Legislation would require cursive writing in schools

Sierra Vista Herald ^ | Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

[SandRat]

PHOENIX — Insisting it's good from everything from civics to brain development, state lawmakers want to require students to know how to read and write in cursive.

Legislation on the desk of Gov. Doug Ducey would mandate that schools include cursive reading and writing in their curriculum. Specifically, students would have to show by the end of fifth grade they are "able to create readable documents through legible cursive handwriting.''

But, unlike a requirement that students know how to read by the end of the third grade, there is nothing in the law that says students who can't display that skill don't get to go on to sixth grade.

[Dawn53Fl]

My homeschooled kid is now 28 :) and he learned printing before cursive, ABeka homeschool curriculum now teaches cursive first. Here’s their argument for teaching cursive first: http://www.abeka.com/resources/articles/thebenefitsofteachingcursivefirst.aspx

That being said, my son’s writing has devolved into a scrawled signature which, IMO, is not legible. It does not seem to have impeded his career success in any way.

Handwriting and spelling are wonderful skills, but not necessary for success in the business world today. Spell check and the use of online transactions and conversations have all but eliminated the art of handwriting. I do admire those who have legible and artistic handwriting.

My kid also was an awful “speller” until he was about 11years old. His composition tutor used to say that he was a “creative” speller who could spell the same word, 3 times, on the same page, and each spelling was different and non were correct. His spelling took a complete turn around when he became an avid reader. I think reading can improve spelling because they see the word, spelled correctly, and it passively “teaches” them the correct spelling of the word.

[SandRat]

How about NO Islam in The U.S .

[ImaGraftedBranch]

It is actually rather diabolical: without knowledge of cursive writing, they would be unable to read historical documents.nget rid of our history, and they can bend their minds as they see fit.

[Maine Mariner]

I just hope the teachers are given instructions to help us lefty’s as well.

[SandRat]

As a SouthPaw I agree. Now that's a term from the Past.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Allow me to weigh in with a contrary viewpoint. At first, I was “shocked and amazed” that cursive wasn’t being taught in (many) schools. However, on reflection, I think it’s about time that cursive was dropped from the universal, mandatory part of the curriculum.

Cursive made sense, from the era of quill pens, through to the era of ball-point pens. Cursive reduces the number of times that a nib is lifted from, and brought down upon the paper — thus reducing the number of times that an ink blot is likely to be made. Until relatively recently, there were no spaces between written words — people simply wrote whole sentences, without lifting the nib. That speeded up the process of writing with a quill pen, and reduced the ink-blot problem. There’s no ink-blot problem with ball-point pens — and there’s certainly no ink-blot problem with typed text. Therefore, there’s no compelling reason to continue writing in cursive.

As for signatures — students can be taught to scribble out their name in cursive (or a graphic resembling cursive); without having to write everything in cursive. Most people’s signatures bear little resemblance to other cursive writing — and that’s a good thing, from a security point of view.

Anyone interested in perusing historic documents could learn to read cursive in short order.

[Chode]

they better do something before it's "Make yer Mark right here Johnny"

[unread]

"I recently saw some envelopes from the 1800’s. The handwriting was a work of art.

My Wife and I have been working on our ancestry.... It's very interesting to see the hand writing on the US census.... It seems the writing in the 40's is not as flowing (flamboyant?) as it was in the 1800's... And I feel it's, in a lot of cases, not as legible....

But that's just my opinion.....

[PLMerite]

“...require students to know how to read and write in cursive. “

It would be an improvement if they’d just know how to read and write in English.

[LegendHasIt]

"It would be an improvement if they’d just know how to read and write in English."

Oh, that is most excellent. I wish I had thought of that.

[Springman]

My wife and I were talking about the nephews not being able to write in cursive, she said it will be the new shorthand.

MIL always wrote notes in shorthand when she didn’t want her kids to know what was written down.

[BobL]

Thanks, I bet you I’m right!

[Red in Blue PA]

LOL! I was going to post that but wanted to scan the thread first

[CodeToad]

Companies need to start giving basic skills assessments again. Many, many years ago they had to because education was so poor, and it is once again poor.

I could care less about a person’s so-called college degrees because even colleges graduate illiterates.

[CodeToad]

So, you agree it is an easy enough skill, so TEACH IT!

Anyone can figure out history, English, math, too, in short order. The fact is there isn’t enough time in life to stop and learn.

[SandRat]

and dishonorable xxxx.

[dirtboy]

I hardly ever handwrite any more. Type about 80 words per minute which is a far more valuable skill in this day and age.

[slickdain]

e-sig and a cursive to text app will solve all you old guys probs

[Hot Tabasco]

So long hand writing is actually called “cursive”? I never knew that........Go figure, Trayvon’s girlfriend is smarter than me even tho she can’t read it........

[Larry Lucido]

I already know how to curse!