By Myra Chen and Stephanie Pham
Graphology is the study of handwriting in relation to personality, the analysis of the details that distinguish one handwriting from another. In use since the early 1900s, graphology is often used to evaluate real-world circumstances such as medical diagnoses and police forensics.
Real-world, including the world of Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) and its extensive staff list. Several FVHS teachers were asked to write a pangram: ‘A quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.’ Through this simple sentence, every letter of the alphabet was observed according to the tests presented in the article, “What Does Your Handwriting Say About You,” leading to the broad conclusion of personalities of four FVHS teachers.
Graphology is not regarded highly in scientific societies. In fact, it’s considered to be a pseudoscience and lacking accuracy. The veracity behind graphology may be limited, but it still stands today as a guideline in many studies, including the informal study of Physics teacher Debbie Dickinson.
Dickinson has a noticeably large handwriting, pointing to a more outgoing and people-oriented personality. With a job mostly involving young freshmen, it’s basically a requirement to get along with others.
Despite having a large lettering, there is little to no space between each letter. Narrow spacing between words could mean multiple things, but most prominently, it shows a lack of loneliness and a reliance on the company of others. Unslanted letters and connected letters hint to the practicality and logical aspects of a person, pointing to a more systematic thought process. To think thoroughly before acting is a quality fitting for a physics teacher who has to spend most of her time evaluating steps to solve a problem.
Believe it or not, how one loops their E’s and L’s is an important factor that many analysts look at. In this case, Dickinson has narrow E loops, suggesting a more skeptical mindset. With a dot that sits right above the line in her letter I’s, Dickinson is thought to be organized and detail-orientated with her work.
“I have Mrs. Dickinson for AP Physics, and she is definitely on the more organized side. I love how she always pays attention to details and gives great feedback on every assignment,” junior Kylie Phi said. “I would say she is very good with step-by-step instructions when it comes to working out examples.”
Chemistry teacher Michael Olsberg is quite the character. With an upbeat and laughable personality, Olsberg directs each and every class with a couple hundred dad jokes sprinkled throughout his lesson. Comparably, his handwriting is distinctive, to say the least.
Upon observation, Olsberg also has a tendency to write largely—large printing and a considerable distance between each letter and word. Although this characteristic of his font can be acquired by habit of writing visibly on the whiteboard throughout his numerous years of teaching, it can also be reflective of his desire to be seen and understood by others. The clarity of each letter, as a result, is a signal of a large, outgoing personality.
“He has neat handwriting, but because of the fast pace of the class and his teaching style, he writes very fast, so much so that it can be hard to see what he writes on the board,” senior Vy Nguyen said. “He’s good at explaining things, but he easily gets distracted and talks about other things.”
The floating dot on Olsberg’s lowercase I’s is drawn high and free. Often this means that the writer has big ideas, but is in a hurry, matching Nguyen’s statement. Sharp letters means that the writer is naturally intelligent and curious to learn, also a characteristic expressed in his teaching style.
Calculus teacher Thomas Ngo’s observed personality matches that of the subject he teaches. Despite his small, chicken-scratch scrawl, Ngo’s lettering is a symbol of rationality and is a representation of his need to be thorough. Each letter he wrote is straight, going up and down, with little to no deviation slant wise.
Ngo sets high goals for himself, and also those around him, as depicted by the high crosses on his T’s. His high level of expectations bleeds into his teaching style, expecting and hoping that each and every one of his students has the opportunity to succeed.
“[Ngo] is committed. He’s good at encouraging students to participate and encourages them to actively learn in class by randomly calling on students, expecting them to be prepared and actually do the work,” senior Amber Truong said. “His handwriting is pretty messy, but readable. You don’t really need good handwriting for math.”
As a result of this benchmark he places, Ngo also has a tendency to be a perfectionist, although it may not be depicted on the surface level of his handwriting. Down to the specifics, however, the tightness of his lettering are indicators of uptightness and obsession. However, not so obsessive about closing the As and Gs of his letters, apparently.
Uniquely different, Spanish teacher Gerardo Gonzalez starts class with a smile on his face when greeting all his students. Gonzalez displays an outgoing front towards his students to create a positive atmosphere.
“I think Señor Gonzalez is a teacher who genuinely cares about his students, so he creates a friendly environment by asking his students how they’re doing or saying good morning and fist bumping every student as we leave class,” junior Taylor Nguyen said.
As a teacher, Gonzalez always makes an effort to get to know new students each year. This habit can also be seen in his writing. With a slight slant to the right, his letters show signs of enjoying new experiences and meeting new people. A believable analysis of a teacher who meets a variety of students every year.
Upon taking a closer look, it can also be noted that his I’s have direct placement of dot over the vertical line. He also makes a perfect dash through the middle of the vertical line when crossing his T’s. Both aspects of his handwriting suggest an organized and empathetic character.
It’s often difficult to understand and learn from a teacher with messy handwriting. The good news: your teacher may not have inherently messy handwriting. They might have a peculiar combination of personality traits. Or they are just plain messy.
