In The Classroom
Should cursive still be taught in schools?
Remember getting your pen licence? That enshrined document among Australia’s school-going youth, marking the rite of passage from cheap scribbler to noble, professional scribe. Those endless hours spent painstakingly connecting one letter to another, sewing the alphabet into seamless elegance, seemed finally worth it.
Please login below to view content or subscribe now.
You’re out of the loop. Cursive is still taught in schools. It’s in the curriculum. Maybe you should look a bit harder
While both arguments have their merits, it is still a right if passage and directly linked with signing your name. High school stude TS who cannot link letters of their names, show significant angst and feel like they will never grow up. The pen is mighty, but so is MSWord! Balance and Choice. Both very important.
They do have a choice…print or use the computer! Biggest waste of time…not to mention how it continually keeps changing.
I agree that cursive writing is ‘old school’ this means it’s outdated! I have two children at home who are left handed and cursive was not designed for left handers. Back in the old days if you were left handed you’d be made to change to right hand, but this is not the case in this day and age – this day and age, not a cursive day and age! Also, have you seen what a lowercase z looks like in cursive, it looks like a weird 3! Just ask yourself this, when was the last time that you filled in a form that required you to use cursive writing?
As an educator, I know that the cursive option is faster, and allows for students to learn concepts more accurately than when printing. If they uise a keyboard, and haven’t learnt to use a keyboard properly, they are likewise inefficient, being significantly slower than a person who has that skill. Proper keyboarding allows for superior production, and if s/he can’t write or type; s/he is at a disadvantage.
Additionally, legal documents need verification of signature, and printing is questionable!