WRITE TEAM: Don't let cursive writing die

mywebtimes ^ | Karen Roth

[Morgana]

I have been computer-less at home for five weeks.

My brand-new laptop went belly up and had to be sent back. During the frustrating wait (which I suspect will lead to a later column), I have returned to writing with a pen and spiral notebook. It's been a flash to the past, reminding me of my younger days when every assignment, story and poem were handwritten. Are the days of writing by hand on their way out?

Having beautiful, cursive handwriting used to be a source of immense pride. Handwriting skills were taught right alongside reading and math. Prizes were awarded in school to the students with the best penmanship.

But that is changing. Common Core State Standards omit cursive writing as a requirement, which means schools are no longer required to teach it. With so much emphasis going to other skills, learning to write in cursive is not a priority.

Morgan Polikoff, assistant professor of education at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, told The New York Times, "Cursive should be allowed to die. In fact, it's already dying despite having been taught for decades."

There is opposition. A 2010 study of preschool students found young children who wrote out letters rather than simply seeing them had changes in their brain activity when they later reviewed the letters. Karin Harman Janel of Indiana University said Motor System Augmenting Visual Processing leads to better learning. In other words, the actual writing process boosts brain activity.

[Wellington VII]

I bet the guys that used a hammer, chisel and stones tablets bemoaned the advent of writing on papyrus.

[Conservative4Ever]

Lols

[thecodont]

The whole future of the Post-It Note industry depends on handwriting.

:)

[fidelis]

I might add, I write mostly left-handed and my cursive was never what one would call beautiful. And I remember how tired my hand used to get tired after extended writing bouts (though I was never one of those lefties that had to curl their hands around like a claw to write legibly). But I appreciate it more now, maybe because it is becoming a lost skill and involves a little creativity and thought. More than pounding a keyboard, anyway.

I remember working with a volunteer at work who was a retired engineer. He had a slight case of Parkinson's which made his handwriting very squiggly and shaky looking. It made him SO sad because, he said, when he was a young man (and as an engineer) he took pride in his beautiful penmanship.

[demshateGod]

I had to write in cursive at the prometric center when I took the GRE. It was not easy but it came back to me.

[Olog-hai]

I have never read anything that Mr. Leonard wrote. Nor have I watched anything on film derived from his supposed literary works. (Tolkien must drive Leonard nuts, and I hope so.)

[Conservative4Ever]

Thanks for your thoughts. I have to use handwriting at my work about the same as a keyboard. I have a lovely ball point pen that feels good in my hand, a quality pen that keeps me from wanting to write sloppy, along with good quality paper products to compliment the pen. I like having fine tools to use in my work. :-)

[MeshugeMikey]

Cursive Can Keel! I seen thuh words all up on the Nu Skool wall..on the OUTSIDE, no wut Im sayin

[ThomasThomas]

Cursive was invented by people to lazy to print each letter. I quick short cut to proper letter. You got that ink on your quill and it is to hard to take that pen off the page with out dropping a spot of ink. With modern technology we have pen and pencils that allow to print with out fear ink spots.

[bboop]

I remember hearing that too - don’t let your pencil leave the paper. My handwriting is very disjointed in a kind of artistic way, and my pencil leaves the paper all the time. I use cursive when I’m working with my students, but I write papers and grants on a computer. I did not teach our son cursive, homeschooling, because he was a perfectionist and there were too many tears in 3rd. He asked me when he was in Jr College how to make a ‘Capital J’ or something. I told him I use printed capitals.

My husband is a scientist. He prints when he is not on the computer. He told me the boys hate cursive, and my students corroborate this. The boys usually hate it.

I do genealogy. Some of the very old handwriting is absolutely impossible to read. I suspect these things change, even if it’s one style of h/w to the next. I don’t regret not teaching our son cursive, but I wonder if it was the right thing to do. I came to the conclusion that it was only used in Thank You letters to grandma.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Me. I never did.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Sorry, but it’s still a fact that cursive is faster. That is a prime reason, no matter the instrument.

[bigheadfred]

I can write cursive in two styles. I don’t know how to text. I refuse to learn.

[cva66snipe]

Then thank heavens for the death of one superficial standard that people are judged by! Some of us have hand-eye coordination issues that make our writing less than perfect but don't affect us in other areas that we can be productive in. I had to go to summer school as a child for my writing problems and even as an adult its somewhat sub-standard. However my grades allowed me to graduate near the top of the class.

You've hit the nail on the head. For accuracy reasons in this case printing is pretty much a must. Cursive writing was mainly for a period to write large or massive documents faster just like shorthand was used before voice recording was developed and affordable.

Books, contracts, statements etc, of today are printed because print is easier and faster to read as well as more accurate.

Cursive writing is an art and early on most persons did not have the skulls to write it or read it. Many could read print though used for signs etc. I only use cursive writing for my signature now and that's it. If I have a letter to send I type it so the person can read it. My printing isn't that great either due to eye/muscle coordination.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Cursive allowed one to write faster than lettering. One had to think ahead faster to write correctly using cursive. It’s too bad this is a skill that educators are throwing under the bus.

[Conservative4Ever]

OK...one. :-)

[rey]

Wow. The majority of the attitudes on this topic are just shocking. I thought this was a conservative site, and yet many are quick to dispose of an element of classical education simply because they struggled with it or presently have little use for it. Hardly a classic conservative mentality. Do we eschew doing mathmatics on paper sans a calculator? Many do, but working the problems on paper does much, particularly at the elementary levels.

I have taught writing and literature. It is amazing how students can improve their stylistic abilities by copying an author by hand, preferably in cursive. It is an exercise that I have used in every class I have taught, it is one I still use to further my ability and understanding. You engage more of your brain, you must slow down, things that are written by hand are retained more than things simply read or typed.

Anything I write that I want to be well crafted will be hand written, at least in part, before it is typed. It makes a big difference.

I also do not think forming an impression of a person by their writing is wrong. Even outside of cursive, if you do not conjugate, spell correctly, punctuate, have proper usage, suggest who you are. All these things are indicative of what kind of person and thinker you are and how much effort you put into your work and how much effort you make toward you own refinement and education. Someone who has flawless penmenship and grammar usage is seldom a sloppy thinker.

Finally, I am home schooling a child. All of her assignments are in cursive. It is amazing how reading cursive has improved her own cursive. She must also provide her answers in math in writing, explaining in detail how she arrived at the answer. IF she does not want to write an essay, then she must copy one in cursvie. The more of her faculties I make her employ, the more she comes to truly understand what she is doing.

Cursive is an important tool.

[little jeremiah]

Placemark.

[RetSignman]

[Red Steel]

My 3rd or 4th grade teacher said the same thing. No need to lift the pen off the paper when writing a word.