3 ms·

I dont want to optimize a curriculum, I dont want them to bother with that. Glad to read other decision makers reached the same conclusion.

tempestn 5y ago
Personally I'm glad I learned cursive in school, even though I'm terrible at it. Far more valuable than learning about the various species of local turtle, or 1000 other things we did in primary school that I've since forgotten.
- wizzwizz4 5y ago
  Learning about a load of random stuff in primary school is incredibly important. How else do children find out what they're interested in?
  - tempestn 5y ago
    I'm not arguing that primary school shouldn't teach a bunch of random things, just that I think cursive is at least as useful to learn as most of them. Having it in the curriculum doesn't mean less time for foundational material for later years.
    - iso1631 5y ago
      Cursive is of absolutely no use to 99.9% of people Writing short notes legibly is of course useful, reading is essential, typing is essential, learning how to research subjects (history, geography, biology etc) is useful
      - tempestn 5y ago
        I don't write by hand much anymore, but I sure wrote a lot in university. I would think the same would be true for most students, which would account for more than 0.1% of people. Sure I could have printed my notes, but cursive was easier and faster. Could have typed them too (at least in most classes; some profs don't like it), but writing tends to result in better retention.
        iso1631 5y ago
        20 years ago people typed notes, let alone now, and the vast vast majority of those notes will not be written in "cursive", as most people drop that backwards skill as soon as they are allowed.
  - Zababa 5y ago
    I don't know anyone that find out what they were interested by learning random things in primary school. I don't think it is a common experience.
    - wizzwizz4 5y ago
      My interest in computers didn't come from primary school; primary school didn't teach us very much about computers, except near the end in a one-off series of experimental lessons by a teacher who left not long afterwards. However, my interest in biology very much came from primary school; until then, I didn't know there was a field of study devoted to living things. (Sure, I could've found out later, but why should I have had to wait?)
      - erik_seaberg 5y ago
        My parents got me the first(!) home computer in seventh grade. High school had a computer club but no computer classes. There was one typing class, taught in a room with dozens of incredibly loud <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter>s.

tempestn 5y ago

Personally I'm glad I learned cursive in school, even though I'm terrible at it. Far more valuable than learning about the various species of local turtle, or 1000 other things we did in primary school that I've since forgotten.

wizzwizz4 5y ago
Learning about a load of random stuff in primary school is incredibly important. How else do children find out what they're interested in?
- tempestn 5y ago
  I'm not arguing that primary school shouldn't teach a bunch of random things, just that I think cursive is at least as useful to learn as most of them. Having it in the curriculum doesn't mean less time for foundational material for later years.
  - iso1631 5y ago
    Cursive is of absolutely no use to 99.9% of people Writing short notes legibly is of course useful, reading is essential, typing is essential, learning how to research subjects (history, geography, biology etc) is useful
    - tempestn 5y ago
      I don't write by hand much anymore, but I sure wrote a lot in university. I would think the same would be true for most students, which would account for more than 0.1% of people. Sure I could have printed my notes, but cursive was easier and faster. Could have typed them too (at least in most classes; some profs don't like it), but writing tends to result in better retention.
      - iso1631 5y ago
        20 years ago people typed notes, let alone now, and the vast vast majority of those notes will not be written in "cursive", as most people drop that backwards skill as soon as they are allowed.
- Zababa 5y ago
  I don't know anyone that find out what they were interested by learning random things in primary school. I don't think it is a common experience.
  - wizzwizz4 5y ago
    My interest in computers didn't come from primary school; primary school didn't teach us very much about computers, except near the end in a one-off series of experimental lessons by a teacher who left not long afterwards. However, my interest in biology very much came from primary school; until then, I didn't know there was a field of study devoted to living things. (Sure, I could've found out later, but why should I have had to wait?)
    - erik_seaberg 5y ago
      My parents got me the first(!) home computer in seventh grade. High school had a computer club but no computer classes. There was one typing class, taught in a room with dozens of incredibly loud <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter>s.