The teaching cursive debate in the US

I would be interested to hear if this debate is going on in other countries and what some of the resolutions are.

There are now many school districts that no longer teach cursive to students, that keyboarding and technology and print are replacing the need for cursive. Some school systems hang on to it, others are leaving it up to teachers.

People who are against removing teaching cursive in school districts argue that many historical documents are written in cursive, and that people sign their names in cursive.

the cursive debate

schools debate if cursive is necessary

Minnesota schools debate


I would be interested to know where ATSers stand on this. As many have school age children but the parents were required cursive.

Is this yet another casualty of the technological age?

Cursive should be taught.

Each and every subject has value outside of itself. That is to say, the sum of your knowledge is greater than it's individual parts. On top of this, it's not rocket science. It can and should be taught early and quickly. Learning cursive, in my opinion, has an effect similar to learning to play an instrument. While it might not be directly applicable to your other subjects, it will teach the brain to think in a new and different way that could potentially be applied to other subjects, or who's mastery might help make other subjects easier to master. Hope that makes sense.

Wouldn't it be a damned shame if people had to struggle to read, for example, their own Constitution that is written in their own language?

Yes, I think it is time to let cursive writing die. People used to use lower-case F's in place of S's and V's in place of U's in colonial times.

Heck, even typewriters are a thing of the past now.

The better the tech, the dumber the people...Why? When things come easy standards are lowered and traditions forgotten. You can't write cursive on-screen so it's deemed unimportant. If I had children they would certainly know how to write cursive.

This is really scary. If we somehow lose technology that surrounds us, this sort of thing will leave us with a society full of people who can't even write a paragraph in a legible way.

This is all fine and dandy as long as technology never regresses and nothing can ever happen that destroys it. EMPs.... CMEs.....things like that. It was bad enough when I learned the Navy doesn't teach celestial navigation as a regular skill these days, but with this we're talking about the entire population's ability to WRITE within a few generations of this policy.

Besides.....learning to write teaches more than just that one skill, as so many of the core life skills do at those early ages. Dropping it isn't just a bad idea, it's outright ignorant. About what I've come to expect for the mentality that leads our School systems these days. Just plain ignorant.


Oh..I wonder about something else on this..... If every teacher had to test on THEIR writing ability, how many would pass? I wonder how much their own personal shortcomings on the skills they're saying they shouldn't be teaching anymore factor into this position?

reply to post by nixie_nox

I don't see why learning cursive should be removed from the curriculum. A general working knowledge of it is all that's needed. Know how to read and write it.

When I was in school they taught us cursive in the 3rd grade. I still, to this day write my M's like N's, and my N's are one-humped. It's not perfect. I can scribble my name down in one long, curvy line, but more importantly; I can read things written in cursive.

Could this cater to the students that are learning english as a new language or students that know very little english such as immigrant children, legal and illegal? Perhaps because it would be too much for them to learn printing in english and cursive in english so just go ahead and drop the cursive? In my mind that is the train of thought behind all of this.

Cursive should and needs to stay, for reasons already stated by other posters

I think that it has some value. I would say that you need it in order to understand certain old documents and to sign your name and stuff. I think that it should be still be taught, but that the main focus should be learning to sign one's name. Basically, make it so that the letters can at least be recognized and cursive words comprehensible, but focus on teaching the kids what they need to know. AKA don't make it a humongous priority like it used to have.

Heck, I'm 26, and I didn't use cursive handwriting passed the 4th grade.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
This is really scary. If we somehow lose technology that surrounds us, this sort of thing will leave us with a society full of people who can't even write a paragraph in a legible way.

This is all fine and dandy as long as technology never regresses and nothing can ever happen that destroys it. EMPs.... CMEs.....things like that. It was bad enough when I learned the Navy doesn't teach celestial navigation as a regular skill these days, but with this we're talking about the entire population's ability to WRITE within a few generations of this policy.

Besides.....learning to write teaches more than just that one skill, as so many of the core life skills do at those early ages. Dropping it isn't just a bad idea, it's outright ignorant. About what I've come to expect for the mentality that leads our School systems these days. Just plain ignorant.


Oh..I wonder about something else on this..... If every teacher had to test on THEIR writing ability, how many would pass? I wonder how much their own personal shortcomings on the skills they're saying they shouldn't be teaching anymore factor into this position?

How does not learning cursive stop people from being able to write "in a legible way"? I always write in print and it's not even remotely hard to read so I don't understand why you need cursive to write legibly. Cursive is almost never used by anyone any more yet people still know what is being written. It's been my experience that unless someone only writes in cursive or are naturally artistic, it's usually clearer when they write in print.

I'm not bashing cursive, I actually think it looks a lot better but I think that you have to be a much better writer to be able to write legibly in cursive.

lol. I used cursive in 3rd grade and maybe 4th. After that the teachers were more interested in legible writing.

I think it should die. Cursive should rest in peace.

I was told as a youngster that writing in cursive greatly reduces the risk of forgery.

My handwriting in print is deplorable. I prefer to use cursive because it is smoother to write, and it looks nicer.
Cursive shows class. Print for typed words is fine, but if I am reading something hand written, I would rather read it in cursive.

reply to post by butcherguy


Believe it or not we use a lot of typewriters now.

Because a lot of the government agencies have gone to community printers, instead of running to a printer and running back three or four times trying to print out labels, it is just much easier to throw it in a typewriter.

I was told in a review once that my writing is the prettiest writing that no one can read. lol

If its something important, I have to print.

I am not sure that cursive has any educational value.

Though I think it does allow for some artistic individuality that would be lost in just print.

As I have guessed, another reason that it is being thrown to the wayside:

With schools focused on preparing students for standardized tests, there is often not enough time to teach handwriting, educators said.

Gotta love no child left behind.

The case for cursive

Originally posted by AlphaX

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
This is really scary. If we somehow lose technology that surrounds us, this sort of thing will leave us with a society full of people who can't even write a paragraph in a legible way.

This is all fine and dandy as long as technology never regresses and nothing can ever happen that destroys it. EMPs.... CMEs.....things like that. It was bad enough when I learned the Navy doesn't teach celestial navigation as a regular skill these days, but with this we're talking about the entire population's ability to WRITE within a few generations of this policy.

Besides.....learning to write teaches more than just that one skill, as so many of the core life skills do at those early ages. Dropping it isn't just a bad idea, it's outright ignorant. About what I've come to expect for the mentality that leads our School systems these days. Just plain ignorant.


Oh..I wonder about something else on this..... If every teacher had to test on THEIR writing ability, how many would pass? I wonder how much their own personal shortcomings on the skills they're saying they shouldn't be teaching anymore factor into this position?

How does not learning cursive stop people from being able to write "in a legible way"? I always write in print and it's not even remotely hard to read so I don't understand why you need cursive to write legibly. Cursive is almost never used by anyone any more yet people still know what is being written. It's been my experience that unless someone only writes in cursive or are naturally artistic, it's usually clearer when they write in print.

I'm not bashing cursive, I actually think it looks a lot better but I think that you have to be a much better writer to be able to write legibly in cursive.

Why do millions of kids still sit through Algebra classes, despite the fact that at least 80% of them will NEVER encounter such a problem in real life once they leave school? I'm pushing 40yrs old and have enjoyed quite a full life. I've never met a single algebra equation or example outside of a classroom.

Of course, it isn't that every kid will need to know the Algebra itself..but it teaches ways of thinking and approaching problems. Similarly, learning proper handwriting teaches ways of looking at things and communicating which printing ..kinda manages...in the same way learning addition and subtraction DO teach math basics...but SO much more is lost, IMO.

Why drop *ANYTHING* from school programs though, when the schools are in such terrible shape to begin with?? This strikes me as nothing as noble as a well thought out change in the path to future education. It strikes me as another cheap step to dumb down the material and expectations so even blithering idiots can pass...and eventually, they'll succeed 100%. God help us all.

Any other countries having this debate?

reply to post by nixie_nox


I do think cursive is losing ground fast. From a father's point of view, yes, I do believe it should be tought in school. Personaly I can't right cursive to save my life. Even if I apply myself I still can't read it. From my point of view, as a person, I couldn't care less if it went away, I never wright cursive anyway.

I have a 13 year old who was taught cursive in 3rd and I have a 9 year old who is in 4th grade and she is not being taught cursive. Her teacher said it is no longer necessary and it is up to me, if I wish to teach it to her.

So, I am teaching it to her.

I think this is sad, writing in cursive is an expression of personality, it is as unique as a fingerprint and an art form.

It reminds me of how Germans used the old writing style(fraktur) for centuries, but after the war they stopped using it as much. The old style is so beautiful, much harder to read, but once you get used to it, it is really lovely.

Yes, it should be taught. Only as an optional, higher-grade level course though, like high school or college. I have never read anything in cursive that was even half legible, let alone easy to read. And it wastes time, as it is basically an entirely new alphabet that must be learned. Instead of teaching the pointless act of cursive writing in early school years, fill that time with important math or science skills, or even real English lessons. It should be considered a form of art, and as such should fall in the same voluntary category as painting and music. But don't stop teaching it entirely, just optionally.

reply to post by nixie_nox

With schools focused on preparing students for standardized tests

its about getting mo' money from uncle sugar, by any and all means

so peter is robbed to pay paul