Treasureit

I was showing my son's girlfriend (in her 20's) some old pictures from our family one day and she could not read my handwriting on the backs...she kept asking me what it said. She is not dumb just not educated in cursive.

I had a German friend who wrote in an older style cursive and I had to really work at reading her letters because the letters were different from what I learned. So, it evolves to printing now - Sad...I wonder if one day we will have to have a tablet or cellphone to write for us! LOL

golfer

I like to write cursive. I also took a class on calligraphy. That improves your penmanship (haven't used that word in a while).

Deb watkins

The elementary school my GS attend will begin cursive writing in January. It IS part of the schools second grade curriculum, and there is accountability for the students.

charity-crafter

I do genealogy and have found the old time handwriting very difficult to read, with all the calligraphy loops and swirls. I think that writing evolves over time. My printing is much easier to read then my writing. I don't know that cursive writing is really that important of a skill now a days. I do believe that kids should be able to at least read cursive.

TanyaL

We just made out new wills. Our cursive signature in a legible signature was required. Apparently if it hadn't been legible then more than 2 witnesses and the usual legal testament was required.

I personally like knowing that when I want to read a copy of a historical document, or a family Bible birth and death section, or handwritten archives in some dusty government storage room that I can do it. I don't have to rely on a computer to translate. Reading old records from past centuries is slow but very doable. I definitely appreciate that I was taught to read my own language in whatever form I encounter it. Everything the older generations learned is not passe. Many people are going back to that knowledge and calling it "going green". Some people can still drive a stick shift vehicle, sew a garment, cook from scratch and grow food and raise animals. Most can't. Too bad for us.

akrogirl

I disagree. I think we all need to be able to do basic arithmetic in our heads. I have seen so many kids do problems on their calculators, accidentally miss-enter something, and have no clue that the answer showing on the display makes no sense.

OHSue

I am a boomer who has printed since I was a teen. I had lots of penmanship drilled into me during my school years, but it is unfair to expect everyone to have good handwriting. My cursive is very slow and often difficult to read. I actually write for a living, I am scribe to a physician, I am able to print more legibly and quicker than cursive.
My son has also always had poor penmanship and his teacher told us early on that some children just don't do well, he was taught cursive and it was required on all his papers until this year. I for one am glad that he no longer has to worry over his writing skills when being tested. These kids are learning things we never even heard of, I won't fault them for not being able to write neatly.

TanyaL

My comment is that while you were being taught a skill that you chose to not use, others in your class may have chosen to use it. Since the whole class was taught, the whole class had the choice. If you were taught to write it then I assume you can read it when you choose to do so. We want the education process to give everyone the ability to choose which skills they use, not limit their choices. I'm, curious though, what things are your son learning that you had not heard of?

Annaquilts

I taught my older children traditional cursive, not the modified printing, but when they hit college teachers want them to print. People can no longer read cursive so it forces my children to print. I used to teach them printing in 2 nd grade incase they have to fill in forms. Right now with my children no.13 and no.14, I am teaching them printing and will most likely teach them cursive in 2 nd grade. I found that teaching my children cursive before printing helped with their reading and writing skills. These last two are the first ones I am reversing it because indeed cursive seems to be a lost art and also it is very hard for me to find material that teaches cursive in the lower levels so I end up having to modify everything or create my own curriculum.

I am 47 and learned to write with a an ink pen and built in inkwell in the desk. This was in first grade. After that we wrote with a pen, not a pencil. I was only taught cursive. I feel like a dinosaur. LOL

It'sJustMe

I disagree too. Too often I have customers who need to ask how much 2 yards of $1.99 fabric will cost and, of course. the more difficult question how much will 3 yards of $2.99 fabric cost. Never mind that they don't know how many feet are in a yard nor even have a general concept of how long a yard is. There's nothing wrong with using a calculator, but there's something right about being able to pull out the information you need from your own mind.