Another problem with not learning cursive... (literacy, computers, requirement, students)

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Frostnip

Where on Earth did you get this from?

It's not true, at least not in the US. Handwritten signatures in block letters are completely valid. I think you might be conflating this with machine-printed signatures, which do often require additional verification.

Why would they be valid if everyone's block letters look the same?

[E-Twist]

Originally Posted by cat1116

Ok, at least you said “most” cursive.
Like I’m saying some have and some may not. Budgetary constraints for those, I suppose.
Maybe some POs have them and some don’t? That’s was an issue that was brought up some time ago but don’t recall from where. Yes, it’s nice that most POs can do what you say. I know that there is zip code reading by machines but if there’s not a full zip on the letter, or if the machine can’t pick up the code because of smudges, or whatever, it may not get delivered unless someone can read the rest of it. I’ve worked in such an info center and have seen messages get delivered to the wrong address and I was able to look something up to get the correct letter/number for the company. How’s that for human intervention?

There are processing centers. The people you see taking in letters and packages at the counter do not process. Last I heard, my state has two. Packages were actually sent to a different state to be processed. Machines will kick out what is illegible and then a human "reads" it. At one time some of it was done remotely - a person seeing pictures of the actual letter. I don't know if that is still done.

[Dane_in_LA]

Originally Posted by LauraC

Why would they be valid if everyone's block letters look the same?

"No two people write cursive the same way" is a bug, not a feature, as long as writing is supposed to convey information.

[E-Twist]

I don't think the inability to write cursive is going to bring down governments. Some days I don't write at all. When I do write, cursive is faster. If it's something short it's faster than getting out my laptop or using my phone. But it isn't necessarily important to do it in cursive rather than print. I do have to sign a lot of documents from time to time. I am glad to know cursive then. But is it absolutely necessary to know how to do it - I don't think so. It would make a nice elective. Shorthand was pretty much dead when I was in school, but it was still offered as an elective. Fun class.

I can also talk to my phone or computer, so I suppose some people might get by without knowing how to write or spell at all. A lot of people are bad at math, but we have calculators, so is math really necessary? Obviously not for everyone. They still get jobs as store clerks. It's painful watching some of them, even though the register tells them how much change, looking at coins and trying to figure out what it takes to add up to, for example, .46 cents. They probably think everyone should just use a credit or debit card.

[reneeh63]

This all seems a bit overboard to me - the gasping at how kids can't read it and that history majors should be made to take a class in it, and such.

It was a big deal when I was in elementary school - we didn't learn until 5th grade! And it made me feel very grown up. But I rarely write in cursive any more. Regardless, cursive is not anything like a foreign language that takes years to learn. It took time to learn to write it because of the coordination needed - it took very LITTLE time to be able to READ it. And now, reading it is of little importance and writing it is even less. But if needed, you could learn to read it in a less than a day, I'd wager.

Signatures were only in cursive because they were more unique that way and presumably harder to forge. But now any chicken scratch will do - the fact is all you have to do is make ANY mark and that signifies acceptance of whatever terms - does anyone verify a signature except perhaps to vote? And there's no law that you can't print your "signature".

It's hard when things like this change but the fact is, once it does, very few will look back. And if they want to they can keep up the tradition THEMSELVES for as long as they like.

[2Loud]

This thread is hilarious over something whose need is exaggerated while at the same time completely irrelevant. Over 4 decades of not using cursive in any manner yet none of my success has been held back in the least as I roll towards retirement.

Knowing it, using it, or reading it will not make absolutely any difference to anyone's success.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by 2Loud

This thread is hilarious over something whose need is exaggerated while at the same time completely irrelevant. Over 4 decades of not using cursive in any manner yet none of my success has been held back in the least as I roll towards retirement.

Knowing it, using it, or reading it will not make absolutely any difference to anyone's success.

It's definitely a bit of a nostalgia topic.

[springfieldva]

My kids are in their early 20's. The school had a brief lesson on cursive back when they were in elementary school. I had them practice cursive at home just so they would know how to sign their name and read letters from older relatives.

Back when I was a kid we were graded on handwriting and had to write our formal reports in cursive. I can't think of the last time that I used cursive other than to sign my name.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by springfieldva

My kids are in their early 20's. The school had a brief lesson on cursive back when they were in elementary school. I had them practice cursive at home just so they would know how to sign their name and read letters from older relatives.

Back when I was a kid we were graded on handwriting and had to write our formal reports in cursive. I can't think of the last time that I used cursive other than to sign my name.

Back then, it was called "penmanship". I never was able to develop decent penmanship until I was in my mid-teens. It must have had something to do with hand coordination and perhaps brain development. Fortunately, we weren't graded on it. I don't think any amount of drilling would have helped.

[North Beach Person]

Most of you are talking the "but we don't use it" argument while completely ignoring the brain development and executive functioning that cursive enhances. Things that study after study have shown to not be enhanced by typing or even printing. That's not even mentioning the use it has in dyslexic education (which is entirely done in cursive) not to mention for everyone in teaching spelling (there is a printing component for that one).

As I mentioned, I don't use the aeronautical engineering I learned over forty years ago but it still enhanced my facility with algebra and geometry that has carried over.

As a note, at 68 I don't use cursive, and haven't for decades, unless I'm writing something I don't want anyone else to be able to read and I'm too lazy to put it in code.