I learned penmanship with a fountain pen. Palmer Method - we had a book. If we dripped ink on our blotter, we were slapped by a nun. They were so mean! My handwriting is pretty bad but when I want to I can make it as clear as day. I pity any American child who cannot read or write the dreaded ‘cursive.’ Let’s face it: it wasn’t brain surgery.
But you wonder, did learning those writing skills, the hand-eye coordination, did it give kids abilities that they no longer have today? It’s a big change.