I'm baffled too. Language is central to culture. If you can't pick up a pencil or pen and contruct the letter forms that make up the alphabet reasonably fluentl

I'm baffled too. Language is central to culture. If you can't pick up a pencil or pen and contruct the letter forms that make up the alphabet reasonably fluently because you weren't taught properly, isn't that a bit depressing? Writing can encourage a love of lettering and letter forms. Sure, you can take this up in later years but it's better to learn from an early age. And as another poster says, learning to control a pen with precision is a valuable motor skill. Anyway, it's not clear in the article if this is just about cursive handwriting or all handwriting.