On the retention of institutional habits
When I was five years old, during the first time that bell-bottoms were in fashion, I decided to play on my parents' typewriter. They had an electric typewriter of good quality, but I don't recall what sort. (I do recall that it was blue and white.) I don't know why they had it, because I don't think my mother ever used it, and my dad couldn't type. (He had a secretary* at work to do his typing.)
Since I was only a child, naturally I typed by hunt-and-peck. Eventually I got my own typewriter (a lovely Olivetti Valentine** from my grandmother) and continued to use that.
So when I had typing class in 7th grade, I already knew how to type. Sort of. I looked at my fingers and I didn't use the "home row" or anything correctly, but I could go at 45wpm writing straight from my head. I slowed down to 25wpm when I had to read things, because of the whole looking-at-my-fingers issue. Still, that was way ahead of the other kids, who had never typed.
Now I go more-or-less with my fingers on the right keys, though I still use my ring fingers for most of the keys the pinkies are supposed to handle (hey, when you're a CHILD on a MANUAL typewriter, you play to your strengths).
I don't look at my fingers anymore--once I started working after college, I took someone's suggestion and started looking at the screen as I typed. After a couple of days of fumbling about, it became quite natural, my error rate plummeted, and I now go at 60wpm without any trouble. I even freak people (including myself) out by having a conversation about one thing while simultaneously typing something else entirely.
Do kids even have typing classes anymore? I would think that any school that could afford a teacher specifically for typing is probably populated by kids who have computers at home and already can passably type by the time they're old enough to start writing papers.
*They were still called secretaries in those days, because it was a skilled job, and thus the title was respected. The whole sneering-at-secretaries-call-me-assistant thing still mystifies me.
**The typewriter so cool, it's in the MOMA. Seriously.