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I think cursive should be an elective, for those who want to pass that area on their SAT and can't learn it at home on their own time. I think typing should be mandatory. Typing will be far more useful in college and in the technology era, typing would be more efficient.
I find humor watching the self taught typer's trying to type fast. lol I didn't realize how fast two fingers could go. Typing the correct way would be very useful to most people. Cursive, not so much but I do believe you need to know it for the SAT. That would be the only valid reason to me. Once they remove that, I don't see a reason it should be anything but an elective in school.
So that you can become a cop? Or work for them? I'm not sure, but my SIL is a cop and she has to give the tests to people (hence, I'm assuming it's a test to become a cop) and one part is, "in handwriting, copy this text". She said, it's amazing how many people don't know how, don't know what it is, or how to write specific letters anymore. She will return their work because it's "printed".
I guess some things actually require you to know cursive.....or not be able to get that job you want. Interesting, right?
Cursive will become like Latin or Greek in a couple of generations. My mother-in-law had beautiful cursive handwriting; in 100 years, it may as well be hieroglyphics.
Whenever I write something I use cursive handwriting. I always get complimented on it by older people who always make the comment "you must have gone to catholic school". Which is true. In catholic grade school we weren't allowed to use pen or write in regular print. We had to use cursive and it had to be legible.
I am not sure what will happen in the next fifty to hundred years but I would like my daughter to be taught cursive writing.
Cursive will become like Latin or Greek in a couple of generations. My mother-in-law had beautiful cursive handwriting; in 100 years, it may as well be hieroglyphics.
It already is hieroglyphics to kids in school.
Cursive may be taught but it's rarely used after that.
Students either print or cut and paste on a computer and send it to the printer.
My mail lady told me last year that new hires at the post office can't read cursive and put envelopes/packages they can't read on the side until someone who can read cursive can deal with them later.
I didn't think of that. Now I print all my envelopes that I mail.
In case anyone has children in school who are not being taught cursive but would like them to learn, this is what I use: Handwriting Without Tears | Handwriting Without Tears (They sell both printing and cursive books, so scroll down until you see cursive)
It only takes 5-10 minutes a day and is really very simple. The books cost around $10 each. They sell additional props (mini chalkboard and chalk, blocks, etc.) to reinforce the lessons, but I really didn't find that I needed them. They also sell a teacher's guide book. I used it a little to help explain a couple of the review exercises in the books, but I'm not sure it is all that needed.
There are few home school curriculum that I like 100%, but this is one of them. The kids don't mind it, it's an easier format than the slanting-type cursive, and it's so quick that it is easy to fit in at any time.
It's good for signatures - which are done in cursive. If you only print your name on a form or a check - it can be more easily duplicated. Signatures are more unique.
I fully agree with the above and I think children should still have this skill so that they know how to write in cursive when they might encounter situations (like traveling in remote parts of the world) where the technology of computers might not be available just for taking notes for example.
Besides signatures, I cannot honestly think of a point of writing cursive. I only really remember the upper-case letters that I cannot do lower-case say F or in the case of Z, I forget upper-case Z. For the most part it is a dying skill due to technological advancements in the modern era it really has no real purpose other than signatures. Maybe I am wrong but, I don't see it being used in say 10/20 years from now and being as dead as Latin.
Someone please enlighten me if my views are wrong in anyway.
It already is hieroglyphics to kids in school.
Cursive may be taught but it's rarely used after that.
Students either print or cut and paste on a computer and send it to the printer.
My mail lady told me last year that new hires at the post office can't read cursive and put envelopes/packages they can't read on the side until someone who can read cursive can deal with them later.
I didn't think of that. Now I print all my envelopes that I mail.
lol! I can't imagine that. I noticed that one of my kids (6 years old) read something I had written in cursive recently. Somehow, he figured it out.
I only find it usefull for taking notes. I can write cursive much faster. But my cursive isn't nearly as neat as it used to be, before I figured out I can type much faster than I can write!
How will people have a signature if they don't know cursive???
I wager a person writing in longhand can more readily later recollect what they composed than if keyed into a virtual document.
I also wager a person writing in script is able to compose more text over a measured time period compared to printing in longhand.
Both above are critical for University use. I think that settles why it should be taught.
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