Harry Potter discussion

I've always wondered a couple of things about the mundane stuff of Harry Potter.

1.) How do students know to get parchment and quills?
It's not on their supply lists, and I don't believe that it's provided at the school.
How are muggleborns supposed to know to get them. If I were a student, I would bring notebooks and pencils.

2.) Why don't they teach students how to use a quill?
A quill seems like a very hard instrument to manipulate.
If teachers want readable essays then why don't they educate students on how to write acceptably.

They're kind of stupid questions, but they're pestering me.

1. I’m sure it’s simply a necessity that they know they are going to have bring. Rather like the kids bring a knapsack/book-bag of some sort to carry their materials around. I don't recall them being on the supply list. Also for most students they grow up in the magical world, so their parents would know they need to have them. Rowling said that someone from the school brings a muggleborns acceptance letter in person. So I’m sure they go more in depth to what they will need to bring and might even take or arrange to take them to Diagon Alley to get all their needed supplies.


2.For those from magical families they are probably taught to write with a quill by their parents or guardian long before they start school. It might take muggle-borns or someone that was in a situation like Harry or Tom Riddle a little more time to get the gist of having to write with a quill and ink when they'd been using pencil/pen and paper up to that point.

These aren't stupid questions!
You're right, I think JK should have written more about how Harry was struggling to grip the quill, I mean, he's never even used one ever!

I agree with "healer", those brought up in wizarding families would have probably written with quills on parchment all of their life, and would have watch their parents filling in paperwork with them, etc.

Those in the cases of Harry and Tom Riddle, we saw that they were sought to in person and were offered some help getting the supplies...
But same thing, maybe JK could have been more precise and written about how Hermione had never used a quill before then too...