Save Writing
Cursive is not being taught in schools? What? So yeah, this was a bit of a conversation that I overheard and then briefly got involved in a few weeks back. Apparently, it is a trend with a lot of schools. They teach printing and skip right to keyboarding skills. I find this as a real discouraging development on my part and see this trend as a bad idea over all.
That may seem odd from perspective I suppose. Especially given that I am about as deep into the new age of technology as anyone can be. I know that personally, looking back, I wish I had some keyboard skills back in elementary school and really wish I learned proper keyboarding well before my senior year of high school.
I will admit fully that my own cursive writing is hard to read. That is exactly why I think beyond a few pages of my barely legible writing is more than enough torture for most anyone. I fully embrace the use of a keyboard, though I have never used a typewriter all that much. I can of course get things done on the computer and on the occasion when a paper version is required there are plenty of printers.
On the other hand though, I think that not learning how to write is going to lead to a lost generation in the future. I can see a parallel between dropping this and Latin out of the traditional curriculum, which was done before my time. I know that I can muddle my way through just enough to most of the time figure out what is being said. However, I know a LOT of fields would be much easier if I had a background in Latin from way back. Further, I think my enjoyment of things historical and the ability to actually read things in Latin (and hence, make a much better transition into those other romance languages ) would be well worth it.
That is the chief argument I have for keeping writing in the curriculum. I realize that a lot of it just a matter of a font change, but think about the documents of major historical significance that are written in a cursive script. I immediately bring to mind things like the Declaration of Independence. Granted that script is very easy on the eye and not hard to read thanks to the very neat hand that penned it. But think of other primary source documents that were not written by folks with such a nice handwriting that would then become the realm of an even more select group of experts.
Besides, there is just something about the nice gentle flow of a the ink onto the paper. It is a very relaxing and rewarding experience as it moves along in its curves and loops . And of course there is no doubt that I really preference for pen and paper for making my own notes and such. There is also something about the left behind of the things written on paper for posterity.
