Posted on 06/28/2013 1:29:33 PM PDT by TigerClaws
A single sentence, uttered in the trial of George Zimmerman for the shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin, has catapulted an issue into the national spotlight.
When asked if she could read a letter in court, witness Rachel Jeantel, her head bowed, murmured with embarrassment, "I don't read cursive," according to court testimony.
Is it any surprise that cursive -- the looped, curvaceous style of handwriting that's been a mainstay of education for generations -- is all but dead? [15 Weird Things We Do Everyday, and Why]
"Cursive should be allowed to die. In fact, it's already dying, despite having been taught for decades," Morgan Polikoff, assistant professor of education at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, told The New York Times.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
I wonder how in the heck she knew the word.
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Its very likely that she doesn’t read anything; much less cursive writing.
She was just using that as an excuse.
It’s worthless. Especially in a modern world where pen and paper barely meet in the first place, no reason to have two different types of hand writing. One, one that more closely matches the printed word, suffices just fine. It’s very high on the list of things I learned in school that I never used once I got out, and only used in school when forced.
For cripes sake, the point of the whole discussion was that this “witness” claimed to be unable to read what she was supposed to have written. However, now we discuss educational deprivation of blacks, white privilege for better education and the declining use of cursive.
This is nonsense but the idea now being pressed from several sources that Zimmerman should be convicted to avoid riots and show blacks that the courts are not always dispensing injustice for blacks is really frightening.
Cursive writing should be dead. Particularly in an age of keyboards and Dragon software, I don’t see a need for it.
I’m glad I got in on that education train before it left the station. I shudder to think what would have happened had I been forced to print my college notes.
OK, she don’t read cursive.
I wonder if she can read printed text.
The thing is it makes handwriting go faster.
‘now I write like a caveman.’
BTW, how is that Geico gig?
How many people’s signature even really look like cursive. Due to repetition and lack of interest most signatures are just short and tall bumps, you can devolve to that from printing just as easily as from cursive.
You should all be ashamed of yourselves Cursive Writting is RACIST! And is only used by terrorist!
When asked if she could read a letter in court, witness Rachel Jeantel, her head bowed, murmured with embarrassment, "I don't read cursive," according to court testimony.
She can't read—period.
I learned to write cursive as a boy. I never really cared for it, and so gradually developed a partly printed, partly italic penmanship of my own. It's entirely legible; with age, however, and disuse, it's lost some of its elegance.
The fact that she supposedly wrote that letter, but can’t read it, is very damning testimony.
It’s funny that this article is focused on the subject of reading cursive, rather than the fact that this girl lied. She either had to be lying about writing the letter, or lying about not being able to read it.
Print “letter”, singular. All they’ll need is an “X”.
Try learning to write in 6th century Irish uncial. Bookhand “B”, as depicted in the Book of Kells, would be an excellent choice. Few people would be able to read what you’ve written.
Just more effort in the attempt to make kids as dumb as a rock...they’re easier to control that way. Ignorance works great! Just look how effective it keeps ‘em in line in the middle east and Africa.
Exactly. Does that mean that the word signature will no longer be used? From now on, everyone will be printing their name on contracts?
Why don’t we all just go back to using “X”.
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