R U Kidding Me?

It’s hard to believe that educational standards can change so much over time.  When I was in school computers were added to the curriculum in slight ways so we would at least be familiar with what they can do.  I did learn to type on a typewriter however, my cousins who went to school about 10 years behind me have expressed their heavy involvement with computers over their academic career.  I always thought that besides budgetary constraints the only other area that would change educational standards would be technology.  Yet I still find myself shocked to learn that cursive is being eliminated from most schools across the United States.

I’ll admit that in elementary school my cursive was atrocious and it took many years of practice at making it look a bit more legible for it to improve.  However, it was character building and for the most part it can tell a lot about a person.  I used to see crime dramas that brought in handwriting experts and now they show IT experts who analyze the way text messages were written.  Is script becoming a distant memory of the past?

In a post on iVillage, Sally Farahat Kassab points out the reasons that many of us feel cursive writing should still be taught such as:

“the personality that shows through in one’s handwriting, like how you curl your Qs; the value of realizing that it’s worth it to take time to complete something you’ve handwritten; the discipline and fine motor control that comes with penmanship; the need to sign a check or official document; the ability to read historic documents in their original form or heck, your grandparents’ love letters.”

I was frightened enough when I once saw a letter to my grandma written as if it was a text message.  She felt like she needed a decoder ring to be able to figure out what the heck it said.  As someone who is technically savvy I can understand this move, but as someone who likes tradition it’s a bit hard to stomach.  At least I’ll be able to read historic documentation of my family tree.  Will your kids be lucky enough to do the same?