Oklahoma Teacher Forces 4-Year-Old To Stop Writing With Left Hand Because It Is Considered “Evil”

Zayde did something evil this week in his class in Oakes Elementary in Okemah, Oklahoma. He wrote with his left-hand. That prompted a teacher to explain that the left hand was “bad” and should not be used. When his mother wrote to inquire, the teacher sent an article explaining how the left hand is associated with the devil and is deemed evil. Of course, a few left handers who seemed to do all right range from Alexander the Great to President Obama.

Zayde is in Pre-K and learning to write. The teacher sent an article that explained how the left hand is deemed “unlucky,” “evil,” and “sinister.” It also noted that the devil is often portrayed as left-handed.” Indeed, while not mentioned in the article, historical figures like Joan of Arc were portrayed as left-handed to make them look more evil (though it is not clear which was her dominant hand).

Reporters were unable to speak with the Superintendent and the principal of Oakes Elementary would only say that she is aware of the situation and “hung up before we could ask any questions.”

Just for the record, here are a few of those left-handers in history:

Lloque Yapanqui Inca monarch
Ramses II, Egyptian pharaoh
Tiberius, Roman emperor
Alexander the Great
Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor
Julius Caesar, Roman general
Napoléon Bonaparte, French emperor
Josephine de Beauharnais
King Louis XVI of France
Queen Victoria of England
King George II of England
King George VI of England
Prince Charles of England
Prince William of England
Fidel Castro, Cuban leader
Benjamin Franklin
James A. Garfield
Herbert Hoover
Harry S. Truman
Gerald Ford
Ronald Reagan
George H.W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Barack Obama