How do you feel about the death of cursive handwriting?

[Chango]

The schools here stopped teaching it. Initially, I was totally disgusted when my son's 3rd grade teacher told me this! So I taught him at home. Now he's in 4th grade and he can at least sign his name in cursive and he can read cursive although he refuses to write in cursive. As most parents know, trying to teach your own kid anything can get pretty frustrating.

What do you think? Now that I've had more time to think about it I'm wondering if it's really a bad thing. When my kids are my age they probably won't even need to know how to print. Everything will probably written via keyboard and dictation.

The only practical reason I can find to keep him practicing cursive is so that he can read cards and letters from family members. Or if he decides to read the Declaration of Independence one day. Other than that, it just seems to be in the interest of tradition. Or just because I had to learn it now you have to!

 

[Hoka Hey]

I gave it up in college. If I tried taking notes in cursive, I couldn't read them. Much easier to decipher my chicken scratch printing.

 

[Lightcs1776]

My "kids" (the youngest is in high school) school has reintroduced cursive, from what I hear. Cursive has been shown to improve creativity.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Chango]

It's weird. When I take classes for work and take notes, the notes are in sort of a half-cursive thing. Part cursive part printed.

 

[Stuart Ganis]

It's not that you had to learn now your son has to learn it. writing has been around longer than you and me, they find proof of writings thousands of years ago. What happens in a emergency when there is no tablet or phone to use. What happens when the power goes out, and how will a boy pass a note to a girl he likes in class? Just my opinion, too old to take all these new ideas they come up with.


Sent from my QTAQZ3 using Tapatalk

 

[Hoka Hey]

It's weird. When I take classes for work and take notes, the notes are in sort of a half-cursive thing. Part cursive part printed.

Actually a lot of the individual letters I use are cursive style, just not connected.

Some folks have beautiful cursive handwriting. I never came close.

 

[Niles]

It's weird. When I take classes for work and take notes, the notes are in sort of a half-cursive thing. Part cursive part printed.

Same for me. I don't like a few cursive letters, so I developed a hybrid style of my own. I think it's a good idea to keep teaching cursive, though.

 

[NesOne]

I learned in school, haven't asked my kids if they were ever taught. The way I write though it not only all in printing, but in all caps as well lol. My signature is all proper cursive though. I would say that it's good to know, as you mentioned in case they need to read old letters and what not. I mean, a lot of recipes by our ancestors are in cursive.

 

[Esox]

I can write in a perfectly cursive fashion, much like many doctors. However I think maybe only a few pharmacists and myself would be able to decipher it, maybe haha.

I'm surprised they no longer teach it. Technology and the dumbing down of society strikes again.

 

[6Cuda6]

My daughter found out the hard way how to write cursive that they never tought her in school when it came time to sign for her learners permit....

We are a quickly becoming a lazy society....why teach cursive you ask....because its about learning and discipline...same as when i went to school and the choice elective was home eck or typing....bet everyone is glad they know how to type today...lol.

 

[jkingrph]

I gave it up in college. If I tried taking notes in cursive, I couldn't read them. Much easier to decipher my chicken scratch printing.

Back when I was in college, 50 years ago my writing was and still is so bad, that I would take my notes home or over the the student union and carefully rewrite them so I could study by them. I did rewrite them legibly enough that my sister used some of them in her studies seven years later when she followed my major.

 

[miguel]

All of our founding documents are written in cursive.

America's Founding Documents

 

[6Cuda6]

One can even push this further....there was a document released discussing dropping the "period" in sentenses....the gammot of the story was no one writes full sentense anyways so it was just as well to drop it.

No math, no writing, no reading because of accomodations....we are going back in evelutions to Neanderthal times...ironic that we have smart phones that are making society dumber....lol..

 

[snowman]

Sometimes I think we focus too much on what is no longer taught and not on what new subjects are taught that didn't exist a few decades ago. My youngest son graduated from high school a couple years ago with a full year of college credits under his belt. He was not taught cursive writing in grade school, nor sewing, nor auto shop. He had 4 years of Spanish, 3 years of computer coding, college level physics, college level biology, and advanced calculus.

I believe for his chosen career path and skill set the route he took will serve him better than the ability to write in cursive.

So I guess what I'm saying is, unless you're an English major, who cares?

 

[Esox]

 

[6Cuda6]

Sometimes I think we focus too much on what is no longer taught and not on what new subjects are taught that didn't exist a few decades ago. My youngest son graduated from high school a couple years ago with a full year of college credits under his belt. He was not taught cursive writing in grade school, nor sewing, nor auto shop. He had 4 years of Spanish, 3 years of computer coding, college level physics, college level biology, and advanced calculus.

I believe for his chosen career path and skill set the route he took will serve him better than the ability to write in cursive.

So I guess what I'm saying is, unless you're an English major, who cares?

Perhaps but school is about learning, discipline and developing ones brain....

There is arguments to why write at all...we have computers that can do it for us faster and without spelling errors....

I beleive we have moved so far to one side that the balance is lost.....i teach for a living....the young folks i deal with cant even read a ruler or add fractions or multiply etc....its not all but most.

 

[snowman]

Understood, but there is only so much time to teach. I wouldn't expect educators to teach kids how to use a printing press or slide ruler. The fact is the technology genie is out of the bottle and it's not going back. Kids need to learn how to use it to get by or they will be left behind. If that means dropping cursive to focus on something more useful then so be it.

 

[Commander Quan]

Besides the use of cursive handwriting becoming less common, the fact is that penmanship is more of an art form than an academic subject. Teaching and practicing handwriting takes time away from other academic areas that can be assessed by standardized testing which has become the benchmark by which teachers/schools/districts are rated, and ultimately funded by the states. Follow the $$

 

[Mr. Bonney]

One can even push this further....there was a document released discussing dropping the "period" in sentenses....the gammot of the story was no one writes full sentense anyways so it was just as well to drop it.

No math, no writing, no reading because of accomodations....we are going back in evelutions to Neanderthal times...ironic that we have smart phones that are making society dumber....lol..

Not being able to write cursive in and of itself isn't lethal. But the discipline to learn it, the practice necessary to make it second nature, the mental struggle to master it helps the young mind to grow in ways that are vital and necessary to live in the world. Hand-to-eye coordination is exercised, the ability to adapt and conquer new skills develops, the drive to overcome challenges - not to mention the building of confidence - are all qualities that everyone needs regardless of what occupation they choose.
What other skills have schools dropped? Think slide rules, letter writing, music, dancing, home economics, auto mechanics, basic math, history, the periodic table - the list goes on and on. Who needs slide rules - we have calculators for that? Who writes letters anymore, because everyone texts? I don't need to learn how to fix my car - I call the mechanic. What happens when the calculator breaks, or the cell battery dies, or your car quits without warning? Oh, there's AAA! (You forgot - your cell phone is dead!) These are skills everyone needs. And - if you're lucky enough that none of these things happen to you - the skills and disciplines you've learned from getting these skills overflow into other areas of your life.

And dancing? Well - besides being able to not run into your partner - it teaches coordination, timing, the ability to multitask (listen, seeing, moving, anticipate, etc), stamina, physical conditioning. Plus (for men) it teaches them a little of how to handle a lady. Call me old fashioned, but, I think young men today are SORELY lacking here. (And there's plenty of lack from the other end as well). How to hold a woman, how you lead her, teach her AND learn from her while working together. (I wish I'd paid more attention in dance class). The point here is - even if you're not a professional dancer - these skills are important. And I think we're doing a dis-service to kids by not teaching them.

 

[Esox]

I was taught handwriting starting in kindergarten and through grade 5. I was also taught how to operate a printing press in grade 9 Graphic Arts. I cant say I was ever taught how to use an Abacus, but I was still taught how to count.

Many people these days cant even make change in their head without being able to look at the cash register, which is also slowly being phased out. A friend enjoys the BSOD expression they make when he hands them an amount of money they dont understand lol. Instead of handing them say $1.25 for a $1.10 item, he'll hand them a $2 "toonie" (yes I'm Canadian) and a dime so he can get a "loonie" back. The confused look on their face when confronted with that dime, I must admit, is entertaining lol.

Soon, we'll be back to making an X on the line instead of writing out our signature lol.