Well, before the Flood, when I learned how to write script in school, we used a straight pen ( dip pen ) and had an inkwell on our desks.And besides practicing in school, we had to do a page of handwriting for homework, every night, plus homework in other subjects. :-)
Remember it well....inkwell on desk and all. Remember practicing “running ovals” over and over? I think it was the Palmer method. I really don’t recall when we started them. We didn’t have kindergarten in those days but perhaps by 2nd grade we had penmanship lessons?