Out morning began with the Pledge, the National Anthem, then it everyone standing up and doing that day's multiplication orally; sit down, get your straight pen, open the inkwell and do a page that that week's letter, which you'd have to do again, with the other letters you knew, for part of your homework.
Inkwells and straight pens were long gone by the time my progeny came along,the penmanship lessons weren't as rigorous, and it all went rapidly down hill for the Millennials and the Gen Zers! :-(
FREE TIME PLAY? That's long gone! Today and for a while now, kids are overly programed, there are too damned many helicopter parents,far too many electronic things given to far children at far too young an age, and I don't think the kids have as much fun and children used to.
Im not even sure what gen i am lol- (born in the 60’s) straight pens were long gone by the time i was in school. Although we did have refillable fountsin pens, but hardly anyone used them. Ae .earned cursive early, so it stuck with us. Can still use it today (and read it too).
I’m GenX (I think — because the Boomers were my older sibs and cousins who got to have all the fun) and my kids were taught cursive in school.
However they were told to use either print or cursive for written work, whichever they preferred.