Cursive Penmanship

[Charles Skinner]

There has been a lot of "talk" about the death of cursive writing, but little if any about the reasons for this happening. Some might say that it is because so many people form their ideas about the shape of letters from the computer and smart phones, but before those things came along, people read mostly from the printed page, books etc., and the letters they saw there were "printed," not cursive. So, there most be a better reason. I do not think my penmanship is very good, however, when I look at "ink samples and reviews" that some people post on this pen site, I think that my penmanship is not so bad. I would post an example of my writing, but I don't know how to do that, not being advanced in computer skills. It is a quick way out to just say that cursive is not being taught in schools these day, and that is true, but the real reason why cursive is dieing is more complicated than that. What do you think?

 

C. S.

[WestLothian]

I am not convinced that it is true that cursive script is dying. If you look at commercially used scripts on everything from wine bottles, restaurants to greetings cards you will see that the reading of cursive is wide-spread.

 

The reading is not the same skill as the writing by hand using a more traditional pen but I think that there is a general continuity in the basic writing skills, just less practise in daily life for the majority after school.

[Nimmireth]

My husband is a teacher. Cursive is not taught in most American public schools. I don't think a child will learn cursive through seeing labels and menus. (My deepest respect to WestLothian.) They might learn to read it, but not to write it. To learn cursive now, you have to decide to learn it and put in the time and effort required.

 

My writing is often remarked upon for its neatness. I've spent about four years working on it. I never wrote cursive before that time (since grade school).

 

While I think cursive will die out in the general public, I think there will always be lovers of the handwritten word who will keep cursive alive as an art that is attainable to anyone willing to put forth the effort.

[WestLothian]

Both my children were taught cursive in the Scottish schools - this century.

[Mags]

Both my children are given cursive training in school but the schools will accept printing if it is neat. Hence one printer still in my family....

[rodrigaj]

As a teacher in American High School, I see that the ability to write in cursive is declining. I don't know why that is but I have visited the lower levels and see that the old Palmer (?) cursive letters are in the front of the classroom as they were when I went to elementary school. However, I know from seeing the results of kids papers at the high school that they are not spending any time on it.

 

Other things such as keyboarding are taking their place. The kids must be computer savvy. I know that when I observe their keyboard use, their fingers fly over the keyboard. As always, we have opportunity costs.

[Pierce]

The eco system that once supported cursive handwriting is dieing.

 

-I cannot buy good quality paper locally, that works with FP.

-My pen selection is bic, sharpie or pencil's and FP's and ink are now restricted to Parker Jotter, IM, Vector or nothing.

-I was even talking to a paper merchant who was saying that his career is basically over and he is limited to selling high quality cotton paper (which I would assume would have a higher margin).

 

I learned cursive in school and I was probably the only person in my University class to use it all the time, but of course all work must be submitted typed because penmanship is so poor and peoples ability to read cursive has diminished.

 

Is cursive going to die? I don't think so, I think the FPN network and in particular this Penmanship forum is evidence that it will never die out. I would hope to inspire my kids (if I ever have any) to learn cursive for their own personal diaries.

 

Somebody asked me (and I am a software engineer by trade) what was the best diary program?

 

I told him, a book, a pen. Computers crash, die, companies make mistakes, viruses, hacking etc, but a journal other than being subject to being lost or physical damage, will always work.

[Charles Skinner]

  On 7/3/2012 at 8:54 PM, Pierce said:

The eco system that once supported cursive handwriting is dieing.

 

-I cannot buy good quality paper locally, that works with FP.

-My pen selection is bic, sharpie or pencil's and FP's and ink are now restricted to Parker Jotter, IM, Vector or nothing.

-I was even talking to a paper merchant who was saying that his career is basically over and he is limited to selling high quality cotton paper (which I would assume would have a higher margin).

 

I learned cursive in school and I was probably the only person in my University class to use it all the time, but of course all work must be submitted typed because penmanship is so poor and peoples ability to read cursive has diminished.

 

Is cursive going to die? I don't think so, I think the FPN network and in particular this Penmanship forum is evidence that it will never die out. I would hope to inspire my kids (if I ever have any) to learn cursive for their own personal diaries.

 

Somebody asked me (and I am a software engineer by trade) what was the best diary program?

 

I told him, a book, a pen. Computers crash, die, companies make mistakes, viruses, hacking etc, but a journal other than being subject to being lost or physical damage, will always work.

 

 

Thanks. I have kept a journal since 1960! 32 or 33 large 300 page books --- all in cursive! Long live cursive words on paper! C. S.

[Gloucesterman]

What will they do when the batteries run dry or when there is no electricity. Perhaps we can start talking in 140 character (including spaces, I believe) when we communicate.

 

How romantic it will be to receive an email that says,"I love you"! I can just see it now - the typist, oops, make that keyboarder makes an error and forgets there are multiple names in the cc field. Well, I guess it is ok to say, "I love you" to more than one person at the same time. Hope it wasn't to explicit!!

 

Perhaps practicing is to straining for the fertile minds of today?

 

Hark, methinks there will be a future occupation as a scribe (or scrivener), where someone will hire one of us to craft a handwritten missive that communicates their deepest feeling in gentle and sensitive manner?

 

Alas and forsooth! A venture of misguided desire as the knave who ventured the missive finds out that the recipient can not read cursive! Ah well, perhaps they can run it through a scanner and it will be translated by the OCR!

 

Sometime I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I think about the lack of communications skills that are spreading. I wonder if eventually we will return to grunting and pointing at each other?

 

I am curious however. Is this curtailment of cursive - handwritten communication also happening in other countries, especially to the same extent that it seems to be happening here in the United States?

 

Finally, does anyone in a "Leadership" position recognize that the brain and the body are an integrated system and that they benefit from a variety of uses?

 

Oh well, so much for the ramblings of a writing man (to paraphrase the title of a Louis L'Amour book).

 

Thanks for reading and "like, have a nice day!!!".

[Ishinho]

I hope you can read my scrawl - I'm working on it, honest!

[Ishinho]

  On 7/3/2012 at 1:24 PM, Charles Skinner said:

I would post an example of my writing, but I don't know how to do that, not being advanced in computer skills.

C. S.

[AloofObserver]

I was taught cursive in primary school in 1995 and learned calligraphy in grade seven. I attended a private school however...

 

I believe that cursive writing should be taught as a matter of discipline. I've had to read too much terrible handwriting by too many people. Learning cursive and being obligated to use cursive in school would be beneficial. Primary school and most secondary school assignments should be handwritten because it engages the brain in a different manner than keyboarding and the practice would improve handwriting legibility.

 

Some students in my courses only write by hand during exams. Otherwise they keyboard for everything else. No wonder their handwriting is slow and often illegible.

 

As for why cursive is becoming rarer. Well, that is mostly because of the rise of computers. If cursive isn't taught - because it is considered non-essential - then people will most likely never learn it. Learning how to use word processing software is considered more important nowadays.

Edited July 14, 2012 by AloofObserver

[caliken]

Posted in error

Edited July 20, 2012 by caliken

[Jamesiv1]

Everything old is new again.

 

My feeling is that electronic communication (texting, emails and such) will rule for another generation or two, and then beautiful handwriting will come back into style.

 

James

[haldane3]

Hmm, I was taught cursive in schools, but then again I went to a parochial school in the US.

 

Do children in public schools not get taught cursive anymore?? That would be news to me, and a great shame!

 

My handwriting is not very good, and it's a matter of rushing and preoccupation. Need to practice!

 

Dan

[flyinfishjoe]

  On 7/21/2012 at 4:23 PM, haldane3 said:

Hmm, I was taught cursive in schools, but then again I went to a parochial school in the US.

 

Do children in public schools not get taught cursive anymore?? That would be news to me, and a great shame!

 

My handwriting is not very good, and it's a matter of rushing and preoccupation. Need to practice!

 

Dan

It varies from school to school and teacher to teacher. Some still teach it, but most states no longer require it.

[iliadodyssey]

As an American teacher, I can honestly say that learning cursive (or general penmanship for that matter) varies to the extreme depending on the whims of the teacher a child happens to get in early grade school. By the time students get to me (8th grade ~13/14 years old) most do not write in cursive when given a choice. Many of them can not write in cursive. A surprising number cannot even read cursive. The cause (in my school district) is the same reason why they get to my class (American History) and have NEVER had a history class before. State Testing. For years, we have put so much emphasis on the process of state testing here, that anything that is NOT state tested gets ignored. History is not tested until 11th grade, so most "History teachers" are instructed to spend the time on extra math or English. Our science teachers get the same treatment. Before 8th grade, the subject is mostly ignored because, "Who cares, it is not state tested." I am just waiting for the day when we shorten the alphabet taught in kindergarten to just A, B, C, D because that is all they need for the multiple choice tests!

 

Ok, I'll get off of my soapbox now.

[FLZapped]

  On 7/24/2012 at 1:20 PM, iliadodyssey said:

As an American teacher, I can honestly say that learning cursive (or general penmanship for that matter) varies to the extreme depending on the whims of the teacher a child happens to get in early grade school. By the time students get to me (8th grade ~13/14 years old) most do not write in cursive when given a choice. Many of them can not write in cursive. A surprising number cannot even read cursive. The cause (in my school district) is the same reason why they get to my class (American History) and have NEVER had a history class before. State Testing. For years, we have put so much emphasis on the process of state testing here, that anything that is NOT state tested gets ignored. History is not tested until 11th grade, so most "History teachers" are instructed to spend the time on extra math or English. Our science teachers get the same treatment. Before 8th grade, the subject is mostly ignored because, "Who cares, it is not state tested." I am just waiting for the day when we shorten the alphabet taught in kindergarten to just A, B, C, D because that is all they need for the multiple choice tests!

 

Ok, I'll get off of my soapbox now.

 

Sad, isn't it. I know kids at a church I attended for a while who cannot read, much less write in, cursive.