Schools and Cursive Writing. Conspiracy? Or just a sign of the times?

It is my wife who actually spotted this, and brought it to my attention. It is an OP from a QVC Forum.

Are your schools still teaching it? Just had a conversation with a woman with a second grader in public school who was informed they will not be teaching it anymore. They suggest the parents teach it if they they want their kids to learn it. So I guess this means unless the parents step up, the kids won't be able to read it either.

Full thread here

Not believing what I was reading. A google search turned up quite a bit of info. Such as this:

Guess what? Sometime between Son #2 and Son #3 hitting third grade, our local school district decided to stop teaching cursive. While they’ll still learn to sign their names, they won’t learn to read or write in cursive. I’m not sure why, but this really bothers. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I chose to write in cursive, but it still seems like a skill worth having. Thus, we’ll most likely wind up teaching our kids cursive ourselves. As for why they’ve dropped cursive, we haven’t really gotten a straight answer. My best guess is that they simply want more time to prepare for standardized tests. If that turns out to be the case, I’ll be very unhappy. After all, as pointless as cursive might end up being in the long run, standardized test prep is far more pointless.

Kids Not Learning Cursive In schools

And this:

Recently, many parents of young children have started to notice that cursive writing appears to be a lost art. With computers becoming commonplace and most teens preferring e-mail and instant messaging to handwritten letters, it’s not surprising that proper penmanship is on the decline. In fact, many young people can’t write much more than their own names in cursive

However, experts are somewhat conflicted as to whether or not this represents a problem with the United States educational system. There are some who feel the lack of proficiency in cursive writing is indicative of a general decline in overall literacy skills, but others insist that the movement towards typewritten communication is simply a sign of technology evolving.

Should People Still Use Cursive Writing?

While I love technology, and work with it everyday. I can't imagine not being able to read and write cursive.
If this is a trend that continues in our educational system, in only a generation, we could have millions of people who cannot read and write cursive. Is this another step toward the further dumbing down of the new generations?
A generation of people who are unable to read what the generation before them wrote? Let alone historical documents? What next? We'll teach them to read, but not how to use a pen or a pencil? And what happens when all of our technology no longer functions because we really do have a solar storm. And it really does knock out the whole power grid? Personally, I smell a rat. But even if it is just a sign of the times. Is this a good sign? I don't think so.

What say you ATS?

ETA: Additional links and info.

How cursive writing affects brain development 1
How cursive writing affects brain development 2

Interesting. I don't know how I feel about this. The traditionalist in me thinks that this is a terrible idea and schools should continue to teach handwriting (cursive) over printing, I know that my niece (who is grade school age) is learning it. The other part of me finds that it is quite old-fashioned and very rarely have I seen anyone actually use the formal cursive handwriting (the few that have, like my grandmother, I've a difficult time reading anymore) but then again, does anyone write letters these days, either? Cursive writing along with letter writing may very well be one of those things the will be abandoned as we continue to use electronics more and more. Sad, in a nostalgic kind of way...

Solution: Teach your kid cursive. It's not thatt hard. I hardly think this is a conspiracy, being that I have to be on my toes because now, on ATS, anything is a conspiracy. Still, I learned cursive in 3rd grade like a regular child, and I wouldn't be too distraught if I had to teach my kid cursive.

I'm 35 and I haven't written anything in cursive since the '80's. With the internet and typing and all, it seems like it should be more of an elective thing than mandatory.

And hey, if young people can't read it, then us grown-ups have a secret way to communicate! Maybe we can have a "cursive only" section on ATS to keep out the Schnitzels and European Nasa whistleblowers..ie kids

I don't really consider being unable to write in cursive an issue with illiteracy. I feel that it's a sign of the times and sort of wish that it'd been done away with when I was a kid. Schools aren't going to teach it anymore because they're too worried about test scores. It stinks, but welcome to the American public school system.

No conspiracy here just progress. I mean language and styles of writing change all the time. It evolves with us. I would compare this with old english. Not many people excluding english majors would know how to properly read and write just the letters let alone grammar. One day we probably wont write at all just as symbols and pictures turned to words and letters everything will change both form and medium


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

I am indifferent as to whether it should be taught in schools

However, I appreciate that I was able to learn cursive, even though I never use it

But when the day comes that I have to write a letter

You bet I will use cursive

I appreciate the interesting and honest responses from everyone so far.
Just another tidbit from a google search.

A small article about the Belmont College Mindset List appeared in the morning paper today. Each year the college puts together a list of interesting bits of information about the incoming freshman class. I was surprised by one of the items. Apparently, most of this year’s incoming freshmen do not know how to write in cursive.

Back To School: The Cursive Controversy

I personally use handwriting everyday. It's not necessarily pretty, but everyone tells me it's readable. I just can't imagine relying so heavily on technology, that if it isn't there one day...

reply to post by Klassified


They have to have more time to teach our children how to pass state assessments...didn't ya know. That's all kids are going to know once they leave school. How to pass a bleepin' test.

Dumb'em down, dumb'em down more...

I love to write in cursive. It took me forever to get it down, so maybe that's why.

Once in 8th grade, here at least, our kids only get one semester (if that) of physical education. Dumb'em down and fatten'em up and get'em ready for the cattle call!

Sorry for the sarcasm...sore subject!

The written word is one that is beautiful, but also that is an art form unto itself. Back before many of us went to school, one of the key points that was seen in business was the ability to write, and write clearly in cursive, as many documents and books were kept and written by hand. Any one who ever has done any sort of family history research, would have to be able to read cursive, as the records, prior to the 1900’s were often done by hand, along with many records. Many of the familiar logos, from companies that have been around for years, were written by hand, and the best one that we all would recognize, would be Coke, that was penmanship at its finest, done with a quill and ink. Even old documents that many people revere, such as The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, the Magna Carta, and many of the constitutions and historical documents from around the world were all hand written, and master works unto themselves. As those who would be able to read these old books and documents, would ultimately be able to print their version of such, not necessarily what all is printed there. It many not seem like a conspiracy, however, it could be construed as one, for the simple fact that they no longer teach such and it becomes an art form that will die over time. It would be a shame if the written word, slowly dwindles down to a few, and all that people are able to read is what all is printed.

I think that excellent handwriting is a virtue. It definitely sets a person apart from the rest when it comes to written communication. That being said, my handwriting has evolved to simply printing. My cursive used to be great but now its tough to write fast while trying to do cursive. So when its faster and easier to do it one way, you tend to stick with it.

I think this was a trend started by public schools in the further erosion of children's knowledge base. Reading cursive is more important than writing it, but if they both go, that limits a childs growth. Too bad kids aren't being taught what they used to. I've seen many times before a general knowledge test from the 1890s that most college grads would be pressed to pass. Also brings to mind that if you don't use it you lose it.

Another article I found quite interesting and well worth reading if you're so inclined.

Outside of the United States, cursive writing is taught before children learn how to print. Although many of us neglect our cursive writing skills, except to sign a document now and again, due to the advent of computer technology; however, cursive writing is both more efficient and more natural when mastered before print. Because children are developing their fine motor skills, cursive writing allows them to gradually improve their eye-hand coordination versus straight lines that strain students.

The first step in developing our cognitive abilities is the development of our fine motor skills. As our brains learn to connect our inner worlds to the external universe, we begin to recognize abstract ideas like awareness of others and perception. Cursive writing affords us the opportunity to naturally train these find motor skills by taking advantage of a child’s inability to fully control their fingers.

How Cursive Writing Affects Brain Development

reply to post by sdcigarpig

Well said. I actually do geneaological research. And being able to read handwriting is a must.

Honestly, this is just a sign of the times. People are moving away from writing and using digital means of communciation.. What gets me is that they will still learn to sign their name, how would they know how to sign it if they dont learn cursive?

reply to post by staciebee


One of the companies I use to work for, we had to take tests to ensure safety compliance and such in order to become certified. We would watch the videos, then be given a test which we were promptly given the correct answers to by our safety director. We were certified and compliant, yet no telling if anyone learned anything. I think thats more common than most realize.

Schools are becoming like that, just push the kid through and never worry about the consequences of sending unarmed(intellectually) kids out into the real world. Its sad really.

Additional info:

“There's some pretty powerful evidence of changes in the brain that occur as the result of learning to overcome a motor challenge," says Rand Nelson of Peterson Directed Handwriting. The act of physically gripping a pen or pencil and practicing the swirls, curls and connections of cursive handwriting activates parts of the brain that lead increase language fluency.

How cursive writing affects brain development

Originally posted by staciebee
reply to post by Klassified

 

They have to have more time to teach our children how to pass state assessments...didn't ya know. That's all kids are going to know once they leave school. How to pass a bleepin' test.

Dumb'em down, dumb'em down more...

I love to write in cursive. It took me forever to get it down, so maybe that's why.

Once in 8th grade, here at least, our kids only get one semester (if that) of physical education. Dumb'em down and fatten'em up and get'em ready for the cattle call!

Sorry for the sarcasm...sore subject!

The more I've been looking into this, the more it's becoming a sore subject for me too. I just think it's a really bad idea.

I was taught Cursive in the third grade. Truth be told I never use it. When I write with pen and paper, I print. Except to sign my name.

I don't know. I feel, as long as they are being taught to write, then I wonder how much it matters if cursive is known.

In this day and age, what would be better taught? Cursive or typing?

Just thinking out loud. I was taught cursive. It was part of the curriculum. Typing was not, for me. But I do think kids would get more out of learning how to type correctly ( I taught myself) than out of learning cursive.

It's interesting you should bring this up actually, I have literally just read an article about how a study done at Princeton showed that being forced to read complicated fonts (like script handwriting) makes it easier to learn stuff.

So there is a definite case to be made that not only should children learn to write in cursive, but that teachers should be encouraged to hand write notes on the board when teaching, intead of relying on printed text (of which the over reliance is most likely the reason behind the abandonment of cursive writing in schools).

My daughter is in 1st grade. She has been reading and writing since she was 3-4...
They are not teaching cursive in her school which is a highly rated school that scores very high on all standard testing in my state.

Although they are not teaching it, she is teaching herself (with my help) because she thinks it is "fancy writing" and cool and well different (because she has been taught different is good).

I really do not think there is a conspiracy behind it....but just more the fact that people do not really write like that much anymore. I don't write in cursive. I just developed my own style of writing over the years. I even get paid by some to write out invitations and other things because of my handwriting.