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It frustrates me that older generations lament the loss of cursive in the curriculum, but refuse to acknowledge that it overall reduces the readability. Not eve

It frustrates me that older generations lament the loss of cursive in the curriculum, but refuse to acknowledge that it overall reduces the readability. Not everyone is a born artist, and the evidence is quite clear that it isn't a magic bullet (or else everyone would have readable cursive). I know I don't write that well, but because the letters aren't linked up there's less ability to scrawl, so they tend to be reasonably interpretable.

burfog 8y ago
An artist would make less-readable cursive. To make readable cursive, you need to practice following rules precisely. You need to develop hand coordination, which is probably of general use for things like sewing and surgery and removing slivers. I think a big trouble is bad instruction. Somebody with a clue needs to carefully study your writing, find the flaws, and insist that you get things correct. Some things about letter forms don't matter much, while other things matter a great deal. For example, the distinction between a rounded curve and a point is usually important. Many teachers won't know this. Also, individualized attention isn't easy to get in a large classroom.
- cgriswald 8y ago
  I am left-handed and although my cursive was perfectly fine otherwise (properly sized loops, etc.), I was removed from class and given special instruction (by someone... I think she was not a teacher, but a volunteer aide or something) in order to correct my left-leaning slant. It 'worked', but the cost was my cursive was significantly worse. She frequently was out of the room, so I just went very slowly to get enough 'good' cursive to satisfy them. To this day, unless I am really thinking about it, my right-leaning cursive is much uglier than my left-leaning cursive.
  - burfog 8y ago
    You are at a disadvantage, and so you'll need more practice. Perhaps it would help to get a writing tool that doesn't need much force. Funny story: I'm right handed. In high school, I badly injured my right hand. When I first tried to write with my left hand, I found that it seemed easy. My handwriting was perfect except for one thing: it was a mirror image! Switching to the proper direction didn't degrade the quality, but it really really slowed me down.
bbbobbb 8y ago
My cursive was always absolutely atrocious. I have no idea how teachers could read anything I have ever written. I couldn't read my own handwriting if I had to write down notes fast or did not 100% focus on the task of just writing legibly. The result of that was that for better or worse I rarely took any notes in school until University. I think it helped with learning since I was paying attention to remember stuff, but of course I also had to borrow notes from my friends after.. Writing print changed this - my print handwriting is pretty nice actually (I even got some compliments on it) and I never had any trouble reading my notes. Long story short, I see absolutely no point in teaching something like cursive in schools. It seems like a colossal waste of time.
- cgriswald 8y ago
  I've known people whose print is illegible as well. Like anything, these are skills that take practice. Some people need more practice than others. And, like anything, it should be quality practice. Generally speaking, I write with a combination of print and cursive. When taking notes in university, I generally use cursive and then rewrite the notes in print (also helps with retention).
chadlavi 8y ago
Not teaching cursive makes the cursive that people write less legible. Also, teaching cursive teaches you how to read it.

burfog 8y ago

An artist would make less-readable cursive. To make readable cursive, you need to practice following rules precisely. You need to develop hand coordination, which is probably of general use for things like sewing and surgery and removing slivers. I think a big trouble is bad instruction. Somebody with a clue needs to carefully study your writing, find the flaws, and insist that you get things correct. Some things about letter forms don't matter much, while other things matter a great deal. For example, the distinction between a rounded curve and a point is usually important. Many teachers won't know this. Also, individualized attention isn't easy to get in a large classroom.

cgriswald 8y ago
I am left-handed and although my cursive was perfectly fine otherwise (properly sized loops, etc.), I was removed from class and given special instruction (by someone... I think she was not a teacher, but a volunteer aide or something) in order to correct my left-leaning slant. It 'worked', but the cost was my cursive was significantly worse. She frequently was out of the room, so I just went very slowly to get enough 'good' cursive to satisfy them. To this day, unless I am really thinking about it, my right-leaning cursive is much uglier than my left-leaning cursive.
- burfog 8y ago
  You are at a disadvantage, and so you'll need more practice. Perhaps it would help to get a writing tool that doesn't need much force. Funny story: I'm right handed. In high school, I badly injured my right hand. When I first tried to write with my left hand, I found that it seemed easy. My handwriting was perfect except for one thing: it was a mirror image! Switching to the proper direction didn't degrade the quality, but it really really slowed me down.

bbbobbb 8y ago

My cursive was always absolutely atrocious. I have no idea how teachers could read anything I have ever written. I couldn't read my own handwriting if I had to write down notes fast or did not 100% focus on the task of just writing legibly. The result of that was that for better or worse I rarely took any notes in school until University. I think it helped with learning since I was paying attention to remember stuff, but of course I also had to borrow notes from my friends after.. Writing print changed this - my print handwriting is pretty nice actually (I even got some compliments on it) and I never had any trouble reading my notes. Long story short, I see absolutely no point in teaching something like cursive in schools. It seems like a colossal waste of time.

cgriswald 8y ago
I've known people whose print is illegible as well. Like anything, these are skills that take practice. Some people need more practice than others. And, like anything, it should be quality practice. Generally speaking, I write with a combination of print and cursive. When taking notes in university, I generally use cursive and then rewrite the notes in print (also helps with retention).

chadlavi 8y ago

Not teaching cursive makes the cursive that people write less legible. Also, teaching cursive teaches you how to read it.