Post script? Parents, lawmakers fear cursive becoming lost art

Fox News ^ | March 14, 2014 | Cristina Corbin

[Olog-hai]

Kids can text on tiny keyboards, convey their thoughts in 140 characters or less and use numbers for prepositions, but some states fear they soon may not be able to sign their own names.

In this digital age of Internet acronyms, like “LOL,” and emoticons, Tennessee is the latest state pressing for legislation that mandates students learn cursive writing in school. Lawmakers in the state are pushing for passage of House Bill 1697, which would require all public school students to learn how to read and write in cursive, preferably by the third grade.

The bill, authored by state Republican Rep. Sheila Butt, is meant to prevent a decline in students’ ability to read handwritten notes and sign their own names as well as interpret historical documents in their original form, like the Declaration of Independence.

“Cursive writing is timeless because it connects us to our past,” Butt told FoxNews.com. …

[Straight Vermonter]

Do you want all children to be like Rachel Jeantel?

Do you really think that is her greatest problem?

I never write in cursive and I am hard pressed to imagine a situation where my children ever will.

[Olog-hai]

It’s certainly an indicator of her greatest problem.

I also find it remarkable that non-teaching of cursive is so prevalent. I learned it, and I graduated high school in the late 1980s.

[Straight Vermonter]

I also find it remarkable that non-teaching of cursive is so prevalent. I learned it, and I graduated high school in the late 1980s.

We're the same age. I learned it too but I just don't see the point in doing so today. When was the last time you wrote or received a letter? I write on the computer all day long but I can't remember when I wrote even a half page with pen and paper.

[Olog-hai]

I did a lot of handwritten essay-writing even in college. Word processors were not prevalent, and even typewriter labs did not have full-time access those days. When the computer labs came along, WordPerfect 5.1 seemed almost miraculous.

[Conservative4Ever]

I did the same in 5th grade. My teacher did not appreciate my unique style of circles to dot my i’s and creative loops at the end of my y’s and G's. Over that summer I taught my self to print in caps. Lower and upper case. Guess I showed her. Still print to this day, 50+ years later although I must say beautiful cursive writing is an art form. I do sign documents with a cursive signature...more of a scrawl...nobody would be able to forge. :-)

[BfloGuy]

come to think of it most of the communist goals from the 1950’s I think it was have been “reached”

Yes.

I still remember being appalled in 1960 [at least to the extent that a second-grader can feel appalled] that the Soviets encouraged children to rat on their parents. I couldn't imagine such a thing.

But it's common here now. Parents use drugs? Parents own a gun? Parents leave you "unattended"? I understand that there's a great deal of child abuse in our society now, but that the innocent must be swept into the mess is inexcusable and unnecessary.

[MeshugeMikey]

but that the innocent must be swept into the mess is inexcusable and unnecessary.

The innocent and niave,,,are far easier to indoctrinate having little in the way of powers of discrimination.

To most kid not having” to learn cursive means....less work, rather than something lost or more accurately never gained.

It was not until another poster here pointed it out that id thought about the fact that kids lacking the ability to read cursive. can not read the original Founding Documents...of the U.S.A

I’d bet that few of the he “progessive” “educators” in the “rank and file” understand the power of depriving children of the skill of reading and writing in cursive.

[BfloGuy]

I’d bet that few of the he “progessive” “educators” in the “rank and file” understand the power of depriving children of the skill of reading and writing in cursive.

I believe you are correct in that assessment. They see it as sparing the child [and themselves] the pain of learning something which they see as unnecessary and outmoded.

But, of course, there are more reasons to learn cursive writing than being able to read old documents. It's faster to write and the discipline alone -- it's somewhat of an art -- is valuable.

[Benito Cereno]

Be honest, everyone. Have you actually put pen or pencil to paper today? I would wager that for the majority of us we rarely actually pick up a pen/cil and write, whether in print or in cursive. I “write” all day, but I rarely will use anything but a keyboard.

[MeshugeMikey]

I Seldom take the opportunity to write in cursive these days. My signature however still bears the mark of a person who took some pride in learning to write in the cursive manner.

What will the signatures of todays children who don’t learn to write cursive Look Like?

Are we headed back to the day when scrawling the letter X as ones signature was sufficient?....

[SamAdams76]

In short time, handwriting of any type is going to be seen as some relic of a bygone era when people used typewriters, carbon paper and had to spin a rotary dial to make a phone call.

There will always be some eccentrics that will still practice the art, just as some people even today will learn Morse code or keep paper maps in their car.

Just about everybody under the age of 40 are highly skilled with keyboards. Soon, you will be able to reliably dictate anything you would normally write or type today as voice input will be perfected.

Most documents will be signed electronically with a fingerprint, retina scan or maybe through facial recognition signature.

[MeshugeMikey]

The break with the well established tradition may have some upsides but Im not convinced that they equal the downsides.

I’d never be one to insist that everyone use cursive as a matter of habit..but i see much value in being capable using both reading and writing it.