Today is National Handwriting Day (established in 1977 in honor of John Hancock’s birth date by the Writing Instrument Manufactuers Assoc. and still around), so it’s especially appropriate to ask why cursive is no longer taught in all US schools.
This is a topic that has bothered me for some time. I remember belatedly discovering that my daughter wasn’t learning cursive when she was in grade school – she’s 30 years old now – and I had to read all her school work, notes and non-digital messages in her neat, but laboriously penned block letters. Not her fault; it’s how she was taught to write.
Like everyone of my generation, we learned to write both block (aka: printed) letters and the loops and swirls of what we call “cursive” in the US. Other countries have other names – the UK calls it “joined up” – and many other languages are innately cursive.
Cursive is faster to write, but research show it offers more than just sheer speed.
Cursive helps develop improved neural connections, build fine motor skills, fosters self-discipline and professionalism, improves reading skills, emphasizes grammar, spelling and overall understanding – the reason why if you’re in a classroom studying something, you should be taking handwritten notes – besides being generally easier and quicker to read. Cursive trains your brain and many studies have shown that writing notes in cursive helps you remember what you wrote far better than relying on digital notepads. Cursive is recognized as being beneficial for children suffering from dyslexia and is part of the recommended therapy.
Block printing offers little or none of those benefits.
Now I can type at 80 wpm and have been doing my formal work (writing) since the beginning of the so-called personal computing era with a 40-lb Compaq suitcase. But with everything else, whether notes, collecting my thoughts, or entries in my journal are always handwritten, usually with a pleasant fountain pen in hand. And yes I’ve tried some of the many digital note-taking apps and found them all a PITA, especially when all I wanted to do was scribble a quick reminder, note or phone number.
All of the studies point to the value of learning this wonderful skill early in your life. It’s time for the US educational policy-makers to revisit the CCSS and reconsider their recommendations. Our children and grandkids will be the ones who benefit.
For more on cursive, whether to teach it or learn it, go to www.mycursive.com and the Writing Instruments Manufacturing Association at www.pencilsandpens.org