Writing in Cursive
By celticeagle
@celticeagle (159008)
Boise, Idaho
August 5, 2022 6:51pm CST
I remember when I was in school and the cards above the blackboard showed the perfect way to write each letter. The teacher made us practice our cursive and get it as nice as possible. I sure strived to make mine legible and I have been told I have nice handwriting. I used to keep a journal and wrote in it each and every day. I also used to write my manuscripts by hand. Before computers of course.
My grandson started telling me he couldn't read my cursive. I said, "What?!" Come to find out he wasn't taught cursive in school. I was dumbfounded. I could not believe it. After all the work and big deal, I went through when I was in school with mine.
Were you and your kids/grandkids taught cursive writing in school?
12 people like this
12 responses
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
6 Aug 22
I still write quite a bit. Easy to get out of practice.
@MarshaMusselman (38652)
• Midland, Michigan
6 Aug 22
I was and I'm sure that my kids were but I don't know about my grandkids.
Is they don't know how to write cursive then how will they learn how to sign their names? Of course, over time many adults have changed their signatures to something less r than legible but I'm sure it didn't start our that way.
3 people like this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
6 Aug 22
After my daughter finished 2nd grade, I was getting concerned about them not teaching any cursive by then. I taught her myself that summer . . . and luckily in 3rd grade they did get into handwriting (the extra practice reinforced the skills she already knew).
However my son never got official lessons for it at school - I thought they would go over it in 3rd grade, but they didn't. So again, I spent another summer teaching him. Overall he's had to do less writing in school than his older sister because everything now is on the computer.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
6 Aug 22
I guess it is just the way the world is going.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
6 Aug 22
@celticeagle I don't like it - I just don't like it. I think learning to handwrite does a lot of good . . . not just to write fancy, but having better motor skills, patience, problem-solving, etc etc.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
7 Aug 22
@much2say ........Yes, better motor skills is a good argument.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
6 Aug 22
We were all taught cursive writing, even my youngest son in 12th grade can write. My problem is my penmanship was not very good when I was in school since I'm left handed when it comes to writing ( I could do lots of things with either hand) I knew this was very important during our time so I tried very hard to improve it even as an adult.
3 people like this
@GreatMartin (23677)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
6 Aug 22
With computers, kids don't write anymore plus they have all the abbreviations to learn!
2 people like this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
6 Aug 22
@louievill ........It does seem so.
1 person likes this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
6 Aug 22
That's a very good point, computers have opened so much to learn about that concentrating too much on good or bad penmanship would have to take a back seat or maybe abandoned completely as we progress
2 people like this
@paigea (35680)
• Canada
7 Aug 22
@louievill This is a big part of it. So much gets added to teach, something has to be taken out. I see many teachers still teaching it, though.
2 people like this
@kobesbuddy (74553)
• East Tawas, Michigan
6 Aug 22
I was definitely taught cursive writing in school. As you mentioned, we had to do this exactly between the lines and do it as neat as possible. My own children, I'm not sure if they were taught cursive writing, during the 80s. My handwriting is backhand, how I was taught. A teacher(9th grade Science) punished me for writing that way. This confused me! Now, my handwriting isn't good.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
6 Aug 22
How confusing for you. I've noticed mine isn't as nice as it used to be.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (74553)
• East Tawas, Michigan
6 Aug 22
@celticeagle I don't even do 1/2 as much writing, since the computer systems came along.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
6 Aug 22
@kobesbuddy .........I don't do as much as I used to but I do still do some.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45487)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
6 Aug 22
I was, but I was always getting creative with it.
2 people like this
@paigea (35680)
• Canada
6 Aug 22
I was taught and had to practice and practice and I always had lousy handwriting. And my printing is no better.
I had to make a big effort to teach handwriting to grade three. It was in the curriculum.
It's still taught, but is not actually in the curriculum. I write my name and the date in cursive when I enter a new class above grade three. Some kids are proud they can read it. Some are just immediately shouting they can't read it. Maybe you could listen while I say my name
Believe me, the moment I had a smart board so I could type to put notes on the board, I used it! No more struggling to print or write on the board.
Believe me, the moment I had a smart board so I could type to put notes on the board, I used it! No more struggling to print or write on the board.2 people like this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
6 Aug 22
I feel so bad for my grandmother. She broke her arm and it wasn't set right. She can't write very good because of it. She has terrible handwriting.
Great to have the board.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (156159)
• United States
6 Aug 22
This has been a disturbing development in our schools. I was shocked when I first heard this a couple of years ago. Are you expected to print your name when signing a contract? How do you read a note that someone has left you in cursive? I was taught cursive; and I think all kids should still learn how to practice good handwriting.
1 person likes this
@Nakitakona (56302)
• Philippines
9 Aug 22
Yes, cursive is required from every school children. Mine is very bad. Sometimes I couldn't read my cursive handwriting.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
11 Aug 22
I did so much copying I got pretty good penmanship.
1 person likes this
@Nakitakona (56302)
• Philippines
12 Aug 22
@celticeagle But I do it slowly it could be a nice one. But I'm always in a hurry to finish writing. So it turns out to be scribbling.
1 person likes this
