Handwriting?

[Eternum 1]

Just curious to know if they have stopped teaching cursive handwriting in your area. They stopped doing so in my part of the world about 10 years ago. The result is my grandsons have difficulty or simply cannot understand hand written messages in a birthday card or a letter.

Their cyber world is based on printed letters and they are being taught by me how to put a signature to paper.

Calligraphy in a artist's hand is a thing of beauty in any language. That this form of writing is becoming esoteric is one more reason I'm glad to have experienced life in a cultural environment where esthetics combining individuality and creative expression held some value.

We are the scribes of our time and we are becoming a curiosity.

[bags123]

They haven't done so here yet,....but I'm afraid it's inevitable. I've always had terrible handwriting myself, but I'm also glad to have learned cursive. Is there a cursive font available?

[gordy]

i hated cursive and dont see the point in requiring it, and yes they do have a cursive font :) i am glad they did away with it here although i am not in school anymore lol

[Eternum 1]

One of the reasons offered by governments and corporations justifying more technology such as fingerprint id, retinal scans is that signature verification is less and less possible when people don't learn to write.

I'm no calligrapher Gerry and Gordy but I do notice elegant script on invitations, place cards etc. It's the extra bit of attention to form and detail that captures the discerning eye perhaps and I always score extra points with the hostess of the evening by noticing such minutia.

Also if I print something it takes me twice as long to complete the message as writing in cursive text.

One good thing however is with the wifi links doctors have to their printers; I can actually read their printed prescriptions whereas before I often couldn't decipher it at all

[Nefertari]

Soon to become another lost art....good by handwriting. Yep...if we lose all power and tech no one will be able to send a note, write and order or anything. Not thinking it is the best thing to do. Just my opinion.

[Eternum 1]

Good point Nefertari . We lose literacy and we lose civilization.

[MJPease]

Hello ET, I think of you often my friend. My handwriting is one of the things I have always been complimented on since a young boy in school. It became something that I became quite proud of. I even took a liking to calligraphy in high school. To think that they would do away with cursive is in fact unthinkable to me. Cursive writing is taking pride in your thoughts as you permanently present them to paper with your own artistic twist. Anything I have ever written that I would consider a personal keepsake I did freehand or cursive. Obviously no one has seen the cursive on line, but I guess that is doable. Take Care

[frozentears]

My daughter's school is the only school in our county that still teaches it. It's no longer required by the state, so most schools opt out. Thankfully, my daughter's teacher has been teaching for over 30 years, and she still takes the time to teach it. What common core is doing to our educational system is terrible. So far, math is the most changed.