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A defense of cursive, from a 10-year-old national champion
Like many students in New Jersey, McKnight’s son had never been taught cursive writing. Tasks she considers fundamental were beyond him: autographing a yearbook; endorsing a check; signing an application. So she bought a workbook and taught him at home. “I wanted him to be able to sign his name,” she said. “It’s a life skill.” A defense of cursive, from a 10-year-old national champion
A defense of cursive, from a 10-year-old national champion
Like many students in New Jersey, McKnight’s son had never been taught cursive writing. Tasks she considers fundamental were beyond him: autographing a yearbook; endorsing a check; signing an application. So she bought a workbook and taught him at home. “I wanted him to be able to sign his name,” she said. “It’s a life skill.” A defense of cursive, from a 10-year-old national champion
Cursive is nice, but it is no longer really necessary. You can learn to sign your name without learning cursive as a whole.
The relevance of cursive writing in a culture of keyboards is, at best, up for debate. Once, though, it was inarguably applicable. Before the advent of typewriters in the late 19th century, handwritten communication was the only way for people to express themselves on paper. So logically, good handwriting, and specifically the personalized, more intricate cursive format, was highly valued. Poor handwriting, like poor speaking, could make you look stupid, lazy or ignorant.
Now, it seems, not so much. The extent of cursive instruction in U.S. schools has steadily decreased since the 1960s, when the recommended allotment for handwriting instruction was 45 minutes per day [source: Kelley]. Two decades later, that was down to 15 minutes [source: Kelley]. Since then, with the increasing dominance of computer-based communication, questions have been raised as to whether "penmanship" should be taught at all.
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on:
Fine motor skills & hand-eye coordination are still important. Handwriting is good for those two, & it doesn't require lots of expensive equipment. A plus, for our increasingly cash-strapped public education systems, K-12.
I'm a proficient typist, but that's mostly in self-defense. My handwriting was never very pretty, & by now - it's probably gotten even worse, from lack of practice. So I think handwriting should be offered @ least as an elective, in high school? In grade school?
Fine motor skills & hand-eye coordination are still important. Handwriting is good for those two, & it doesn't require lots of expensive equipment. A plus, for our increasingly cash-strapped public education systems, K-12.
I'm a proficient typist, but that's mostly in self-defense. My handwriting was never very pretty, & by now - it's probably gotten even worse, from lack of practice. So I think handwriting should be offered @ least as an elective, in high school? In grade school?
It is almost always taught in 3rd grade despite not being required. The thing is just like the fountain pen, cursive is obsolete. Note that the ballpoint pen improved handwriting and made the fountain pen a nice oddity.
I don’t know if cursive is exactly obsolete. Don’t most people use a form of cursive to sign their names? I do agree knowing it is not absolutely necessary. But knowing it makes some jobs easier. You might want to leave a note on someone’s desk, perhaps. Or you might need to jot down a line from a poem or play. And for grocery lists, well using cursive is faster than keying it into a phone—at least for me it is.
But since there are other means of setting thoughts down, I do get why cursive is not being taught in regular school curriculum.I also don’t see anything wrong with teaching your kids to write in cursive, or in having them attend a special class to learn it.
I don’t know if cursive is exactly obsolete. Don’t most people use a form of cursive to sign their names? I do agree knowing it is not absolutely necessary. But knowing it makes some jobs easier. You might want to leave a note on someone’s desk, perhaps. Or you might need to jot down a line from a poem or play. And for grocery lists, well using cursive is faster than keying it into a phone—at least for me it is.
I'm not sure why your only options for writing a grocery list are either cursive or typing it into your phone. Handwriting is still a thing, even if some kids don't learn the more formal cursive writing. Although I do prefer to type it into my phone, that why I'm not going to misplace it.
Same with leaving a note for a coworker. Why can't notes be writing in print writing instead of cursive?
I don't know anyone who uses perfect cursive for their signature. I think it's better not to so your signature can't be easily duplicated by someone else.
My kids have been taught cursive in private school, but their signatures are still really rough. You should be able to sign your name in cursive and read cursive. No reason to write paragraphs in cursive anymore though.
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The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on:
