it is not a right place for an ambitious child. There are also schools in which healthy children and their disabled mates learn together. This is a place for children with minor disabilities. It works well in schools, where the education level is not sky high - a friend of mine used to go to such a school where they were both winners of international competitions and children who couldn't read fluently. It was a frustrating experience for all of them - the lessons were too easy for the healthy and ambitious children, and too hard for those who needed some help to succeed. Of course there were also more incidents, accidents, acts of irresponsibility, fights, cases connected with alcohol and smoking - many children from the disabled group had fairly unsettled characters, what - with the addition of some frustration - led to frequent visits of police and emergency service.

A talented child may participate in at least two valuable programs, IPN and ITN. IPN allows him (or her) to have some extra lessons and additional help in his specific area of interest. For example I have always liked writing stories and I've been quite knowledgeable about Polish grammar, so I had an opportunity to have additional Polish classes with a truly wonderful teacher (and therefore I could become a winner of a few competitions). ITN is intended to help those children who want to speed up their education - complete two school years in one, change the schedule, go to university for some of the classes. There are also - theoretically - additional classes which can be organised by the schools' headmasters for children who have some problems, like my brother does. He had such classes during a year perhaps (in the primary school), but they were valueless, as the teacher wasn't competent enough and had no idea what to do.

​Unfortunately, it is not easy to become a beneficiary of such a program, not because one doesn't meet the requirements, but because of the fact that many schools have neither money nor teachers to create the extra lessons for a few children. For example I have an official certificate which should theoretically assure that I'll have special IT classes in my high school. But the school says - sorry, we don't have money, time, place and people to create such classes for you. ITN is even worse, you can have all the papers and be stuck in front of a deadlock.

My brother had a number of tests to find out if he has any other disability apart from dysgraphia (he underwent the testing three times in different clinics, so we are sure) and it was confirmed that the dysgraphia is his only problem. He has no social problems, no coordination issues. He's a brilliant tennis player and a captain of a fairly successful football team. The only problem is the unsatisfactory level of his precise manual skills. I don't have a feeling that he's hit the wall. He used to write much better. I guess that they were dysgraphia certificate (I don't have to) and the mad speed of writing (I can't do it), which killed his sweet neat letters.

But there is hope!

 

Thank you for your kind words and all the best for your husband

 

I wish my brother understood that I want to help him. He treats me like an enemy sometimes. But he's in a difficult age, I hope it will change before I'll leave the home.

 

 

It sounds like your education system works differently than how the system works here in the U.S. For the most part (although there are exceptions--I worked for a year in a private school designed for severely socially/behaviorally challenged students), the school system here strives to integrate children with disabilites into the regular classroom/school. There are separate Education Service Districts that serve one or more school districts, and these are tasked with helping the disabled student in the setting of a regular school, by providing Special Ed teachers and assistants, as well as specilized training for those teachers and assistants who will be working with students in a regular or Special Education classroom. So a student may spend part of his or her day in a SpEd classroom where there is normally one teacher and several assistants, and part of the day in regular classrooms with assistants at their side to help them in that setting. There are not a lot of public schools that segregate disabled students away from the "normal" students and classrooms. Integration is the rule, because, after all, all but the most disabled children (the ones who are disabled enough that they will be living in group homes, or sometimes even nursing homes, as adults) will eventually grow up to be adults who live and work among people of all abilities. Private schools like the one I was employed by for one school year are another matter. As with anything else, private schools can teach what they want, how they want--but they cannot be accredited unless they follow similar rules and curricula that you find in the public school setting.

 

I hear you about the lack of financial resources for many schools. That's a problem here, too, especially if a child is in the Talented and Gifted category. It does just as much a disservice to the student not to challenge them in the areas of their particular gift(s) as it does to not provide needed services to students with disabling conditions. Money always seems to be the big factor to consider when it comes to providing extra services to children at either end of the educational spectrum. It is frustrating for everyone involved, I think, whether it's teachers, students, or their families.

 

My husband is fantastic. Probably the single smartest human I know, and he loves learning new things, which is why he's been both a nuclear physicist and now a high-level IT guy. He also loves to help others, and likes to get involved in areas that interest him. You quoted him several times. His name is Zwack, and his dyspraxia has not slowed him down one bit, since he doesn't really NEED to have good handwriting for the career path(s) he's chosen. Writing legibly is something he WANTS to do, though, and as with everything else he does, he pours his whole heart and soul into the quest for better handwriting. I am very proud of him :-).

Edited February 6, 2016 by IrishEyes

[Old_Inkyhand]

I would never try to force it, but I was (originally) thinking if a change of a tool could result in some improvement. It wouldn't be a big problem for him (I think) to change the tool and maybe the difference in the writing technique would help him make a small step forward.

This little success would make him much more engaged in the process.

I'm only worried that he should start now, because later he'll have to double his writing speed to cope with high school studies.

 

But yes, I believe he will change his attitude

[Old_Inkyhand]

@IrishEyes

 

What a surprise

 

These are the schools for very specific children only, for example those who had problems in a regular school. Each of them has some really serious mental illnesses or disabilities, so I think it isn't a bad thing for them. Of course the integration between healthy and disabled children is provided also in the case of these schools. For example my school - which was for a long time the best junior high in the voivodeship (what wasn't a huge distinction) was cooperating with one of the Special Schools. For example these children used to come and show us some theatre plays. I think our school was chosen because of its students - they were gentle enough to know that they couldn't jeer at those children. I believe they even didn't want to do such a thing. The Special School's students were always very happy and proud of themselves. We used to organise different events for them. I didn't have a feeling that they don't know how to live in the big world. In fact, this was the purpose of the school - to teach them how to function in the brutal reality.

 

There are many people in Poland who have some really good ideas. Some of them are even ready to be implemented, but the country isn't ready yet. The communist era have resulted in a few positive changes, but also in an awful lot of bad consequences. It is hard to improve everything at once, when the people instantly have to modify their way of life, find new jobs, change their mentality. There was so much to do that I'm not surprised with some of the problems in the educational system. I think that in this case they tried to help the majority first - "fully healthy children" - and the most needy ones, like the poor or severely disabled children. My brother is somewhere in the middle - his disability is not a very important one, so he has to stand in a queue.

The situation is much better in the cities and in the wealthier areas, but I was raised in one of the poorest and most conservative areas of Poland. My financial situation was good and I have to mention that "the poorest" doesn't mean that there are many homeless people or those who can't afford good housing, buy clothes, food and books - but they would cook at home for their guests instead of going to a fancy restaurant and buy stuff in Walmart (if they could), not in elegant boutiques. These people have often serious difficulties with living in the capitalistic world. But in the cities or in the wealthier areas, the situation is totally different and the disabled students have a whole range of possibilities, not only provided by the government, but also by various charities.

 

The things change veeery fast, but we still have to be patient. The biggest problem is the mentality of people. During the communism, they didn't have to worry about the choice of career, work, retirement, there were many official celebrations, the workers could be sure that they would receive a number of gifts a few times a year, there were only a few TV shows - but some of them were much more intellectual than the majority of the modern shows, etc. People want to keep all the privileges and they sometimes don't see that these privileges have ruined the economical situation of the country. They would like to get many 'gifts' from the government and pay virtually no taxes, as if they couldn't understand that the government has to collect their taxes first to have money to spend on these nice things.

 

EDIT: spelling

Edited February 6, 2016 by Old_Inkyhand

[Ron Z]

Pure opinion here...

 

Handwriting does reflect one's personality. I have very good small motor skills, very steady hands, absolute concentration on something that interests me. But I have absolutely no interest in practicing or investing any time to make my awful handwriting any better. None at all. I haven't the time and it would bore me. That does not mean that I don't appreciate people who can write nicely. While my wife appreciates my skills in the shop, she has absolutely no interest in how to turn a replacement part to repair a pen. (her comment "You better believe it!) We are given different gifts and strengths. Celebrate the ones he has and encourage them.

 

FWIW, if what I am writing needs to be clear enough for anyone other than my wife to read, I type it on a computer and print it.

[tinta]

to Ron Z 's post. Here is my 0.02 CAD.

 

Over the years my handwriting has developed into a very personalized mumble-jumble of letters, some connected some not. The effect is a "sort of" a cursive hand. It's legible if I proceed slowly & if I write with a fairly wide, edged nib (a stub or a cursive italic of 0.8 mm - 1.1 mm.)

 

All through my schooling & to this day, I have intensely disliked any repetitive practice, be it hand writing drills or learning math tables or playing an instrument. I'm not proud of this fact, but this is how it has been & is.

 

That said, I thoroughly enjoy working on complex (fishing) fly patterns, where learning through repetition is essential. This type of activity for me is pure joy, not drudgery.

Because I'm highly motivated, I'll gladly repeat a difficult tying technique till it becomes second nature. The key is motivation & temperament.

Edited February 6, 2016 by tinta

[deeky]

I'm going to chime in here only because I see the two of you as a slightly older version of my own two kids. My daughter (the older of the two) has already decided she is going to be a teacher. It makes sense considering how much of a mother hen she is. 'Mother hen' is a bit of a colloquialism, but imagine watching a real hen in the yard, watching over her chicks. My daughter can't help but tell her brother what to do, how to do it, and will even squeeze herself into a situation to do it for him. And she does it to classmates and friends as well. She generally is truly trying to help and guide him to better things.

 

But she (and I think like you) has to realize that she is his sister. She is not his mother. She is not his teacher. She is not any sort of authority over him. My son just sees her as his sister and that it's not her place to be so bossy. Because she is pushing and it's not her place, he actually resists her help considerably more than he would anyone else.

 

My advice to my daughter, based on what we've seen between the two of them, is to just be his sister. Don't push anything on him. Do what she wants to do and just enjoy it. If he sees her interested in it, he is likely to be interested. If she's pushing it on him, he's pushing back.

 

Sounds like your brother may be pushing back against his sister because she is just his sister. (Please don't take that as any sort of insult, but just reality).

[Abner C. Kemp]

Fifteen year old boys don't take well to someone trying to impose anything on them. If you want, give him a cheap Jinhao fountain pen or something to play around with -- it might spur him on to wanting to improve it himself. I went to school with some people with dysgraphia -- it is a very frustrating illness which makes handwriting a chore. I would guess that a broader nib might force him to slow down and form his letters better lest everything will end up a meaningless pile of ink, so perhaps something like a 1.1 stub.

 

To be completely honest, as much as I appreciate fountain pens and good handwriting, there are much more important things to worry about in the modern age.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Abner C. Kemp

[jmccarty3]

15-year-old boys are at the apex of immaturity, and ordinarily they are completely lacking in foresight--this is not a criticism, just an observation from having taken care of them as patients for many years. I'm confident that if he would write with a fountain pen his handwriting would improve. The problem is to get him to think it's his idea, not yours. Unfortunately, there are no fountain pens endorsed by his favorite sports stars, or with the likenesses of his favorite video game characters. It's a difficult problem.

 

I would avoid saying anything to him about it, but rather try to write with a fountain pen as often as you can when he is around. Make sure it's not a "girly" looking pen, and don't use pink or turquoise ink. Just be a good example to him--that's really all you can do. I have noticed during my 66 years of life that females have an irresistible urge to "fix" the males in their lives. Try very hard to conquer that temptation--that will be his wife's job.

[Old_Inkyhand]

To be honest, I spend at least five days a week in a different city. I decided to go to one of the best schools in the country, to have more possibilities and experience more than I could in our city (my home city's number of residents is about 20 times smaller). We're usually quite far away from each other and therefore I am not the 'bossy' kind of sister, I'm rather the 'wow how nice she can bring me a few things from Cracow' kind of sister. And when I come home, I'm usually tired or I have a lot to do, so I don't meddle at all. We watch films together and generally have fun, so I don't think he has some kind of aversion to my tips (as there are nearly no tips). He treats me like an enemy rather in terms of housework or some privileges - he thinks that I should do all the weekend clean-up because I am absent during the weekdays or that our parents shouldn't limit the time he spends playing computer games, if I can use my computer for a longer time (well - I need it for work and school).

 

I observe different kinds of his problems, but most of them can be solved by my parents. The awful handwriting, however, is a more serious problem that it may seem (I know there is nothing particularly appealing in handwriting practice for a typical boy) and it can not be solved by my parents. They don't have a clue what to do and they work a lot, so they spend their little amount of free time on helping him in many different ways. This is the small thing that I could do, as I am a fountain pen fan and I can help him with filling, cleaning, buying spare parts or inks, making minor fixes and solving his troubles. Yesterday he was interested in my ink mixes - I created a 'faux GvFC Deep Sea Green' - so there is hope.

 

In my title question - 'How to impose handwriting improvement?' I didn't mean 'How can a sister force handwriting improvement on her brother', but "Is there a tool which itself could impose handwriting improvement, even a tiny bit". I know that I have virtually no possibilities to impose it myself, even if I wanted to.

[zwack]

If he is really into Football that much, you could try finding a pen in a colour or colours of the team he most likes (You have home, away and third strips... see http://www.worldsoccershop.com/shop-by-team-barcelona-football-club.html for Barcelona for this) for example and a custom ink mix that is also related (e.g. a yellow pen with a dark blue ink) perhaps he will use that particularly if you tell him you matched those colours.

[Old_Inkyhand]

If he is really into Football that much, you could try finding a pen in a colour or colours of the team he most likes (You have home, away and third strips... see http://www.worldsoccershop.com/shop-by-team-barcelona-football-club.html for Barcelona for this) for example and a custom ink mix that is also related (e.g. a yellow pen with a dark blue ink) perhaps he will use that particularly if you tell him you matched those colours.

 

I have actually started a separate topic a few days ago to ask if anyone knows any interesting pens in FC Barcelona colours (which happen to be my school's colours, too). I was wondering if the TWSBI Diamond 580RB (red cap, red section, blue 'tail' and clear body in the middle) would be a good idea.

Yeah, he's really into it. He has a full match set, he has even ordered a special pair of shoes directly from the producer to complete the set. He spends a lot of money on football equipment, but well, my horse riding and fountain pens aren't cheaper.

Thank you for help! You have a wonderful wife

 

Edit: an apostrophe in a wrong place

Edited February 8, 2016 by Old_Inkyhand