Don't you just love to receive a card or letter in the mail from someone who writes in a nice cursive? Cursive writing is an elegant and flowing style of writing taught to children after they learn print handwriting. There is talk all around the country that cursive handwriting is a dying art! Lord have mercy! I guess the powers that be feel that with the rise of technology, more emphasis should be placed on typing. I admit that keyboarding skills are a must in today's world. I was lucky to learn print handwriting, cursive writing, and typing in school. With my typing skills, I'm a real speedster on the keyboard--I can even type without looking at the keys.
Now, I'm ashamed to say that my handwriting is a mix of print and cursive. I'm always in such a rush and don't take the time to connect my letters when writing in cursive...it comes out as mixed up mess!
I was happy to see a tweet a couple of months ago from Susan Branch regarding her love of cursive writing. Susan is the author of 14 best-selling "Heart of the Home" lifestyle books full of homemaking advice. She is an artist and creates the cutest nostalgic watercolors.
She did a blog post back in January about her love of cursive here and has declared Sunday, March 10, 2014 "I Love Cursive Day!"
I remember when I first started learning cursive and struggled with each letter and then when I learned them all, trying to connect them. If I remember correctly, my maternal grandmother died when we were learning to write the "Q" and I fell behind...still can't make cute "Q."
I have saved all the letters my Daddy sent to my Mama when he served in the Army during World War II...all written in his fancy cursive.
I get lots of cards and letters from people everyday...while I do love a cute print handwriting, I especially love to receive correspondence from those ladies who write in cursive.
So what do you think? Do you think that the schools should teach cursive handwriting today or do you feel like the time should be devoted to other skills? How will children learn how to sign their own name without learning cursive? Will our signatures become a thing of the past?
Today I think I'll send out a few notes written in my fanciest cursive style! Happy "I Love Cursive Day" y'all!
20 comments:
I have been so sad about the news that cursive may not be taught in schools anymore. I loved learning cursive. I also enjoyed teaching cursive when I taught 3rd grade. I fear children & teenagers won't be able to even read cursive when they see it! What a shame.
I think I'll write some handwritten notes this week, too! You & I will do our part to keep cursive alive.
Smiles,
Carol
Dear Miss Janice,
It's always a pleasure to 'cursive' you. Thank you for the post and compliment.
Warmly, Kathleen
I think it is a crying shame that children do not learn cursive now! Fortunately all of my children were taught cursive in elementary and my daughters have beautiful handwriting. You are so right, Miss Janice. There is nothing better than receiving a note handwritten in lovely cursive.
Happy Sunday.:)
I'm 20, and "my handwriting" is cursive! It takes me a bit longer to write in "print" because I have to think about it. I major in Education, and depending on the grade level I teach, I plan on teaching cursive! It won't be a dying art on my watch :)
Aww. .I feel proud that my note was in your picture! I love writing in cursive, but I do not like to print. Seems like I heard somewhere that cursive writing may not be taught in schools in the future, so it will become be a dying art. That's just terrible! Your father's letters look beautiful and romantic.
Mrs. K,
I was reading your comment...without my readers and deleted it by mistake. I apologize!
Miss Janice
I love cursive, though my own handwriting is somewhat a mix. I have been trying to be more accurate with my cursive lately. My mother has the most beautiful cursive handwriting and I have often thought, why isn't mine as beautiful? I don't take the time.
Good Lord, the kids today can barely string a sentence together, in text-speak, let alone hand write something. Every thing is done now with a key board of some description. Bio identification like retina scanning is already being used in some areas. Doubtless one day soon we'll all be micro chipped at birth, so there will be no need for any other means of identifying yourself. With all that in mind, perhaps hand writing is redundant and old fashioned. More and more of the things we accept as the norm are going the way of the dinosaur. I suppose thats the price of progress.
Ali
Neither of my teens have a signature! I told my son, who is 18, that he needs to work on one! The elementary schools they attended did not teach cursive! That makes me so sad.
I have taught all of my children (even my stepchildren) to write in cursive in 4th grade.
I cannot write in cursive. GASP. My handwriting is some weird day I collect the letters.
My daughter teaches 7th grade Science. When students exchange papers to check them over, the ones who don't know how to write in cursive can't even read the papers of the ones who do write in cursive. I'm all for progress, but it seems a terrible shame that some day American citizens may not even be able to read an original copy of the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution.
I forwarded this post to my daughter who is an educator. She did confirm that the school corporation where she formerly taught for many years has dropped cursive from the curriculum. Teachers do have the option to continue to teach the art of cursive. However, I am happy that she will teach her daughter (my beautiful granddaughter!) at age 6, to write in handwriting.
I believe that not teaching young people to write in cursive anymore is a huge mistake.
I have been teaching Jr. High for 12 years and have watched as our children's handwriting and spelling has become a disaster. I have 8th graders whose handwriting looks like they are in 1st grade. Basic skills have been thrown to the wayside in light of "technology". I can tell you that the art of communication, conflict resolution and the written word is quickly fading and our young people are suffering because of it.
Jumping on every bandwagon idea that springs up isn't always the way to move Education forward. We must get back to basic manners, respect of others and pride in our work. Just because something is a tradition and "old school" doesn't mean it is bad and should be abandoned. As a Southern Mama, I try to remind my children of this every day and hope they will pass this attitude on to their own children one day!
Thank you for your blog. I appreciate the way you are keeping our Southern traditions alive and sharing them with the world!
Melissa Stacks
My children are in 4th and 6th grade and our school does not teach cursive (NJ). It is a shame they will never have a signature. Someday I will try and find them a handwriting class. We ALWAYS do handwritten Thank You notes and their printing is clear. We are definately in the minority on the Thank You notes, of any kind :(
I was homeschooled in elementary school and the first thing I learned was how to write in cursive. However, all of my public school friends were only taught print. To this day, my cursive writing is much neater than my print, and it's so much prettier! I write all my notes in class and do all assignments in cursive. It makes me sad that it is a dying art!
I was homeschooled in elementary school and learned cursive before I even learned print. To this day, it's my preference when writing. It makes me sad that none of my friends who went to public school even know how to write in cursive! It is so much prettier!
Miss Janice, I just wanted to let you know that in NC there is the "Back to Basics" bill in the works. It will require cursive writing to be taught in all elementary schools. I though you would appreciate hearing this news.
Have a blessed day,
Jennifer
Jennifer {aka Beaufort Belle},
Yay! There is hope! Thanks so much for that info:)
Miss Janice
Thanks for this I went to Public school up until last year and we were never taught cursive and now I have to learn it by myself in 3 weeks
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