In episode 34 of “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” the main justification for suffering through hours of cursive handwriting drills was, “You have to use cursive handwriting when you’re grown up!” As a matter of fact, no grown-up ever uses manuscript writing, at least according to several years’ worth of grade-school teachers. We were plagued with dire warnings that we’d flunk out of high school AND college if we didn’t write all our papers in cursive, and basically were fed the line that cursive handwriting is an essential skill for everyday adult life.
Now that I’m older and (somewhat, I hope) wiser, I’ve found that to be a baldfaced lie: not one of my professors in high school or in college ever cared whether I wrote in cursive or not as long as it was legible, and the only time I ever use cursive writing nowadays is for signatures. I can see how it would be useful if you were, say, a waitron or a secretary and speed was essential, but is it necessary? In fact, how necessary is cursive handwriting in your everyday life as a real-live grown-up?
My writing skills are atrophying… Compared to how much I type these days, I write so little that when I do, it’s like I’ve never written before… I’m lucky if I can write out a check without putting the point clear through the paper… So, I’ll take whatever I can get–cursive or not.
Never since the 4th grade. Not even with my signature. Hell, I can’t even remember how to form all the letters.
Having said that, if I had to spend a lot of time writing freehand in a situation where other people had to read my handwriting, I could see the use for it–as it is now, my penmanship looks like a kid’s homework project. It’s that bad. Luckily, I don’t have to.
Harmonious Discord makes a good point. I mentioned in the linked thread above that a 20-something girl had told me they don’t teach it in school any more. The context for her telling me that was that she brought me something written (in cursive) by one of my over-55 cow-orkers, and asked me what it said - she couldn’t read it!
Now, I don’t like cursive much - never did - but one should at least be able to decipher the writing as a basic skill, at least until all the old codgers who were forced to learn it die off. Or if one is going to study history and related fields, I suppose.
I think it is important to learn, for the reasons Harmonious Dischord mentioned, but they shouldn’t say, “You will HAVE to use it forever blah blah” because it’s simply not true. I NEVER write in cursive unless I’m signing something. My cursive is horrible too, very remedial looking, so my signature is basically the first letters of my first and surname, then a line. I always print because it is more legible or I type. I haven’t turned in a hand written paper in years, either.
True but I liken it to calligraphy. Fun if you’re into that kind of stuff but I don’t think students should be marked on it any more. Make it a bonus point assignment.
I honestly don’t hand write more than a few notes in meetings any more, and even those are in print. Most of my colleagues have taken to writing notes on their laptops.
I use cursive often, when writing letters, homework, or notes for myself. However I’ve noticed mine has evolved into a sort of hybrid of cursive and print. I prefer to write all my rough drafts and outlines by hand, it helps me to gather my thoughts.
How old are you? Within the last decade or so, fast, accurate typing has been a FAR more practical skill than good cursive writing. The reason: computers and e-mail. My cursive writing skills now are terrible. (Although I can read it just fine.)
The “cursive” script as taught in American schools is largely crap and always has been so. It’s simply not suitable either as (1) a beginner’s script, or (2) a script for ordinary, daily use with ordinary pens and pencils.
It’s really a modified form of a style invented for a variable-width-nib pen and for use in specialised situations, such as engraving formal notices (invitations, and such).
There was (is?) a movement to replace this script with a plain italic script, without all the curlicues and gewgaws. I don’t think it has made much headway.
I think it’s on the edge. My third grader is learning cursive, but she’s also learning to type, which I didn’t do until high school (mid 70s.) Sometime during college, my handwriting changed from fairly standard cursive, to whatever amalgam of cursive and printing allowed me to take fast lecture notes and it’s stayed there ever since.
heh… I still write all my checks in cursive. The PAY TO: and the handwritten dollar amount are always in cursive.
Maybe just out of habit to keep in practice. But otherwise not so much anymore.
I was taught cursive, and I can read things written in cursive, but I never write in it.
This is largely due to my handwriting. It’s horrendously bad when I write in manuscript fashion, and gets even worse when I attempt to write in cursive.
