I had pretty much switched to printed letters in things I write down, lists, notes, etc. A few weeks ago I got to thinking about cursive and how I have forgotten how to write certain letters, so, I switched back to cursive. Retraining my brain. It's so funny, people at work noticed and have made comments. Comparing my own handwriting, my cursive is so much better looking. I just have to remind myself to slow down. It's a shame a lot of schools have abandoned it. I also have found, I rather enjoy it.
Handwriting
- Thread starter KenB259
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Kenny Durrant
Member
Things have changed. There's a joke that if you need to communicate with your wife and not let the kids know what's going on just write notes in cursive. I started printing when I was unable to read my own writing.
walshjp17
Member
When I was in grade and secondary school (in the dark ages) we had three ways to commnicate - talk, write or print. There was no 'cursive writing' it was just plain 'writing'. We used the Palmer Method to learn how to 'write' and only used 'printing' sparingly (most often in math, chemistry or physics). Showing my age here.
I had to look up "palmer method", must be that's what I learned as well, because it's how my handwriting looks.
Gregf
Member
If you had the handwriting charts on the wall in school. This is where they came from. Still in business.
The Gold Standard in Handwriting Instruction | Zaner-Bloser
Proven print and digital materials help students learn to write fluently and confidently in manuscript and cursive.
www.zaner-bloser.com
I remember the charts wellIf you had the handwriting charts on the wall in school. This is where they came from. Still in business.
The Gold Standard in Handwriting Instruction | Zaner-Bloser
Proven print and digital materials help students learn to write fluently and confidently in manuscript and cursive.www.zaner-bloser.com
sorcerertd
Member
I think of the Palmer method as a chiropractic thing. Have to agree that I don't write in cursive because I can't read my own writing.
monophoto
Member
Yeah - - - I have vague recollections of being taught cursive in elementary school. Today, my handwriting ranges from dreadful to so-so/almost legible. I will say if I take my time and use a fountain pen (often the same thing), my writing is better than if I just scribble.
I have friends who have really nice handwriting. I haven't done a scientific analysis, but my sense is that the folks who came up through traditional parochial schools have better handwriting that those of us who were educated in public schools.
On the other hand, my letting is pretty good - may be because I was required to take several courses in traditional engineering drafting while in engineering school. That was a long time ago!
leehljp
Member Liaison
If I take my time and focus, I "can" write fairly well in cursive. My problem is writing straight without lines. I never could do that.
When I was in Japan, I used my computer for much of my writing and I often chose a script looking Japanese font and used it often. One day an elderly lady said it looked like "old Japanese writing" and young people couldn't read it. So I went back to block like Japanese.
Even now in English, I haven't found an excellent scrip font that looks casual enough without being worse than my fast handwriting, or to the other extreme - too formal. Prefer to write and print from my computer because I cannot write consistently without lines.
When I was in Japan, I used my computer for much of my writing and I often chose a script looking Japanese font and used it often. One day an elderly lady said it looked like "old Japanese writing" and young people couldn't read it. So I went back to block like Japanese.
Even now in English, I haven't found an excellent scrip font that looks casual enough without being worse than my fast handwriting, or to the other extreme - too formal. Prefer to write and print from my computer because I cannot write consistently without lines.
Taking my time and staying focused is key for me too.
I have started to handwrite notes and letters to folks when I can. I actually just dropped a letter in the mail today, to the principal of my kids' school thanking them and the teachers and staff for the work they put in during this past school year for covid. I've found that folks really appreciate the time that goes into a handwritten note rather than something like an email.
When I write, I almost always do cursive. I'm too slow when I print. I can't say much for the quality of my handwriting, though.
I guess they are not even teaching cursive in schools anymore. My kids aren't old enough to have learned it yet in school, but some of the younger folks where I work didn't learn it, I guess.
When I write, I almost always do cursive. I'm too slow when I print. I can't say much for the quality of my handwriting, though.
I guess they are not even teaching cursive in schools anymore. My kids aren't old enough to have learned it yet in school, but some of the younger folks where I work didn't learn it, I guess.
Good for penmakers.PatrickR
Member
I have used a combination of cursive and printing for a long time. I have to force myself to use one consistently.
SteveG
Member
Hank, if you ever want to handwrite something, you might try using a heavily lined image printed on a sheet of paper. This is then slid in under the sheet you are writing on. You can see the lines well enough to keep you own writing straight. I just happen to be writing a lot here recently. I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and we as a group, are involved in a writing campaign to invite folks to view our annual convention, which is on line (vs live & in person, due to the pandemic). Mailing a nicely handwritten invitation has more appeal than a computer generated/printed one, but the quality of handwriting is important. It is good to have the lines straight!
Attachments
I have not written cursive in many years myself. I recently heard many fountain pen enthusiasts write in cursive because it looks more appealing. My wife teaches elementary school and said they use method called the D'Nealean which I am told is a combination of printing and cursive.
egnald
Member
When I use cursive I usually have a somewhat modified (merged with printing) character set, especially with some of the capital letters - like Q. I'm afraid cursive will soon be a complete thing of the past as it hasn't been taught in school for quite some time. My first indication was that my grown children don't use a cursive signature when they sign things. I think signatures in general are starting to be diminished as far as proof anyway - how can one make a consistent signature using their finger on a touch pad anyway. It would probably be more prudent if the practice for signing for something would transform into using a fingerprint - at least that would be more identifiable in a legal situation - and, fingerprint readers have become quite commonplace, used at amusement parks, for security on phones, laptops, etc. - Dave
wouldentu2?
Member
In a paperless society the cursive or printed word will disappear as will pens and pencils.
Canoeroller
Member
Writing may make a comeback, but in different ways,. When my son wants to make an impression, he writes a real letter. He is a entrepreneurial teenager, and found out that a carefully handwritten note gets people's attention and appreciation.
As a fountain pen enthusiast myself I will say that a fountain pen wants to write cursive. You need to fight the pen to get it to print.
To me the looks is secondary to how the pen flows across the page when using cursive and is a much more enjoyable experience than trying to break that up with print when using a fountain pen.
TellicoTurning
Member
I do most of my communication on the computer too... I can actually type much faster than I can write. And getting to an age where the eyes aren't what they used to be, I like a slightly larger and blockier font... I do most of my work in the font - Tahoma.
penicillin
Member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2019
- Messages
- 1,036
I type nearly everything and have done that for decades. I use hand printing for small notes, shopping lists, etc. I use cursive for handwritten notes (e.g., birthday cards and sadly, sympathy cards) and when I am in a big hurry trying to capture information (get it all down on paper now!) for later cleanup/transcription.
The quality of my handwriting is very poor. I was part of an improved education experiment where they skipped printing altogether and taught us children to use only cursive, all the time. When I got to high school I taught myself printing by copying the printed text from books. As a result, neither my cursive nor my printing is very good. The typewriter, and later the computer were a boon.
When I reached the workforce, it was in an era when all of my coworkers handwrote their work and then handed it to the full-time secretary to be typed up on her IBM Selectric typewriter. Our forward-thinking manager bought a word processor and put it in the secretary's office as a shared resource. People could sit down and type their own work. Nobody used it except me. After a couple months of too much time in the secretary's office, late one night I moved the word processor to my own office and took it over. Nobody objected or even bothered to comment. I became the only person whose work was direct-to-print and not dependent on the secretary.
Sidebar:
That secretary was not very good. She made lots of mistakes on my work. That was a major factor for why I took on the word processor. Long after she was gone, I learned from others that she was an alcoholic; she had a "liquid lunch" in the parking lot every day. I was too young, trusting, and naive to notice.
The quality of my handwriting is very poor. I was part of an improved education experiment where they skipped printing altogether and taught us children to use only cursive, all the time. When I got to high school I taught myself printing by copying the printed text from books. As a result, neither my cursive nor my printing is very good. The typewriter, and later the computer were a boon.
When I reached the workforce, it was in an era when all of my coworkers handwrote their work and then handed it to the full-time secretary to be typed up on her IBM Selectric typewriter. Our forward-thinking manager bought a word processor and put it in the secretary's office as a shared resource. People could sit down and type their own work. Nobody used it except me. After a couple months of too much time in the secretary's office, late one night I moved the word processor to my own office and took it over. Nobody objected or even bothered to comment. I became the only person whose work was direct-to-print and not dependent on the secretary.
Sidebar:
That secretary was not very good. She made lots of mistakes on my work. That was a major factor for why I took on the word processor. Long after she was gone, I learned from others that she was an alcoholic; she had a "liquid lunch" in the parking lot every day. I was too young, trusting, and naive to notice.
aldjmc
Member
According to this article, ballpoint pens are the culprit in the demise of handwriting. I only use fountain pens at work now. https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-the-ballpoint-pen-killed-cursive?utm_source=pocket-newtab