Schools and Cursive Writing. Conspiracy? Or just a sign of the times?

reply to post by LeTan

I think what's next is we're going to stop teaching grammar too. I still have some reading to do on that though.

reply to post by Klassified


Well if people start communicating, and kids get passing grades writing in the manner that they text, I can see grammer going into the toilet next. Can you imagine?

Jak n Jill went ^ da hill 2 fetch a pail of h2o.

reply to post by staciebee

LOL! And we think we have problems understanding our kids now. Then what shall we do?

Cursive writing has its place.

but i find it hard to read, especially when my calculus teacher writes his notes using it.

Most adults today don't even know how to properly write in cursive. People seem to think that they can pick and choose which letters to write in cursive and which letters they can write in print with a little finesse, which are usually the capital letters.

Just about every signature I come across in my day to day life is made up of incomprehensible squiggles, and it just baffles me. Pretty soon, people will revert back to signing things with an X just like in the old cartoons I used to watch as a kid.

reply to post by Klassified


My daughter is being taught to write cursive in school now. I really hate that some schools are doing away with it. I think that children should at least be taught to READ cursive. I don't really think it's a conspiracy, but it is kind of a shame.

I have a grandmother who is illiterate. I've had to read to her all my life and I've always felt bad for her. I hate to think of children growing into adults who aren't able to read something because it is written in a different style of writing than what they were taught. Granted, I would teach my own children, if I had to, but not everyone would.

There are over 100 computer fonts that are cursive writing styles.

There is no excuse to drop cursive.

You can write cursive on your computer. Like I said, it's called a Font.

You could easily draw up a conspiracy depicting these moves as being done purposely to slow down the mental development of kids, decreasing their potentials at critical thinking abilities.

Someone help me out here, what's Cursive? I live in the UK and haven't heard of that term before, is it just "Handwriting"?

reply to post by NonKonphormist

I believe people in the UK sometimes refer to it as joined writing. But yes, it's handwriting.
Is it still taught in the UK where you live?

Originally posted by The Mo
Cursive writing has its place.

but i find it hard to read, especially when my calculus teacher writes his notes using it.

An instructor should at least take the time to make sure what he is writing is legible. I can read most handwriting, but some of it, while stylish, is hard to decipher.

Originally posted by Torgo
Most adults today don't even know how to properly write in cursive. People seem to think that they can pick and choose which letters to write in cursive and which letters they can write in print with a little finesse, which are usually the capital letters.

Just about every signature I come across in my day to day life is made up of incomprehensible squiggles, and it just baffles me. Pretty soon, people will revert back to signing things with an X just like in the old cartoons I used to watch as a kid.

You may not be too far from the truth on that prediction. But I hope not.

My personal preference for 15 years has been to not use cursive, more write the inidividual letters in a word without connecting them in any way for ease of reading (even if my handwriting is admittedly really small and has had comments for years about needing a magnifying glass to read even if I personally can read myself). I can still read cursive but my problem has always been when someone has handwriting that I find difficult to make out or read.

Do I want cursive to be taken out of schools though? Of course not, despite being fairly young myself I'm ashamed and appalled at the youth of today willingly or unwillingly tossing aside important things they could learn in life through the education system.

reply to post by curious7

When I was young, my teachers put emphasis on readability as well as style. But now, many of those who know it and use it, are more style than readability. So it has been on a downhill slope for some time. We all know doctors are horrible writers. But I still think it's important to teach it. And teach it properly.

Wow, I have not used cursive in decades, and just tried... It felt right, but I may as well have been just scribbling.

What a shocker - I did not even realise I'd almost lost this. I will make sure I use it more often from now on, wow...

Sign of the times or not, if they want to replace cursive writing with text speech I will go mental. it's not far off being truth however..

lyk u no ryte?

reply to post by badw0lf

Keep that cursive going badw0lf. Practice, practice, practice.

On a more serious note. Most of my appointments are handwritten, and put into my Sunbird calendar later. I also write a lot of little notes and reminders. So I use it all the time.

Originally posted by Klassified
reply to post by badw0lf

 

Keep that cursive going badw0lf. Practice, practice, practice.

On a more serious note. Most of my appointments are handwritten, and put into my Sunbird calendar later. I also write a lot of little notes and reminders. So I use it all the time.

Oh even though the task at hand may be harsh, I shall prevail !!

Worst part is, I was terrible at it even in primary school when we were given pens instead of pencils.

Nonetheless, the tyranny of age shall not deprive me!!!!!

Until reading this thread I didn't even think there would be more than one kind of handwriting. To me, handwriting IS cursive. I mean I've seen people writing the print style, but I thought they're just trying hard to be original (or that they don't know any better )

So everyone, or at least the big majority, writes in print in America? I might come for 3 or 6 moths to the USA, and now I have one more reason to worry, people won't even understand my handwriting...

I hope this is not too far off topic but I have little story to tell you. Some years back I was watching TV and I could not see the clock from where I was sitting. I ask my brother what time it was. He looks at the clock and points to it and says to him self " 5,10,15..." I spoke up and ask him if they did not teach him how to tell time in school. He goes and gets some of his school books and shows me. Now when I went to school the books would show a clock fact and a time. You had to draw the hands on the clock to match the time shown or the clock would show hands and you had to write in the time it showed. Not his book. It showed a digital display and you just copied the time shown. They had stopped teachin kids how to read an a analog clock. This was about 15 years ago. It is just a sign of the times.

Originally posted by Wallachian
Until reading this thread I didn't even think there would be more than one kind of handwriting. To me, handwriting IS cursive. I mean I've seen people writing the print style, but I thought they're just trying hard to be original (or that they don't know any better

)

So everyone, or at least the big majority, writes in print in America? I might come for 3 or 6 moths to the USA, and now I have one more reason to worry, people won't even understand my handwriting...

Not near the majority yet. But the way things are moving, in about a generation, it probably will be.

reply to post by fixer1967

Good story. I have run into this myself. It seems to me we're erasing our own past, a little at a time.