I have mixed feelings about this one: No More Cursive Handwriting

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by ardeegee

I'm old school-- for me, cursive is writing. Text written in block letters looks like the writing of kindergartners. The loss of cursive is, IMHO, dumbing down education and dumbing down students so that they are no longer able to write like adults.

That's what they said when calligraphy was no longer taught in schools. However, growing up, I didn't have to take typing. I can't remember the last time I needed to "write" something. As I reply, I am typing.

Even my grocery list is jotted on a piece of paper, but the hard copy is typed into my cell phone app. Since then, I never go to the store and "forget my list."

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by SolRaven

That's what they said when calligraphy was no longer taught in schools. However, growing up, I didn't have to take typing. I can't remember the last time I needed to "write" something. As I reply, I am typing.

Even my grocery list is jotted on a piece of paper, but the hard copy is typed into my cell phone app. Since then, I never go to the store and "forget my list."

God I do that all the time!!! Forget my list that is.

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by kennyc

God I do that all the time!!! Forget my list that is.

And you call yourself a Droid X owner. Shame on you! Now download OI Shopping list...pronto!

[FizzyWater]

Uh, even if people decide they prefer to print...don't they need to be able to read cursive??

I mean, if they're not taught the letters, how will they know how to read it when they come across it.

[wyndslash]

The loss of cursive is, IMHO, dumbing down education and dumbing down students so that they are no longer able to write like adults.

^ i don't know why, but to me, skills like those engage me and make me think. my dad always made my brother fill up a whole notebook to improve his writing when he was a kid.

[wyndslash]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Uh, even if people decide they prefer to print...don't they need to be able to read cursive??

I mean, if they're not taught the letters, how will they know how to read it when they come across it.

true it's like learning a certain language. you might not need to use female/male-specific speech, but you still have to learn it so you'd know it when you hear it.

i remember my professor in one of my classes tell us that we would probably not remember most of what we learned in uni, but the important thing was to be able to think critically, analyze and be equipped for real life.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by SolRaven

That's what they said when calligraphy was no longer taught in schools. However, growing up, I didn't have to take typing. I can't remember the last time I needed to "write" something. As I reply, I am typing.

When I was in grammar school in the 50s we called it "penmanship", and it was required. We weren't offered typing until high school, and then it was an elective. Ironically, today, I write probably 100 times more with a keyboard than I do with a pen.

[wyndslash]

WAIIIIIIT A MINUTE.

did i misunderstand something?

when you guys kept saying print, i was thinking of printed handwriting (not computer-generated). i had to go back to the OP's first post because i got confused.

because here we distinguish between cursive (the one with curves thingy; can't describe) and we call block letters as printed..../stupid

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by SolRaven

And you call yourself a Droid X owner. Shame on you! Now download OI Shopping list...pronto!

....but what about the cloud??

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by ficbot

I vividly recall the fourth grade penpal project we did. We were paired with a class of kids in Iowa, and I remember the teacher explaining how they were all going to have much nicer cursive than we did because they weren't killing half the day on Hebrew and so had time to learn to write it properly

Exactly. Children born in 2006 need different skill sets than children born in 1966, just as children born in 1966 needed different skills than children born in 1926. In 1926 a girl would be taught homemaker skill such as how to sew a dress, darn socks, or bake a cake. I don’t know anyone that sews their own clothes, bothers darning socks, or prefers baking cakes over picking one up from the bakery. Teaching should to be relevant to the times.

Originally Posted by Ervserver

My gf recently filled out a job app that required it be written in cursive

I would suspect most employers would prefer a resume, which is typed. Where I was tending bar, the new owner didn’t have applications because if someone came in looking for a job and didn’t have a resume, he wouldn’t hire them. Ironically, I think it was my resume that had me hired before the manager met me. One of my coworkers later said that it was the best resume she had ever seen and asked me to help her re-do hers. Typing looks more professional than printing or writing in cursive, IMHO.

Originally Posted by wyndslash

…but mostly i do just use print even when writing letters. i love snail mail

I used to love buying new stationary and loved writing letters to my friends and family that lived far away. Now I send emails and/or call on the phone. Back then I didn’t have much of a choice since long distance calls were so expensive and now it’s included.

Originally Posted by jkeene

There's a place for cursive in today's schools, certainly. But as an art elective, not something required for all.

I agree. Years ago our ancestors were having this same argument about learning Old English and calligraphy. Somehow we have managed quite nicely not having learned either.

Originally Posted by wodin

When I was in grammar school in the 50s we called it "penmanship", and it was required. We weren't offered typing until high school, and then it was an elective. Ironically, today, I write probably 100 times more with a keyboard than I do with a pen.

Back then, keyboarding was an elective. Changing times require changing priorities.

[pholy]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

WAIIIIIIT A MINUTE.

did i misunderstand something?

when you guys kept saying print, i was thinking of printed handwriting (not computer-generated). i had to go back to the OP's first post because i got confused.

because here we distinguish between cursive (the one with curves thingy; can't describe) and we call block letters as printed..../stupid

When I was in eighth grade shop class (Print shop, as it happened) the teacher would say "Machines print, humans letter" - but somehow that didn't catch on out in the wider world. Hence the confusion in your mind. We have been talking about cursive handwriting and block lettering, and sometimes typing.

All clear now?

[sakura-panda]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

WAIIIIIIT A MINUTE.

did i misunderstand something?

when you guys kept saying print, i was thinking of printed handwriting (not computer-generated). i had to go back to the OP's first post because i got confused.

because here we distinguish between cursive (the one with curves thingy; can't describe) and we call block letters as printed..../stupid

I've been going along with the assumption that when we are talking strictly about handwriting, more or less, when discussing both printing and cursive. (My posts don't make any sense if I misunderstood. )

I know a lot of people that use block letters because it's more legible from them, but it is a disaster when I attempt it.

My handwriting in this journaling block is printed (but not with block letters):



My handwriting in these two journaling blocks is cursive:



I've been trying to get into the habit of using printing, rather than cursive, in my scrapbooks (these pages were made consecutively on the same day), because of the whole "cursive is going away" thing, but it's hard for me to do. I think my cursive *looks* much nicer than my printing -- I don't know about readability, but it is prettier on the page and I enjoy writing it. However, my kids -- or at least the one that *can* read -- can barely read my printing, much less my cursive, and I need to get into the habit of printing so that it becomes easier to read, nicer to look at, and quicker to perform.

[wyndslash]

@sol: i know several people who can sew (and they do!) their own clothes and likes to bake their own cakes. i'm rather impressed with them, actually

@sakura: stick with what you're comfortable with. i love beautiful cursive handwriting. maybe i should get back to doing it

i guess we (here) are sorely irrelevant people, then our high school still teaches girls how to cook and basic sewing so they can at least mend their own clothes i think they are worthwhile skills, and several public schools here also teach students what they call "life/practical skills", so that if the kids cannot afford college (and most don't), then they can at least try to learn a little money with the practical skills they were taught in school.

[voracious71]

I still think kids should learn cursive. Sad that the basics seem to be falling by the wayside.

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

My handwriting in these two journaling blocks is cursive:

I've been trying to get into the habit of using printing, rather than cursive, in my scrapbooks (these pages were made consecutively on the same day), because of the whole "cursive is going away" thing, but it's hard for me to do. I think my cursive *looks* much nicer than my printing -- I don't know about readability, but it is prettier on the page and I enjoy writing it. .

Your cursive is very nice AND very legible. I would stick with your cursive, after all, we are talking about how it is an art form and this is definitely art. If cursive should be used anywhere it's for personal items like this. If/when cursive does go away, it would be nice to still find it in hidden treasures such as your scrapbooks.

Originally Posted by wyndslash

@sol: i know several people who can sew (and they do!) their own clothes and likes to bake their own cakes. i'm rather impressed with them, actually

As do I. Most of the women in my large family, except for me, are excellent at sewing. I just posted about this earlier . My sisters sewed so well, that they all had their own personal machines, just like we have our own personal computers. Unfortunately, sewing was not my forte. I never got the hang of it, but LOVED my sister's hand me downs. She had such a hard time keeping me from wearing her "couture" clothes that I came home one day, walked into our bedroom and found myself kicked out of the walk-in closet, the door nob, to the closet, removed and replaced with a deadbolt lock! My stuff was now in a cedar wardrobe. I had always admired that wardrobe, but didn't want to inherit it that way!

She sewed a tiny bit after she graduated HS, but the only thing she'll make today are drapes.

My aunt makes amazing cakes and took a cake decorating class years ago, but she no longer bakes cakes.

These are skills that were considered necessary for someone born in 1926, but for someone born in 1966, these are just hobbies and not considered necessary for today's world and way of living. They certainly shouldn't be mandatory in school like they were back then.