Question of the Day - 01/31/09

[Refugee 7]

Is cursive writing a lost art? Should good penmanship be taught?

[Echosoftom 3]

I don't know whether cursive writing is a lost art or not but when I was in school, I really worked hard at my handwriting. As for good penmanship, I wish they would teach it to these doctors, I've spent years trying decipher their handwriting.

[WildflowerNJ 136]

I have a good friend who always sends these beautifully wrote out Christmas cards. I hope it is not a lost art. I tried hard in school, too, for good penmanship.....they should continue teaching it...

[Starfish 0]

Of course it should be taught, just like we still need to teach basic math in spite of calculators.

[agirl 0]

Yes, it's a lost art. Back when I was in school we had to learn cursive. Today kids can't even read if it's in cursive.

[conmae 0]

I was disappointed that the schools don't focus much on cursive writing anymore. My 12 year old son still prints everything.

[brandonwood20 0]

I WRITE EVERYTHING IN UPPER CASE. NOPE, NO CURSIVE FOR ME. ahem, sorry.

[KansasPettyFan 1]

Yes they should teach it. I think it is becoming a lost art with all of the technology.

[PumpkinBumpkin 1]

I personally don't ever write in cursive and I never liked it but I think it should still be taught.

[Doxiejoe 1]

I don't much care for cursive writing. I print everything except my signature. Its so much easier to read. I don't really see it as a necessary skill for kids to have, so if schools aren't teaching it, that's fine by me.

[wild1forever 152]

These responses are interesting! Both of my sons have had quite a bit of instruction in cursive writing; my 4th-grader has practice worksheets in his "Monday folder" every week. I haven't seen any difference in the emphasis given on it at school.

[Magnolia 171]

^ Brandon, you always crack me up!

I don't think cursive writing is really a necessity anymore. I agree that printing is

much easier to read.

[Pettyjunkie 0]

I love how pretty cursive is, but I look even more childish when I write in it. Penmanship should be emphasized.

[MaryJane 0]

I love to write in cursive, but my cursive handwriting looks awful. Actually, my printing looks awful, too. Haha. I think good penmanship should definitely be taught.

[Ladywiz 4]

Yep its a lost art...but personally I refuse to give it up. However the older I get the worse my writing looks!

[Marzirose 0]

I always write in cursive, but it looks like a 4 year old's writing. Same with my printing. It is kind of a lost art, and penmanship should be taught.

[Refugee 7]

I think good penmanship should be taught. I use to have great handwriting skills, but not anymore. As for cursive, I love seeing it being used, and I do feel it's a lost art.

I think it should be mandatory that doctors learn good penmanship! That's a scary bunch.

[angelic_22 0]

I think Doctors writing on most prescriptions constitutes a form of encryption!

Hopefully the drugs called out are not mixed up this way.

On a similar note, I read recently about a problem with electronic prescriptions being mixed up because the doctor's office or the pharmacy had 'autocomplete' turned on in their software package and it filled in the rest of the drug name after only a few letters had been manually entered. Similar drug names led to some nasty mix-ups. I have autocomplete turned off on all my software (although I am not writing prescriptions obviously!)

[LizzieB 0]

I've never really thought about it being a lost art, so I can't really say. I have a place for both. I love cursive for personal notes mostly. I certainly think penmanship should be taught in schools, especially since kids are writing less and less these days.

[Beamish 0]

I think printing looks nicer, but cursive seems faster for me.

[Square One 0]

I love cursive and as my oldest son is learning more of it all the time, I try to help him learn to be a little neater about it....

[Echosoftom 3]

Toni, I'm constantly on my grandson about his handwriting. I make him write things over and over. I was the same way with my son. I've told them it's important to have legible handwriting. My grade school teacher told me that all the time so I think that's why I preach it to them. This is an interesting question.

Nancy, I so agree with your statement about teaching basic math in spite of calculators.

[Katie 0]

I think its a great skill to have...I remember working so hard on my cursive and my printing....but jeez, that cursive was hammered into my brain, why shouldn't other kids suffer like I did?!

[Softanimal 7]

We did have teachers who tries to teach us cursive in school. I never learned it, and my hand writing still looks like something a 10-year old could have done!

Yes, I think it's a lost art. Some could learn it, others can't.

[pettyfreak94 1]

I don't think it's lost.

Some of my teachers force their classes to write in only cursive or you get a 0 on that assignment.

I think penmanship should be taught, but only as like a 2 week course or something.

They forced me to learn cursive in 3rd grade.