'The instructor walked away, shaking his head': Student's terrible handwriting trumps forensic expert

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Jun 26, 2023 12:00 PM EDT

Some of us undoubtedly have terrible handwriting, but do any of us have handwriting so terrible that it can fool a leading forensic expert?

It's important to remember that while being an expert on something means that you have a wealth of experience in the subject and have seen many things, it doesn't mean that you have seen every thing. Thinking otherwise is bound to land you in some embarrassing situations that call your experience into question.

On top of this, in general, it's important to keep in mind that every person you meet has something to teach you. Whether or not that thing is something that you want or need to know is another story—but that open-minded approach will ensure you're always ready to take new ideas on board.

This student shared the story of how they got one over on an unexpecting crime scene forensics expert who was teaching a night course at their local community college. It's important to note here that this story takes place back in the 1970s, a time before computer analysis, which meant that forensics was conducted exclusively by industry experts who specialized in identifying individuals using varied evidence. One of these methods, as you've probably seen in Netflix documentaries, was through the matching of handwriting samples to identify crime suspects and forgery attempts. This instructor was "one of the best in the world" at this method of identification—but he was about to be fooled by the sheer horror that was this student's abysmal handwriting…

Keep reading and see this brilliant story that the student shared about their experience from years past. Next, check out this administrator who got owned by a teacher and his students when the administrator tried to end their DnD sessions.

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  • 01
    Font - Posted by u/HiReddit7685 11 hours ago The Accidental MC Against World Expert LOC This occurred back in the 70's and before I start I want to emphasize, I was never stupid enough and will never be stupid enough to use my hidden talent. Background I was taking an elective Criminal Forensic (CSI stuff) night course at a local community college. The best part about taking this course was the instructor, which meant an in-depth tour at the U.S. Criminal Forensic Lab where he worked as the Ques
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  • 02
    Font - It was a great course studying many facets of criminal forensics and taking the amazing lab tour. As the course was coming to the end the Questioned Document facet approached, the instructor's specialty. At the end of the class just before it started, the instructor wrote a paragraph on the board, and we each had two sheets of blank, lined paper. He told us to write the paragraph, only the paragraph, anyway we want on one sheet and then again on the other sheet trying to disguise our hand
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  • 03
    Font - Because I wanted to go home I made it easy on myself. For my forgery attempt I wrote the paragraph in Print on one sheet and in Cursive on the other sheet, even though we were told that it is a failed way to disguise handwriting. Now for a little background on my handwriting, its bad, I mean really bad, and I have held pencils/pens wrong since I learned to write. The easiest way to explain it is I write with a closed fist, right-handed. In elementary school my parents hired a tutor to try
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  • 04
    Font - At the beginning of the next class the normal happy, go-lucky instructor looked very upset as he walked in. The first words out of his mouth was if anyone played a practical joke on him he did not appreciate it. The whole class, ~15 students, looked at each other totally confused. The instructor then again tried to get someone to confess, but we all continued to look confused. The instructor calmed down a little and decided to continue with the class as he would normally have done so. Fro
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  • 05
    Font - me he said, he could not testify in court saying the same person wrote both paragraphs. With a scared look on my face I said both sheets were mine and I wrote both paragraphs. So in front of the instructor and whole class I again wrote the paragraph, once in print and once in cursive. The instructor walked away, shaking his head and mumbling something like he had never seen this before. After that, the instructor looked at and spoke to me differently as my classmates created some obvious
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  • 06
    Font - Trying to anticipate some questions Exactly why I could do this I have no idea. I figured if I was in school today I would be diagnosed with some minor learning disability. ● • No, I cannot demonstrate this now. I have not written in cursive in 40+ years and too old to relearn. • Cursive - Think loopy letters all connected together which thankfully is being forgotten • I did make a new account for this post • In the 80s I found a career that matched my handwriting skills, computers Edit I
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  • 07
    Font - warple-still +3. 11 hr. ago 'Career that matched your handwriting skills' :) Vote Zoreb1 +2 11 hr. ago A doctor writing prescriptions. Vote PiecesMAD Reply Share . Vote . 9 hr. ago I knew a physician who had previously been a pharmacist and part of the reason she had gone to medical school was so that there would be at least one physician with good handwriting. Reply Share Reply Share
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  • 08
    Font - barfridge0 11 hr. ago You've got a voice for newspapers and handwriting for typing! Vote Reply Share Zoreb1 +2 11 hr. ago Better than a face for radio and a voice for mime. ✩ Vote Reply Share
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  • 09
    Organism - CoderJoe1 +3.9 hr. ago In the 80s I found a career that matched my handwriting skills, computers That cracked me up. It's like having a face for radio. Vote Reply Share
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  • 10
    Font - o DeerBeautiful3626 10 hr. ago I only have one question that was not included in your FAQ: Were you by any chance born left-handed and forced to transition to right-handed as a small child? My brother was, and he had some of the worst handwriting I've ever seen for a long time, and the awkward pencil grip as well. Now that he's been writing right- handed for over 40 years, either it's getting better slowly or I'm just learning to read it more easily! Reply Share Vote HiReddit7685 OPO 10 h
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  • 11
    Font - shogun MJ 10 hr. ago So in Switzerland we learn both print and cursive, and i use a mix to write nowadays. Vote Reply Share chocomoholic +1.2 hr. ago Canadian here but I also mix my print & cursive to write, have been doing so for years. Basically the path of least resistance is what I take-- if it's easier for the flow to use cursive, I do and if not then I stop and print. Most people tend to have a difficult time reading my handwriting but eh. I mostly write notes for myself nowadays so
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  • 12
    Font - +3.8 hr. ago I had my checkbook stolen way back in '95, and was able to prove the signature wasn't mine because it was actually readable. SkwrlTail Bastards wrote $300 of bad checks on a $100 account. I needed that money for foods... Vote Reply Share
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  • 13
    Font - exceive · 9 hr. ago My cursive was terrible, so I switched to printing in high school. Over 40 years later, I installed a keyboard app on my phone where I could do handwriting on the screen interested of typing or sweeping on a keyboard. The app somehow worked better with my unreadable cursive than my printing. So I was writing cursive that would never be seen or judged by another human. I used that for a few months, and then I tried using cursive on paper. It was actually legible. I've b
    via u/HiReddit7685

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