Keyboards!

I am SOOOOOO thankful I learned to type when I was in high school and that I had to make my living at it for a brief period.  (You either become a temp or a waitress when you move to NYC to pursue acting.)

I see people hunting and pecking.  I wait on instant messaging programs for folks to laboriously pick out their responses.  I read emails that are full of typos, and I am thankful.

It’s possible I came of age in one of the few periods of history where being able to type provided a significant advantage.  Icons and gestures and touchpads all seem to be leading us down a road where keyboard input is less significant.  Voice recognition technology is improving daily.

I can see a day coming where there may be no such thing as a high school typing class.

On the other hand, keyboard entry still remains the fastest way to input a computer program, so it may never be lost altogether.  I hope not.

Because I think it trains a part of our brains that we can utilize even miles away from any computer keyboard.   What is “clerical speed and accuracy” other than the ability to comprehend quickly and translate that comprehension into action.

Reading comprehension is closely allied.  The faster you can read, the faster you can type.  And the faster you can read, the faster you can accumulate information in a world where information is paramount.

The ability to process information—to absorb it, comprehend it, correlate and aggregate and then formulate a plan of action—is where success lies.  Any edge you can give a kid is important.

And I think the lowly typing class provided me with a significant edge.

On a practical level, I made a living as a typist and as a computer programmer, in part, because I could type.  Well.

I now pursue more creative goals.  Whatever success I’ve had as a writer is not solely or even largely attributable to an ability to type, but it sure streamlines the process.  I’m a better writer, certainly a faster writer, because I am a damn good typist.

And I am very thankful for Mrs. Laird and that long-ago typing class.