According to Slashdot, cursive writing is going the way of the dodo. I’ve been talking about this for a few years now. I haven’t written in cursive since 3rd grade, save for my signature. It appears from the comments that I’m not alone. I have easily written more in Graffiti than I have in cursive in my lifetime.
Not only has my skill in cursive gone away, but my ability to use a writing implement has gone away. Since I’ve stopped judging debate on a regular basis, I’ve had little reason to use a pen. When I need to take notes at bord meetings or if I’m judging the occasional speech round now, I do it on my laptop. I can type faster than I ever could write, and flowing with a laptop is easier to read and faster than flowing on paper.
Cursive is going the way of shorthand….actually, it already has. There is no reason to teach it anymore. There will be those who will lament that fact that kids won’t learn cursive anymore and will sigh for the good ol’ days. They can have it. Gimme my keyboard.
On a side note, this report came from the “International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting”. I’m amazed that such an organization even exists. Please note the following paragraph from the CBS News article on the subject:
Nabeel Khaliq, an 11-year-old sixth-grader from Mississauga, Ontario, comes from a family of cursive enthusiasts and can’t imagine not writing. He took first place in his age category in the 2002 World Handwriting Contest, sponsored by the Albany, N.Y.-based Handwriting for Humanity club.
I’m not sure which of the following stupifies me more: “cursive enthusiasts”, “World Handwriting Contest”, or “Handwriting for Humanity”.
One reply on “First they came for the handwriting analysists…”
Has your handwriting gotten as crappy as mine? When I pick up a pen now, I usually have the intention of trying to write neat and what not, but any time I ty to write a sentence, I get maybe one or two words out and then the rest of it just degenerates into a craptacular slushy mess.