Posted on 09/19/2009 12:48:19 PM PDT by Steelfish
Cursive Writing Is Fading Skill, But So What? Fewer school emphasize ‘penmanship’ as computer use increases
A student practices both printing and cursive handwriting skills at a classroom at the Mountaineer Montessori School in Charleston, W.Va. . Bob Bird / AP [Pic in URL]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Charleston resident Kelli Davis was in for a surprise when her daughter brought home some routine paperwork at the start of school this fall. Davis signed the form and then handed it to her daughter for the eighth-grader's signature.
"I just assumed she knew how to do it, but I have a piece of paper with her signature on it and it looks like a little kid's signature," Davis said.
Her daughter was apologetic, but explained that she hadn't been required to make the graceful loops and joined letters of cursive writing in years. That prompted a call to the school and another surprise.
West Virginia's largest school system teaches cursive, but only in the 3rd grade.
"It doesn't get quite the emphasis it did years ago, primarily because of all the technology skills we now teach," said Jane Roberts, assistant superintendent for elementary education in Kanawha County schools.
Davis' experience gets repeated every time parents, who recall their own hours of laborious cursive practice, learn that what used to be called "penmanship" is being shunted aside at schools across the country in favor of 21st century skills.
Fewer people using handwriting
The decline of cursive is happening as students are doing more and more work on computers, including writing. In 2011, the writing test of the National Assessment of Educational Progress will require 8th and 11th graders to compose on computers, with 4th graders following in 2019.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
My oldest(soon to be 40) threw his handwriting book away in the sixth grade because he only got a ‘C’ on his best effort. He figured if he was never gonna get an ‘A’, why try. Needless to say he failed handwriting and has printed ever since. Hasn’t seemed to hold him back. He’s a successful computer tech.
i agree with you completely, that’s why i am trained in this...
(there are alot of research links on their site)
i teach primary special needs children and that includes teaching them to write.
a personal handwritten note is one of the most romatic things in the world! there’s a novel about a man who writes his wife a letter every week for their entire married life. those letters are found by their children after they die. it’s a really good read! the book is “the wednesday letters” by jason f. wright.
Ping
I’ll have to read the book! After my dad passed away, mom showed me some of the letters he sent her when he was in the Korean war. His letter showed a side of him I had never seen. It’s no wonder they stayed married for 53 years!
When I was a brand spanking new second lieutenant at my first assignment in Germany, I always looked forward to letters from mom and dad. Back then making a long distance call to the States was very expensive, and word-processing was still a thing of the future.
a note, letter or card is something you can keep and treasure forever. over the last 30+ years, patton and i have written many ourselves. he was also military and stationed all over. the letters we exchanged during that time were priceless. even now, we still share little notes.
Kids who graduate with strong skills in writing ( not necessarily penmanship), including spelling and punctuation, are becoming few and far between.
You is now spelled U to the majority of under fifteens thanks to text messaging.
I agree, cursive is an utter waste of time, the internet doesn’s use it, books aren’t written in it, it’s just plain stupid ...
Back when I was being taught cursive writing (I think Hannibal crossed the Alps that year), poor penmanship would get you branded as a near illiterate.
Customers will often leave a note for me (written by my employees) for special orders, etc. The notes are barely legible. Spelling is atrocious, and they are all over the page. Can’t even write in a straight line. Pitiful...
I also require DL# or SSN on checks presented to the store. I can barely make out the numbers. Most times it’s a crap shoot trying to figure it out. Who the hell can’t even write a legible Arabic number???
at our local university, they actually cut basic math so they could have money for a women’s sports team... I’m all for college sports, but not if it gets in the way of the real purpose for college..education.
Umm, no, that would be so they didn’t have to cut the men’s teams in order to equally fund the women’s teams.
Dump cursive writing. All those hours could be spent on teaching more math and reading. And for what? So that they’ll only use it to sign a check?
I remember reading that only well off people in Mexico could write in cursive, because education is only free through, I think, the fifth grade. I guess college educated Americans won’t be able to soon.
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