A while back my interest in cursive handwriting was rekindled. I practiced writing the letter b over and over again. I haven't practiced much since then. I made the effort to improve my handwriting when I was in college. I really tried to make sure my notes and orders (in patient charts) were legible. I have had to deal with more than one coworker with the handwriting of a 7 year old. Some people seem to think that education negates the need for legible writing. (I even had one classmate tell me that she was going to be a doctor, so she didn't need to need to know how to spell!)
Yesterday I read an article about the decline of handwriting skills. I'm a little sad that handwriting is no longer considered important enough to teach. Yes, everyone emails and texts--but they don't even do that with proper spelling or grammar. We haven't reached the time where pen and paper are obsolete. (I don't think we ever will.) Legible handwriting is still an important form of communication. It isn't just about learning cursive. The worst handwriting I have ever seen was print. I don't think children are learning to write legibly--in cursive or print. While Ross does his homework I'll go back to practicing Copperplate script. Funny (or not so) that what was once a skill that everyone was taught is now considered an art form.
2 comments:
engineers constantly say
"I don't need to multiply in my head, that's why i have a calculator",
"I don't need to spell, that's why i have spell check"
I review engineering papers with grammar so bad that I can't figure out the science they write about. Young engineers have no gut feel for answers anymore.
we are hosed!
I'm sure you could guess, but I completely agree with you. Even though it was never in any state education objectives in Texas, I still made my 4th- and 5th- graders practice cursive handwriting. Most of the students' parents were glad that I was, as they seemed to take on the same opinion as you.
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