No Cursive in Public Schools?

[mrsrandolph]

So, my husband was telling me tonight that in the public school district in which he teaches, they no longer teach cursive at all! So, do the kids no longer learn to write in anything other than manuscript for their whole lives?

Is this the status quo now?

I guess if it is not on the state test...who needs it, right??

[MamaPajama]

I have a homeschooling friend who doesn't teach cursive either. She teaches her kids print, and when they've mastered that she teaches typing. I can understand that she feels they'll never use it in "the real world", but to me it's still an important skill to learn, and good for fine motor.

[Mommamo]

My sister's school district where she teaches doesn't teach cursive anymore (she's a 3rd grade teacher) but she teaches it anyway. She can't spend a lot of time on it (not on the test, not in her curriculum) but she squeezes it in anyway. I'm still going to do it. I think it's a good skill for the kiddos to have. In fact, we're starting cursive this year and C can't wait!

[GinainMD]

I have a nephew who lived in VA and never learned cursive and then when they moved back to MD it was a skill the schools expected him to already know. I know he felt like he was floundering a bit. I agree that it isn't used much in the "real world" but I still think that it is a skill they should know.

[8arrows]

I believe cursive writing to be very important. It is a skill that whether we like it or not we will be judged by all our lives. Ask my husband. He is disappointed in his writing skills to this day. And, a written thank you note or letter is still a thing of beauty.

[annaz]

More dumbing down of America and kids in general. What about all the important historical documents that will not be able to be read? What about the developmental abilities it provides? Makes me sick and reason 1 million and 1 to stay out the the ps system.

[blessedmomof4]

My kids were never required to write in cursive in public school. They weren't even required to spell correctly unless it was for a spelling test!

[annaz]

My kids were never required to write in cursive in public school. They weren't even required to spell correctly unless it was for a spelling test!

Now I know why when I did a Norton Anti Virus run yesterday, that it said on the pop-up screen:

"Your _____________ updated succesfully."

Sheesh.

[girlboygirlboy]

Although my personal handwriting is a mixture of cursive & print, and it may not be necessary for the "future" we are continuing to teach cursive to our kids b/c it's not only important for fine motor skills, but also to be able to read it and I'd like them to be able to read their wedding invitations someday:) as well as other letters/important documents from the past. That's one of the reasons I like Cheerful Cursive - it teaches them to read it as well as write it.

[MomtoJGJE]

Here is where I differ from EVERYONE else on this subject. I am teaching cursive simply because my kids want to learn cursive. I have no idea why... I guess they think it's fancy? I do not write in cursive except for signing my name to something and that is a mixture. No invitations I've ever used were cursive, they were italic. I don't know that I've ever seen a historical document other than just to recognize what it is... definitely not to read it. If I want to read the document, I pull it up on the internet and there it is in print. I print or type any notes, letters, or thank you notes I send.

So I guess I understand public schools moving away from teaching cursive. Since they teach to the test, and cursive is not on the test, they use that 15 minutes or whatever per day to teach something else that's on the test.

ETA: However I cannot see why people would not teach correct spelling? That is strange...

[mrsrandolph]

I started this post, but maybe this is a line of throught we need to tinker with. Is cursive important anymore?

[water2wine]

Really that is weird. Do they not think about the potential that they may have a boss one day that writes to them in cursive? I think if I had my kids in ps I'd be teaching cursive on the side.