The Writing On The Wall

My daughter is 4 and attends a montessori school where cursive writing is taught at the same time as printed letters. It appears very much to help minimize her reversing both letters and numbers and is teaching her an ease with expressing herself. I am glad to see that others are taking this seriously.

As a mother of four children, 3 of which are graduated, I was completely shocked to learn that my youngest cannot even sign his name properly. As a sophmore in high school, I thought that, like my other three, he could sign his name. When I questioned him about it he said that his teachers didnt care how he wrote his name as long as it was on the paper. I later confirmed this with the teachers at his school that cursive writing was no longer a priority. I say shame!!! I dont see how that cursive writing can affect your inability to express yourself. On the contrary, cursive handwriting is a lost art form in itself. If it wasn't a way to express yourself, would not everyone write the same way, like we were taught? As a child wanting to impress my elders, I can remember practicing for hours how to perfect my cursive letters. Not because it was required, but because I wanted to. I thought it was neat how you didnt have to stop and start to form a whole word. When my youngest child prints, it looks like something a fourth grader would write. No offense to any fourth grader, but he is in tenth grade. He brought home a paper last week where the teacher had written(in cursive) "good penmanship". What? Suffice it to say, my tenth grader brought it home because he couldn't read what it said. I guess the old adage is true,"practice, practice, practice".

Thank's for bringing the handwritting issue up. The pen and paper will keep a little more what we want too remember, in mine.

It seems our researchers are discovering what the Chinese have known for centuries, that writing is a physical manifestation of the intellect and even the soul of a man. There are still adults today, in China, who practice their writing for a half hour of so each day. It is a little like the daily walk, in that I keeps ones mind and body healthy and expressive.

Somewhere, in the bottom of my mom's cedar chest, I have my penmanship pin from completing the "Palmer Method of American Cursive Writing". It came as part of a kit that included: a Sheaffer's cartridge-filled fountain pen, an instructional workbook, and a fifty-page writing pad that had primary-writing ruled paper. These days, I still write with a Sheaffer's fountain pen but it didn't come in a blister-pack and it doesn't use cartridges for its ink. Fountain pens are more comfortable to use if you do a great deal of writing. Plus, they don't give you as much of a "writer's cramp" as ballpoint pens. Over the years, I have developed my own style of cursive writing. But, I still feel a bit of a twinge when my cursive letters don't look like the text-book Palmer letters.

The written word has the power that no other method of communication has. If you write a letter, that would be handwritten, to your parent or child they will remember it for longer and teasure it more than any card or e-card that you could ever send.

I attended school in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Handwriting was crucially important, as our teachers gave various assignments requiring us to handwrite many papers. I remember our most crucial 8th grade assignment had very explicit guidelines which had to be followed and counted for two-thirds of our final grade in English. The assignment was to choose a career which we intended to follow We were required to have three hard-covered books on the chosen career, with notes taken in our own words--no plagerism allowed, a properly formatted bibliography, and the final product: the paper in our own words, in our own handwriting. I worked on it for three weeks straight, every day after school until dinner and every night after dinner until 11:00-11:30 until it was complete. My teacher told me that I was writing at a college level. I received an A+ for that paper and was very proud of my efforts and the grade I received. I wonder how the kids of today would fare with the very same assignment (equivalent to a college level assignment in 8th grade).--that was back in 1959 and up north. It was most beneficial to each and every one of us.

I find I am far more impressed by a hand written card or letter... especially if I know the person has a computer and a printer. It shows me that they really cared and wanted to take the time and sacrifice to get their point across. A handwritten card or letter is like looking into someones eyes. You can see more of who they are.

I live in Pierce County, WA and teachers have told several of my friends that they no longer teach cursive writing because things are "done mostly on computers now".

Actually, in WA State, handwriting is not taught at all. Teachers have told several friends of mine that they don't teach cursive writing because "everything is done mostly on computers now".

I was educated in the fifties here in California. Back then penmanship was VERY important with drills everyday! They used to put three white lines on the chalkboard for us to practice our cursive writing . Handwriting is patently dead these days. I remember how much I looked forward to writing and receiving love letters. There's nothing like a love letter with a hint of perfume on it!! It becomes VERY personal! Emails don't quite convey that message of intimate moments.

I completely agree, as a student currently enrolled in high school. I see the firsthand effects of public education's failure. My peers still lack the ability to spell correctly, or even understand how to read script! I am one of the lucky ones who were taught the proper methods of penmanship, but it sickens me to see others with child-like handwriting still.

I completely agree, as a student currently enrolled in high school. I see the firsthand effects of public education's failure. My peers still lack the ability to spell correctly, or even understand how to read script! I am one of the lucky ones who were taught the proper methods of penmanship, but it sickens me to see others with child-like handwriting still.

I completely agree, as a student currently enrolled in high school. I see the firsthand effects of public education's failure. My peers still lack the ability to spell correctly, or even understand how to read script! I am one of the lucky ones who were taught the proper methods of penmanship, but it sickens me to see others with child-like handwriting still.

I was educated in the fifties. We were taught to form each letter with specifics as to how far above or below the lines they should protrude. The blackboards back then had three white lines on them so we could practice in front of the class. Letter writing is patently dead these days. When was the last time you got a love letter in the mail? Just a thought. I use to look forward to them. I could smell the perfume on them. It was VERY personal. Ever smell perfume on an email???