I would never, ever, ever have taken a typing class in high school. Typing was for girls. Then I dropped out. A year later I returned and since I needed a few more credits to graduate, and one of the courses could be a throwaway, I signed up for ... typing!
It wasn’t as easy as I thought; I was so ham-fisted I only got up to 40 wpm in one semester. Later, when I was in the Army, they made me a clerk typist and made me practice endless hours every day for an additional four or five weeks. I only got up to 55 wpm at my speediest, and if I didn’t type a lot every day, I’d start slipping back down into the 40s. But it was good enough for government work and I’ve never regretted “knowing how to type” for a minute since (especially after they came out with home computers!).
It was interesting what they said in this article about “rollover” typing. I’d never heard of it. I’m too old of a dog to be taught new tricks, and it sounds way too complicated anyway. They only taught touch typing to us back in the day. That’s what I know and I’m sticking to it. But if I were a young whippersnapper, I’d give it a try because it sounds like it’s the way to go if you want to type at a respectable speed.
The fastest I ever tested was 110 words / minute with no errors.
I was in high school in the ‘60s, in NY Regents program, and advanced placement. I assumed Typing class was for the girls who were just getting by, so pooh-poohed it.
Bit I needed one elective so decided to take Personal Typing. It was the most valuable class I took, besides Latin. Being fast and accurate got my foot in the door at some top companies, and I was able to advance into management positions from there. (No college degree.)
One thing I noticed in class: My teacher would make us test to music sometimes (Leroy Anderson’s “Typewriter” song). With music, my speed improved quickly. I’d played piano since I was three, and when in the music-typing groove, I got in a zone. I don’t know if that’s typical or has any scientific meaning, but I thought it was interesting.