Cursive writing

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That is fabulous !!!! ... and about time for all Education Departments to require that again.

Legible Writing is a skill you need throughout your life even though there are computers and hand-held devices with text editors !!
 
OK I have been out of school for some time now and have no idea what these kids are doing today but if they were not required to do that then what are they doing?? Block letter???:smile:
 
magpens said:
That is fabulous !!!! ... and about time for all Education Departments to require that again.

Legible Writing is a skill you need throughout your life even though there are computers and hand-held devices with text editors !!
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I can see it now. Another generation of half cursive and half printing like me and I cannot even read my own writing. :biggrin:
I do enjoy seeing cursive writing though, there is an elegance to it that makes the words beautiful.
 
jttheclockman said:
OK I have been out of school for some time now and have no idea what these kids are doing today but if they were not required to do that then what are they doing?? Block letter???:smile:
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They learn to whine and complain when things don't go there way. Also to take shortcuts whenever possible and to never admit they don't know something and to just screw it up instead of asking someone how to do it.:eek:
 
Some 40+ years ago, when I went thru school, it was a given you had to learn cursive writing. I never knew it had changed.

On a side note, a local court case was thrown out because a 18 year old high school graduate couldn't read cursive. Matter of fact, that person couldn't read at all.

Yet they graduated high school. :eek:
 
Okay, I've got to chime in here. Cursive writing is just one of many many things that are not being taught in schools. A good example is that my wife told me that one of her medical aides (CNA) cannot tell what time it is when looking at an analog clock. I had never heard of anyone like that before, but when brought up in other conversations it seems there are more people who cannot read an analog clock. :confused:
 
I downloaded some cursive writing practice sheets and bought a $10 handwriting course from Udemy (but there are plenty of free one on Youtube). It took me about two weeks to re-learn and now I really enjoy writing cursive again.
 
On a parallel example of lost/needed skills:

A few weeks ago I drove from Ohio to Minnesota to display the IAP Collection. My GPS is an older model which needs to have regions of the country choosen before hand - I forgot to do this. I hit the Illinois border; BINGO - no GPS, no map, and I use a "dumb phone."

I got off the freeway at the soonest "Best Buys" store sign, went to the "Apple" section, pulled up a map, and wrote the names of the intersections to get me to 3 location in Wisconsin, Minnesota and back home via a different route on a small scrap of paper. Got there and back without a single wrong turn!

I asked my adult kids later if they could successfully drive through 5 states with no GPS or Smartphone???

And I wrote the directions out in cursive. :good:
 
It would be nice to at minimum be taught as an elective type course. There is so much more that didn't exist to even be taught when I was in school. I'm 37, graduated HS in 1997, didn't have internet in school until college for reference. I had shop class in 8th grade which was the last year it was offered, that class became technology class instead. I took that and construction as electives.

As a parent I know there are a lot of things that will not be taught to my kids in school that I want them to learn. If I really want them to learn it then it is me that should help them learn it I think.
 
southernclay said:
I had shop class in 8th grade which was the last year it was offered
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You were lucky young man. Where I live, they discontinued shop classes back in the early 1980's. I took shop classes for 6 years straight.
That's part of why I know what I know now. The other part was a 4 year apprenticeship but I'll digress.

I actually worked for my old high school wood shop teacher after graduating. He bought all the tools from the high school when they stopped teaching it, for pennies on the dollar.
When I say all the tools, I mean everything you'd see in a professional custom cabinet making shop. 36" bandsaw, 20" RAS, 16" table saw, stuff like that.
Anyway, I made skateboards after work to make extra money.

Not only are the shop classes gone, so is the work ethic they taught.
We are poorer because of it. Ah, the good old days...:smile:
 
Someone mentioned typing. . The two most long-serving SKILLS I learned in school are cursive writing and typing (an elective). . Oh, and algebra and trigonometry which I use very often in my pen profile calculations !!!! :smile:

My two oldest sons learned cursive, but my two youngest did not. . "They" did not even consult the parents when "they" deleted cursive from the curriculum. . It makes such a difference on Fathers' Day and other times when you get a card in the mail and can actually read the name/address on the envelope (not just the postcode). :smile:
 
Guess I don't see the point. I don't even write grocery lists anymore. I actually have a physical problem writing cursive since it brings back memories of getting my knuckles slammed with a 3 sided ruler by an insane nun. Hate to say it, but it's no longer a needed skill. It's a new world out there. No cursive is needed.


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Muffinlady01 said:
Guess I don't see the point. I don't even write grocery lists anymore. I actually have a physical problem writing cursive since it brings back memories of getting my knuckles slammed with a 3 sided ruler by an insane nun. Hate to say it, but it's no longer a needed skill. It's a new world out there. No cursive is needed.


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I think a lot of people here like cursive, because not only is it a lost art that is very beautiful when done right, but we make writing instruments and not as much writing is done with a pen anymore, most is done with a keyboard.
 
I learned cursive via the Palmer method in the very early 50's. Typing during high school was also required on old Royals and Underwoods. Took 35 wpm to pass.
 
I love cursive, its the best way to use a fountain pen ;)

I'm 38 so I'm in the same generation, last to use cursive, first to be forced to type everything in college but never had a typing class.

Ironically I find I need to be able to take quick notes at work, so I write in cursive daily.

I have bought several cursive reusable writing mats for my nieces and nephews, need to pass it on.

Cheers.
 
Man I never gave this stuff any thought. I thought it was always taught. I do not do it well but still use it and will always do. Can I ask how do you people write out checks or is that a passe thing too now and type your way through life. How about legal documents, just put a smbol down?? This is actually ashame. For people who make writing instruments and you can not even write. Shame on you. Pick another hobby like making keyboards or eye pads. :smile: This really is disheartening. All the slang used and all the stupid symbols used to send text messages. We are in such a fast pace world that someday it will pass us by and we will not even know it.
 
1080Wayne said:
Rockytime said:
I learned cursive via the Palmer method in the very early 50's. Typing during high school was also required on old Royals and Underwoods. Took 35 wpm to pass.
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35 wpm was a struggle for me . Now I`m down to 5-10 with one finger , even though I still own all 10 !
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A walk down memory lane:biggrin: right there with you guys. I remember too when we made some designs by typing the same letter over and over but changed the spacings.. Could never get the last 2 fingers to work properly:biggrin: Even back then fingers were too big for keypad. 2 finger pecker here to this day but have gotten faster:biggrin:
 
mark james said:
On a parallel example of lost/needed skills:

A few weeks ago I drove from Ohio to Minnesota to display the IAP Collection. My GPS is an older model which needs to have regions of the country choosen before hand - I forgot to do this. I hit the Illinois border; BINGO - no GPS, no map, and I use a "dumb phone."

I got off the freeway at the soonest "Best Buys" store sign, went to the "Apple" section, pulled up a map, and wrote the names of the intersections to get me to 3 location in Wisconsin, Minnesota and back home via a different route on a small scrap of paper. Got there and back without a single wrong turn!

I asked my adult kids later if they could successfully drive through 5 states with no GPS or Smartphone???

And I wrote the directions out in cursive. :good:
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I had a big long response written up on this and hit the wrong button and evidently lost the post???

Anyway gist of conversation was, I find it interesting that people rely on a GPS system... I don't own one and have no desire to ever do so... the first thing I do when planning a trip is to get down a map and trace the route on the map. My wife will google the route and print the maps and written directions. My older son is a long haul trucker and the company provides GPS directions on his loads... often they take him either off route or down roads that an 18 wheeler shouldn't be on... I often hear him arguing with the GPS when we talk.... :smile::smile:

And along the same lines, my brother in law is also an avid map reader.. so much so that on his visit to us last October, he wanted a map of the area so he could see where we were taking him for sightseeing.... we drove over the mountain to my son's house, an hours drive that I've made 20-50 times in the last couple of years and he read the map to me all the way over the hill. Don't think he saw any of the sights on the way, just the map. My older sister (Not his wife) said he did the same thing all the way from Texas to my house. :biggrin::biggrin:

On the subjective of cursive writing, I was taught cursive in the 3rd grade, some 70 years ago... not sure it took very well as most of my writing looks like where the chickens have been scratching.... don't know the method they used to teach us, but I'm sure I used up a whole "Big Chief" tablet making concentric circles. I don't remember that far back, but think I may have started school as a lefty and was made to change over.... I still do a lot of thing left handed.
 
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Hard for me to really get used to writing in cursive when I type 80 WPM ... this is so much faster!

I do still enjoy using my pens, though. Especially the looks they garner when I bring them out and sign my name...
 
For the sake of selling fountain pens I wish all students were required to write cursive, but for practical purposes I don't see a need for anyone to write in cursive.
 
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When I went to school, there was no mention of "cursive writing". There was writing and printing -- and I so enjoyed the Palmer Method of learning to write :biggrin:
 
Chasper said:
For the sake of selling fountain pens I wish all students were required to write cursive, but for practical purposes I don't see a need for anyone to write in cursive.
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I am sorry but i just do not get this point. I must be missing something here totally. What happens when you want to leave a note or does no one write letters any more?/ You want to add some special words to a card your sending or so many more examples. What do you people do??? Please tell me. I can not figure out how one can go through life and not be able to write where letters are strung together. This has me scratching my head because as I said I never once gave this any thought till now. Are we that machine programed??:eek::eek::eek:
 
It's OK, John ...


There are only 10 kinds of people in this world, after all ...

Those that know binary, and those that don't.
 
My cursive writing was something I was very proud of. My father had beautiful cursive handwriting and I tried to emulate his. I no longer write cursive due to neuropathy in my hands. For that matter I can barely print. I have to carefully draw each character. It is fortunately I still type. Regarding GPS, I would be lost without it. Yesterday I had a doctor appointment located in some obscure complex. There is no way for me to find it without using a tank of gas. GPS put me at the front door. A WONDERFUL bit of technology.
 
jttheclockman said:
I am sorry but i just do not get this point. I must be missing something here totally. What happens when you want to leave a note or does no one write letters any more?/ You want to add some special words to a card your sending or so many more examples. What do you people do??? Please tell me. I can not figure out how one can go through life and not be able to write where letters are strung together. This has me scratching my head because as I said I never once gave this any thought till now. Are we that machine programed??:eek::eek::eek:
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Your not serious right? You do know that you can put words to paper and they are not required to be in cursive right?

I don't write cursive for the simple fact that you wouldn't be able to read it. You can barely read my handwriting as it is.
 
jleiwig said:
jttheclockman said:
I am sorry but i just do not get this point. I must be missing something here totally. What happens when you want to leave a note or does no one write letters any more?/ You want to add some special words to a card your sending or so many more examples. What do you people do??? Please tell me. I can not figure out how one can go through life and not be able to write where letters are strung together. This has me scratching my head because as I said I never once gave this any thought till now. Are we that machine programed??:eek::eek::eek:
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Your not serious right? You do know that you can put words to paper and they are not required to be in cursive right?

I don't write cursive for the simple fact that you wouldn't be able to read it. You can barely read my handwriting as it is.
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I guess so and yes i am serious. That is called printing. I guess one can get through life printing but to not teach that stuff just is a crime. Oh well I am done with this.
 
I remember learning to write in cursive from 2nd grade ... reports written in cursive were required all the way up to 6th grade and beyond, but around 8th grade I started handing in typewritten reports in school, and apparently teachers fell in love with the much easier reading around that time period.

Grammar, Spelling, Mathematics, Scientific Procedure, and Handwriting ... I believe that these should be staple skills in every elementary school, regardless of language, race, or country.


It's not enough to be able to explain something coherently, spelled correctly, reasoned perfectly, and worked out in detail. If you're not able to get your ideas across, and a written note or paper is the simplest and quickest way to convey this, then you may as well not have written it down at all. Clear and readable print, text, or cursive handwriting is a life skill that is required to properly and coherently convey your ideas to the world.

It's just too bad that the internet had to come along and spoil the world with YouTube and Google Video! :)
 
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jttheclockman said:
Chasper said:
For the sake of selling fountain pens I wish all students were required to write cursive, but for practical purposes I don't see a need for anyone to write in cursive.
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I am sorry but i just do not get this point. I must be missing something here totally. What happens when you want to leave a note or does no one write letters any more?/ You want to add some special words to a card your sending or so many more examples. What do you people do??? Please tell me. I can not figure out how one can go through life and not be able to write where letters are strung together. This has me scratching my head because as I said I never once gave this any thought till now. Are we that machine programed??:eek::eek::eek:
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I am a calligrapher, and in my opinion the quality of my cursive writing is well above average. For me, demonstrating cursive writing and calligraphy is an important part of selling fountain pens and I sell a lot of them. But fountain pens are not for everyone and neither is cursive writing,

I also know how to print neatly and quickly. I hold the ability to communicate with handwritten messages in the highest regard, but I can also type at high speed. I do have to admit that I'm a little slow at using my thumbs to tap out a text message.

I don't personally see any logical reason why we should insist that everyone be taught to write cursive, and I find it an un-welcomed affront to personal freedoms when a state legislature imposes regulations requiring the teaching of cursive. What's next, regulating which side hair needs to be parted?

When I receive a handwritten thank you note from someone I have had the opportunity to help in some way, I am very pleased that they took the time to write the note, and my regard for the writer goes up, I don't take the time to consider the quality of their handwriting or hand printing. I don't think any less of them if the message is difficult to read because of their composition or penmanship skills.
 
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I'll have to disagree with you on one particular point, Chasper ...


While yes, it is part of our freedoms to be able to make choices in our lives and education, the lack of education regarding effective communication is just a bad idea all round.


What would happen if no more schools in the USA taught cursive writing? How many students would grow up into adults not knowing how to read common business signs and business cards simply because they are written in an archaic script that they never learned to read?

Are they the same letters? yes ... but they suddenly can't read english just because of how it looks!


Warning signs, no trespassing signs, danger signs ... all of them illegible because we failed to teach a younger generation how to read and write that way.


What happens when you write out a beautiful thank you note, inviting a young customer to come back and buy another pen with a 40% discount, and they give you a blank stare and toss it in the trash on the way out because they couldn't read it and they don't understand why you handed them a piece of pretty trash?


I believe that cursive writing should be a requirement for all students across the USA, for many reasons ... the least of which would not be the FREEDOM TO EXPRESS OURSELVES IN ANY WAY WE CHOOSE. :)
 
In my opinion, cursive writing, reading and writing, along with mathematics, understanding the English language, speaking the English language concisely and coherently, the sciences, history, etc are all part of the education process of our young... we are dismal failures at that right now... I read somewhere that the USA is somewhere between 14th and 20th in the world in our education process. We are failing in our task to educate our young.
 
[/QUOTE]I don't personally see any logical reason why we should insist that everyone be taught to write cursive, and I find it an un-welcomed affront to personal freedoms when a state legislature imposes regulations requiring the teaching of cursive. What's next, regulating which side hair needs to be parted?
[/QUOTE]






I live in a small town. Most of the folks older than me (53) continue write checks for everything they don't buy with cash. Kids are not taught to write checks and apparently soon they won't be able to read them. I was taught not to print when writing a check.

What! Are you kidding me, they don't count back change either? It's a good thing that's no longer important either. I mean it's really not, unless it's your small business they are running the cash register for.

Three tours in Iraq, all three tours I had to teach young men how to address letters. They did not know how to even address letters. I taught classes on how to write checks and balance checkbooks because that's how the bills got paid back home. Lack of those "basic" life skills that were "imposed" on us is the reason so many young men came home with money in the bank and a creditor at the door. They couldn't manage a checking account.

I for one do not think for a split second teaching someone a basic skill set is is an affront to ones liberties. I believe not teaching them is what leads to the downfall of nations. I've been to 35 countries as a result of my career choice. I can tell you from first hand knowledge what not having a basic skill set for life looks like.

Ask a kid to write a check.




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And they draw me back in:biggrin: Gerry being you quoted me. I too do not agree about the right and freedom part of not learning cursive writing. It should be part of the learning system. If you go by that theory then it is a right or privilege to get any type of education. These are basic skills that will help them as they do go through life. Can they do without it, the answer is yes but we can do without many aspects of what is being taught also but will it help the answer is yes it can't hurt them.

I had to laugh when someone mention kids and working a cash register. It is amazing when I see people in fast food places and convience stores trying to count money for change when the registers actually tell them what the change should be. Or if you give them some odd number coins just so you get paper money back instead of coins and it throws their whole process off. I usually walk them through the counting and smile. But they are being brought up on the fact everyone today pulls those plastic pieces out or even now pull the phone out and use that. A different world we live in. It takes the previous generation longer to catch onto new ideas and ways of thinking because they happen so fast these days. I am expecting to someday come on here and someone is going to write an entire message in some abbreviated code and I will have no idea what was said. LOL
 
jttheclockman said:
And they draw me back in:biggrin: Gerry being you quoted me. I too do not agree about the right and freedom part of not learning cursive writing. It should be part of the learning system. If you go by that theory then it is a right or privilege to get any type of education. These are basic skills that will help them as they do go through life. Can they do without it, the answer is yes but we can do without many aspects of what is being taught also but will it help the answer is yes it can't hurt them.

I had to laugh when someone mention kids and working a cash register. It is amazing when I see people in fast food places and convience stores trying to count money for change when the registers actually tell them what the change should be. Or if you give them some odd number coins just so you get paper money back instead of coins and it throws their whole process off. I usually walk them through the counting and smile. But they are being brought up on the fact everyone today pulls those plastic pieces out or even now pull the phone out and use that. A different world we live in. It takes the previous generation longer to catch onto new ideas and ways of thinking because they happen so fast these days. I am expecting to someday come on here and someone is going to write an entire message in some abbreviated code and I will have no idea what was said. LOL
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TLDR;l8z m8!
 
I'm sure the Sumerians lamented when cuneiform was no longer used - how will people ever read if it's not chiseled into a clay tablet?

Why don't we teach Latin in schools anymore - no one will know how to parse their medical diagnosis!

How will people ever dress themselves if they don't know how to attach a cumberbund?

We're not teaching the slide rule either - how will students do basic computations??

The world is changing - and has changed. Teaching how to use an archaic method of communication (sorry, but it is) in lieu of spending that time on grammar, computer programming, math, or a host of other more noble needs would be a tough sell in my mind.

I'd rather have a high school graduate who can say "I know how to program and to use the internet effectively" than one who can say "I can write in script...but my job will never require that".

Cursive writing was once a requirement for formal correspondence - but the computer has taken that role and made cursive obsolete. Teaching effective and competent typing would be more useful, as every job requires that.

Mastery of any skill takes a lot of time - and that time can be put to better use in a classroom than teaching a style of writing that doesn't help a student excel in the real world. Students need to learn to communicate - I'd argue that teaching printing and then typing would serve that need better in this modern world.
 
Perhaps, but when a man walks past a barber shop 20 times, asking people where he can find the barber shop, and they just look at him like he's a retard from another planet because he's standing in front of
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while he's asking ....


You have to wonder, is it a required skill to be able to UNDERSTAND ENGLISH for an American adult? It's written in cursive, yes ... but it's in ENGLISH.
 

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maxwell_smart007 said:
I'm sure the Sumerians lamented when cuneiform was no longer used - how will people ever read if it's not chiseled into a clay tablet?

Why don't we teach Latin in schools anymore - no one will know how to parse their medical diagnosis!

How will people ever dress themselves if they don't know how to attach a cumberbund?

We're not teaching the slide rule either - how will students do basic computations??

The world is changing - and has changed. Teaching how to use an archaic method of communication (sorry, but it is) in lieu of spending that time on grammar, computer programming, math, or a host of other more noble needs would be a tough sell in my mind.

I'd rather have a high school graduate who can say "I know how to program and to use the internet effectively" than one who can say "I can write in script...but my job will never require that".

Cursive writing was once a requirement for formal correspondence - but the computer has taken that role and made cursive obsolete. Teaching effective and competent typing would be more useful, as every job requires that.

Mastery of any skill takes a lot of time - and that time can be put to better use in a classroom than teaching a style of writing that doesn't help a student excel in the real world. Students need to learn to communicate - I'd argue that teaching printing and then typing would serve that need better in this modern world.
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That's all fine and well but having seen many other countries in the world I can say you need a basic skill set.

I've been to places where there is no internet, guess what all those kids who could program, well that's a nice skill set in another world.

I wrote home and asked the local AmVets store to ship us boxes of books. Shockingly I discovered young men whom had never read a book. There's an app for that.


Tools are awesome if you can learn how to use them and there is a place to plug them in. Screwdrivers now require electricity to keep them charged or you can't use one.


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Since I've never personally seen a warning sign, no trespassing sign, danger sign, or any other traffic sign written in cursive, I'm skeptical that the inability to read cursive is going to cause anyone to be unable to read a warning sign, or make it impossible to find a butcher shop. Most signs I see use block letters.

I'm also having trouble connecting the inability to write cursive with writing a check (I've been printing for about 50 years), or address an envelop. The inability to write a check, address an envelop or make change is a serious education problem and I don't see a way that teaching cursive writing is going to solve it.
 
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