In our school district, the reintroduced cursive a not because many people use it anymore – most adults under 55 haven’t used it regularly in years – but so that they could read historical documents. I’m near retirement and had to re-teach myself cursive just because I thought it was a shame not to use it now and then.
A slippery slope: Cursive goes, then printing, then typing, then reading altogether. Computers will become solely reading and visual machines. Pretty soon there will only be direct telepathic squirts into our brains. And it will all seem perfectly natural.
Amazing. Cursive is natural to me as my default form of writing. Virtually all of the Christmas cards and other personal mail I get have personal notes written in cursive as well. I can not imagine a life where people do not read and write in cursive.
As a guy born in the early 80s, I learned cursive without sacrificing any time playing videogames at all. I also played outside, read books and played chess, checkers and board games.
Learning to write cursive isn’t hard. A better example would have been “he spends as much time playing video games as we spent sitting outside poking dirt with a stick waiting for mom to let us back inside”.
If you want legibility, that’s what printing is for. If you want speed, that’s what shorthand is for. Cursive gives you the worst aspects of both, and the benefits of neither.
I spent many a year in grade school learning to write cursive eventually graduating to doing it with a fountain pen (a latter day version of an ink quill). We weren’t allowed to use ball point pens.
Then I got to college where I studied engineering. They taught me to print on paper using a pencil.
It seems to me that learning to write and read cursive is a bit like learning to drive a manual transmission. It’s simple to get by without the skill in today’s world, but adding that ability to one’s life makes you far more flexible and versatile.
They taught us to read and write Penmanship in Catholic schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but they never taught us to decipher or spell historical Cursive.
Lyons Group, Inc. over 9 years ago
Cursive writing, not swearing, mind you.
corpcasselbury over 9 years ago
Cursive was, at least, useful. Still is, in my opinion.
cdward over 9 years ago
In our school district, the reintroduced cursive a not because many people use it anymore – most adults under 55 haven’t used it regularly in years – but so that they could read historical documents. I’m near retirement and had to re-teach myself cursive just because I thought it was a shame not to use it now and then.
TheWildSow over 9 years ago
Can we read hiftorical documents now? What the heck is the Purfuit of Happinefs?
emptc12 over 9 years ago
A slippery slope: Cursive goes, then printing, then typing, then reading altogether. Computers will become solely reading and visual machines. Pretty soon there will only be direct telepathic squirts into our brains. And it will all seem perfectly natural.
lazydude41 over 9 years ago
Amazing. Cursive is natural to me as my default form of writing. Virtually all of the Christmas cards and other personal mail I get have personal notes written in cursive as well. I can not imagine a life where people do not read and write in cursive.
Ivan Araque over 9 years ago
Don’t complain, psychologists have long said that cursive is a much higher skill than video games. ;)
jtviper7 over 9 years ago
We use to spend the same amount of time… Playing Baseball, Football running and playing outside.
Ziveron over 9 years ago
As a guy born in the early 80s, I learned cursive without sacrificing any time playing videogames at all. I also played outside, read books and played chess, checkers and board games.
shipl14 over 9 years ago
Nobody has to “learn” cursive. Except how to read other peoples’ scribbles.
Miba over 9 years ago
Learning to write cursive isn’t hard. A better example would have been “he spends as much time playing video games as we spent sitting outside poking dirt with a stick waiting for mom to let us back inside”.
ImpishCoder over 9 years ago
If you want legibility, that’s what printing is for. If you want speed, that’s what shorthand is for. Cursive gives you the worst aspects of both, and the benefits of neither.
dflak over 9 years ago
I spent many a year in grade school learning to write cursive eventually graduating to doing it with a fountain pen (a latter day version of an ink quill). We weren’t allowed to use ball point pens.
Then I got to college where I studied engineering. They taught me to print on paper using a pencil.
ladylagomorph76 over 9 years ago
Oh the HOURS I spent learning perfect cursive handwriting, only to develop arthritis and not be able to use it. Ah well…I have my iPad.
bartwell7 over 9 years ago
The ’Dumbing" of America continues
Jack Bell Premium Member over 9 years ago
I prefer to write cursive. It’s faster and more legible than my printing.
3pibgorn9 over 9 years ago
Neither are real neat with me. heh heh
neverenoughgold over 9 years ago
I use cursive almost every day
Robert Stroud over 9 years ago
It seems to me that learning to write and read cursive is a bit like learning to drive a manual transmission. It’s simple to get by without the skill in today’s world, but adding that ability to one’s life makes you far more flexible and versatile.
blackdawne over 9 years ago
Shame on you all for learning how to curse.
handerwyc over 9 years ago
The world cursives. Printing is so slow. Grown ups cursive children print.
jimboylan over 9 years ago
They taught us to read and write Penmanship in Catholic schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but they never taught us to decipher or spell historical Cursive.
jimboylan over 9 years ago
The sisters used the Palmer Method, a brand name.