# Should Cursive Be Saved?



## panini (Mar 1, 2012)

Read this interesting artcle this morning..

*Should Cursive Be Saved?*


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## Haynie (Mar 1, 2012)

Here we go again.  Do a search for cursive.  It got pretty ugly.


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## butchf18a (Mar 1, 2012)

Tell the left wingers they will get something free (I.e. At taxpayer expense) for using cursive and there will soon be laws mandating its use and being taught.


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## glycerine (Mar 1, 2012)

Nah, things come and go... writing is one of them!


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## triw51 (Mar 1, 2012)

I think it should be saved there is nothing as personal as a hand written note or letter.  I believe it is being pushed out but I still do it.


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## OLDMAN5050 (Mar 1, 2012)

My Daughters 6th grade teacher told her class that there is no need for it any more because of the computer.......  Sad to say the least


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## Haynie (Mar 1, 2012)

butchf18a said:


> Tell the left wingers they will get something free (I.e. At taxpayer expense) for using cursive and there will soon be laws mandating its use and being taught.




That's funny right there.:biggrin::biggrin:


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## nativewooder (Mar 1, 2012)

It's OK if you can't read and write in cursive. It just limits your future in many ways.:wink:


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## 691175002 (Mar 1, 2012)

I never understood why cursive was so unpopular.

I use it exclusively (my "printing" is just cursive letters not connected).
I suppose the learning curve was annoying but I learned it in school.

Both cursive and printing get letters on the page, but cursive is faster and looks nicer.  
A disadvantage is legibility so I can understand the usage of printing in many situations but for note taking and that kind of stuff cursive is fine.


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## Justturnin (Mar 1, 2012)

I think it should be taught.  I personally have the worst handwriting of anyone I know and never write in cursive becasue there was never a real emphasis placed on it by my teachers.  Today, however, I got an order in from IPD and on the bottom of my invoice was a handwritten note of appreciation in some of the nicest cursive.  It adds something to a not when it is handwritten in stelar penmanship.


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## renowb (Mar 1, 2012)

It's kind of like being bi-lingual nowadays.


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## Robert111 (Mar 1, 2012)

butchf18a said:


> Tell the left wingers they will get something free (I.e. At taxpayer expense) for using cursive and there will soon be laws mandating its use and being taught.



I use my left wing to print.


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## joefyffe (Mar 1, 2012)

691175002 said:


> I never understood why cursive was so unpopular.
> 
> I use it exclusively (my "printing" is just cursive letters not connected).
> I suppose the learning curve was annoying but I learned it in school.
> ...


 

You think cursive is illegible?  It's obvious you have not seen my printing!!


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## avbill (Mar 1, 2012)

Yes b/c it help develop brain wave patterns which help in the learning process of any child.


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## warthog (Mar 1, 2012)

Cursive is not the only thing they have quit teaching schools. I could write a whole page on this...butwhat this country needs is getting back to basics.


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## Displaced Canadian (Mar 1, 2012)

I worked with a person who can't read/write cursive. To say the least it was annoying. They expected the rest of us to print so they could understand whatever was being written. The bigger issue was that if someone left them a note about something important that needed to get done they couldn't read it so whatever it was wouldn't get done. When my bosses daughter gets a card from her grandparents she has to get her mother to read it to her because she was never taught it in school, She's 19. cursive may go away in time but it will be a rough ride for the 2 generations that have to deal with it.


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## Andrew_K99 (Mar 1, 2012)

For the sake of IAP, YES!!!

I reality though it isn't required like it once was.  The computer had eliminated the need.  I couldn't tell you the last time I wrote more the 20 words on paper.

The IPD notes are nice though!

AK


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## Glenn McCullough (Mar 1, 2012)

I will get hurled at for this, but I think if we are recreating the writing instrument, we should at least be able to use what we make and use it properly. We should be advocates and students of the written word and the use of the fountain pen, cursive is the best vehicle for doing so. Printing with a fountain pen is not even close to the effect that cursive gives while demonstrating this artistic tool. True, not everyone can use it, because they dont know how.We can teach its use while making sales to those that want to learn an artform most others can't or won't.


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## LeeR (Mar 1, 2012)

OLDMAN5050 said:


> My Daughters 6th grade teacher told her class that there is no need for it any more because of the computer....... Sad to say the least


 
Sad indeed ... and that teacher probably thought math was obsolete when calculators showed up.


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## Smitty37 (Mar 2, 2012)

*They are forgetting*

Many historical documents, including first drafts of books, letters between important people, first and true copies of certain documents, such as our own constitution and the Declaration of Independence, were written in cursive.  
Texting is changing the language - not for the better.  When we text we like to find short cuts to speed it up.  We want people to think...texting encourages commenting without thinking.  Witness the horror stories we hear about stolen emails etc.  If people were writing those things out in cursive rather than typing them, that sort of thing wouldn't be happening because they would be thinking before they wrote it down.


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## ctubbs (Mar 2, 2012)

Now you have done it! Back on the stump!  We have abandoned our children and their future by forgetting the past and forcing all to use tunnel vision to look ahead.  Many of our young adults can no longer do simple math in their head, they must have either a calculator in their hand or access to a computer.  Multiplication tables are no longer taught in many of our schools.  Now it is cursive writing.  What will it be next?  

It was recently predicted that a large Solar Flare would probably occur in the next 10 years.  If it does, the results could very well be total disruption of all things electronic including, but most likely not limited to, the electrical grid, telephone, TV, radio, you name it.  If it is electronic, use it for a door stop.  The estimate to restart the system could well be more than 10 years.  In that period of time do you think we might learn once again how to spell, add and multiply?  Why throw away what we already have that works just because we have a thought it will never be needed again?  Look at the consequences before dismantling the infrastructure we currently have.

Alright, officially off the stump again.  Thank you.
Charles


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## navycop (Mar 2, 2012)

I agree with the people here. Cursive looks neater for correspondance. I would say keep it if kids had to write letters and term papers like we did back in the day, now they type everthing on the computer...


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## warthog (Mar 2, 2012)

But...we as parents and grand-parents hava allowed this to happen. We are ultimatly responsible for the the kids not knowing how to do math in their heads and to write in cursive. Parents need to be more attentive as to what their children are learnng in school and not learning. There are those teachers and especially professors teaching in some of our highest institutions that have their own agendas. And a lot of times it aint no good.


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## Glenn McCullough (Mar 2, 2012)

Here is a little something to encourage learning proper punctuation and grammar. Hand writing teaches us how to do so properly.
Dear John:
 I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we're apart. I can be forever happy--will you let me be yours?
 Jane

Unfortunately, John was far from pleased. In fact, he was heartbroken. You see, John was familiar with Jane's peculiar ways of misusing punctuation marks. And so to decipher the true meaning of her email, he had to re-read it with the marks altered:

Dear John:
 I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we're apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?
 Yours,
 Jane


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## tbar24 (Mar 2, 2012)

Having just graduated high school, i wish there would of been more an emphasis on learning hand writing, out of thirteen years of school,i think i had one teacher who actually taught it. Computers are all good and well, but they leave no area for 'personality' for what you are writing.  That being said, my writing is like chicken scratch, so ill still stick to doing my work on the computer.
But in the mean time, i'm slowly practicing my cursive, so my fountain pens dont go to waist.
-tyler-


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## Carl Fisher (Mar 2, 2012)

Luckily, both of my boys have been learning cursive since grade 1.  However without starting another major debate topic, that is just one of the benefits of a small class size private school where the teachers actually care about the education they are providing and not just teaching to a standardized test score.


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## Russianwolf (Mar 2, 2012)

butchf18a said:


> Tell the left wingers they will get something free (I.e. At taxpayer expense) for using cursive and there will soon be laws mandating its use and being taught.



You could get the same effect by telling the right wingers that the left were trying to force everyone to print everything.


One stupid joke deserves another.


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## Smitty37 (Mar 2, 2012)

*True*



warthog said:


> But...we as parents and grand-parents hava allowed this to happen. We are ultimatly responsible for the the kids not knowing how to do math in their heads and to write in cursive. Parents need to be more attentive as to what their children are learnng in school and not learning. There are those teachers and especially professors teaching in some of our highest institutions that have their own agendas. And a lot of times it aint no good.


 Someone famous once said "War is too important to leave in the hands of the generals." (I forget who).  I have been saying for years that "Education is too important to leave in the hands of educators."  Yet, that is what we have done - we've left education in the hands of educators and politicians and the result is not pretty.  For almost 50 years I have been seeing the same solutions (raise teachers pay and reduce class size) attempted to fix problems in the education system - and they never works.  The reason they don't work is that they don't address the real problem.  The real problem with our system is not teachers pay or class size so reducing class size and increasing teachers pay is not going to fix the problem.  The real problem in my opinion is that we do not give our kids a sound foundation we present them with subject matter ten miles wide and an inch deep.  I think that's why we need to send them to 4 years of college (going on 6) to have an education as acceptable in the workplace as high school was 50 years ago.


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## ctubbs (Mar 2, 2012)

When we loose the basics in educating our children, reading, writing and arithmetic, how will we be able to educate our children?  When we start them out with calculators, computers and word processors, they never learn how to perform the basics.  Have you ever had any success building a house form the roof down?  Without a good solid foundation for support, no building can long stand.  The same applies to education, no basics, no future.
Charles


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## Jgrden (Mar 2, 2012)

Haynie said:


> Here we go again.  Do a search for cursive.  It got pretty ugly.



Yuppers, it sure did.


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## gingerwood (Mar 2, 2012)

Maybe teach it in art class?


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## Haynie (Mar 3, 2012)

It all went to hell when they stopped teaching Sandscrit and Hieroglyphics.


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## Smitty37 (Mar 3, 2012)

*True enough*



Haynie said:


> It all went to hell when they stopped teaching Sandscrit and Hieroglyphics.


 Yep Egypt has not been a world power since.....and that was probably a few thousand years ago.....:biggrin:  Sanskrit, on the other hand is still in use in parts of India and is the official language of Uttarakhand in Northern India.:biggrin::biggrin:And of course India is one of the rising stars of the world.


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