Cursive Writing
 

One of the morning programs had a nice feature story about young kids (third graders?) learning cursive writing and writing letters to residents of assisted living facilities -

The people involved seemed excited about the activity - especially the kids!


It seems strange to me that learning cursive writing has become "optional" -

I know. So sad.

Good morning Sharon
One of my hobbies is Spencerian writing, with dip pen and ink.
This sort of writing went the way of the dodo when schools started teaching the Palmer method.
Which has also gone the dodo way.
But I know the manuals are still readily available because many home schoolers teach it.

I've often wondered if the world is full of hunt and peckers, babies and little children have computers now, and I'm thinking none of them have had typing?

in some schools it isn't even optional! not offered or accepted.

Someone recently told me they were bringing it back to the curriculum (at least here in KY). Why they removed it in the first place is a mystery to me.

Just a thought... is it a signature if it's not in cursive?

How are the kids going to sign their names for contracts and such when they're older...anyway, I think that's such a good idea about cheering up older people

That was the first thing I thought of, Lori. Then my next thought was how sad it was that they could never read historical documents in their original form. I hope they do bring it back.

I have heard that cursive writing is being phased out across the country because it isn't very useful. I think cursive is beautiful and it is sad to think it will become a thing of the past. There were things we learned in elementary school that are foreign to most children--like the order of introductions (females first, and age before youth), and the proper way to answer a telephone. The world has definitely changed.

Here’s a Jeanne Robertson YouTube about this.

https://youtu.be/d4OxmFfKStA

My DGD will in be third grade next year. They went in to meet the teacher they will have next year and found out they will be learning cursive. DD is very happy about that. DD was going to teach her cursive at home if they did not teach it at her school.

I have a sister-in-law who has printed everything since I've known her (about 40plus years) I have no idea what her handwriting looks like. I think printing takes a lot longer.

Quiltsrfun, That was funny!

DH and I were just saying that. He's sitting at the computer doing genealogy, looking at birth and death records. None of our grandchildren would be able to read them. As it is, DH has to puzzle them out sometimes, and occasionally ask me what I think a word is.

It takes a bit longer, but I print everything too. Nobody can read my cursive, not even me!

During my first three years of elementary school I went to a system that taught only printing(they still do). Then I went to a system where I was taught cursive writing and have used that ever since. The people I know who learned in a "print" system write as fast or faster than people writing in cursive script. Don't know how they do it these days but I knew a boy once who couldn't sign up for the military until he could write his name cursively. So he had to go home and be taught how to do that.

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It is making a comeback. I heard a podcast a while back and the woman said cursive helps in certain brain areas and in fine motor skills. This article says that too. I don't have a crystal ball, but, I'm thinking it will eventually work its way back. Interesting too, that when cursive was removed, keyboarding (or old time typing) didn't take it's place. At least at any of the schools I would know about.

My kids went to a private elementary school in California back in the day which used the "Carden method". I was too young and naive to know what that even was, but, they weren't taught printing first, just cursive. Her theory (true or not - this was a long time ago) was that cursive was easier since once the pencil was on the paper it didn't have to go up and down. Anyway, both sons have nice handwriting and can print if they need to. They only went to that school a few years.

My daughter teaches 4th grade and she teaches cursive writing because the current studies show that it helps the mind with continuous thought. I saw the program today, it was on CBS This Morning, and the teacher arranged for the children to have pen pals at a senior center and the kids said they felt they could better envision the pen pal by using the cursive writing.

I am not so concerned about being able to sign their name in the future since most of that will be done through using finger prints photos. Most credit cards have the chips and no one checks signatures when using the chip here. But there is being able to have a continuous thought and finger dexterity. One thing my mother said she noticed when she got older was being able to write - her penmanship was getting worse. When you write - you move your hand - when you type you tend to rest your wrists below the keyboard. They don't teach typing at all in schools - no one needs it because by the time they get to school they have such bad habits, but they make it work for them, not to mention all the programs you can talk into and it writes it for you.

It is my understanding that your signature is your signature, what ever that might be. I don't think anyone can tell you what it should look like. One example is a physician's signature, well known for being eligible. Some people make them eligible so they are hard to copy.

In the work I did before I retired, we had to insure that the documents we handled had a signature in the required space, but we were not supposed to question the person about their signature

DD2 worked for a while with a firm that processed checks for banks. (This was about 16-17 years ago, when most people still used checks) She said that any mark in the signature box, even just a straight line, counted as a signature.

I realize that your signature is your signature whatever that may be, but it seems like printing would be pretty easy to forge. Easier than cursive writing.

I still like to write in cursive. My 84 year old aunt has the most beautiful cursive writing I have ever seen. My DH and two sons have the worst I have ever seen! One son is left handed, and when he writes something he does the hand curled up and around and backward method. However, when he prints, which he mostly does, it's totally legible and fairly nice looking and printed "normally".

I can't read a word my husband and 3 sons write. Maybe it's intentional? hee hee :)

It is optional these days. but I have noticed that my 'grands' have "invented" cursive writing to get writing done faster.

I hate to print anything and it is sloppy. My writing is much easier to read.

Our 15 YO Grandson was not taught cursive, so his Mom taught him. Our late Son and my Late Brother only printed although they were both taught cursive in school.

I always reviewed the children's curriculum and syllabus each year. If anything was missing, or "shortened", I supplemented the course material with work from home. So my kids were both home schooled, and attended a formal school. So many courses only covered the first 25 to 50% of the textbooks. And yes, it was me who taught them cursive when the school deleted it from their curriculum, and it was me who taught them sewing and cooking when they eliminated "Home Ec". I bet a lot of you ladies did the same thing.

I am so glad to hear that cursive writing is making a come-back in schools. I was furious when they decided not to teach it. What a dumb idea! It had lead a generation of kids into illiteracy. They cannot read cursive, sign their names, ... They look at cursive as a foreign language. What a shame!

I have only read page one of the comments. I am a 50+ year old university student and all my notes are printed. I have not used cursive writing in decades. Most my classmates print their notes too.

Yes, I know cursive, it was taught when I was in school. My kids (19, 21, 32) all know cursive, learned it in school.

I do not feel that lack of use of cursive is a sign of the end of civilized society, it is a change not for the better or worse, just a change.

Cursive writing is a "whole" brain activity and whole brain activities are very important for cognitive development. Taking cursive writing, music, recess, art, etc. out of school curriculums is very telling about those who are making choices for our young people. Evidently they know very little about child development and cognitive brain function. Back when I taught school there were specialists that actually knew what they were doing. SO sad to see what is happening today in the majority of our schools. It seems schools are more for a social experimentation than for training and educating. This is one of my soap boxes so to speak and makes me so sad to see what is happening. I do realize there are exceptions and are some exceptional teachers in our school systems. Many of them are crippled because of the system which unfortunately is all about teaching for the tests. So sad.

As a retired school teacher, I agree 100%. A big A+ for you! :)

I taught my grandchildren cursive writing because it was t taught in school. It has been brought back here now but to late for them. I can't imagine why they ever decided not to teach it in school. I still send letters to friends and am delighted when I receive one. My children and grandchildren all write thank you notes.

I saw it too while waiting to get my oil changes. It was on CBS. Their morning show.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cursive...iors-pen-pals/

We learned cursive in second grade when I went to school. We were all excited that we would be learning grown-up writing. It was like a rite of passage.

I love Jeanne Robertson. She truly finds "the humor" in situations.

My daughter teaches 6th grade. This year, all teachers in her particular school are teaching cursive. All of the above mentioned good points of cursive is the reason why. I have 18 grandchildren and all of the older ones, 27 years old thru 17 years old cannot read cursive. The younger ones, from ages 12 down thru 1st grade, can read cursive because they are starting to learn it again. My oh my, who would of thought this would be a good thing to let go. Happy its coming back!

I vaguely remember how frustrated I was when I could not read cursive writing - and how "exciting" it was to be able to decode it!

There are stil lsome people's writings I am not able to read - but that's another issue - - -

Cursive is such a timesaver! Why would they ever get rid of it?

No, it's not. Someone told me a few days ago about a teen relative who couldn't write his name to sign his driver's permit application. He tried to sign it in print! They refused to give him a driver's permit, and told him to come back when he could sign his name. True story!

over here in some districts, it's not at all. some it is an option. How did we learn all that? These kids won't be able to read anything. They will need a rosetta stone to read a letter we've written. how sad.

I was so happy to see that story for several reasons - one - I think that cross generational contact is SO IMPORTANT. In this fast paced and mobile society, getting connected across the generations can be very difficult. I live away from my grandchildren, and writing is one way to connect thoughtfully. two - the fine motor skills that cursive writing entails, and the detail of thinking literately are important skills. I don't know the research on this - perhaps educators have thought that the keyboards and techie stuff is enough, but , for me taking notes in college helped me learn - even if I never returned to them later. The process of writing somehow helped cement the information into my brain. And even if they don't use writing a lot in life, knowing how to "decode" cursive could be an important skill, best learned by doing. Interesting subject, this.