Get Schooled

By oldteacher

October 12, 2005 08:22 AM | Link to this

I teach middle school and I can’t tell if they teach cursive in the lower grades or not. Most of my students don’t use it and many of them can’t read it.

By high school teacher

October 12, 2005 09:20 AM | Link to this

I teach high school English, and I don’t require my students to use cursive (even though most of them do). I think that students still learn the art around 3rd grade. I do have colleagues who require cursive writing from their students; I’m just happy if my students turn in assignments that I can read :)

By Dale Loudermilk

October 12, 2005 09:48 AM | Link to this

I’m a retired teacher and my theory on education is to concentrate on the three R’s in the first three grades. Then add the other. Not enough time is spent on reading, writing and old timey math in the first three grades. I had students in the 8 grade whose handwriting was terrible and I would have them redo their assignments at times because I couldn’t read them (not all of course, but several).

By SWC

October 12, 2005 10:31 AM | Link to this

They started teaching my son cursive (4th? 5th?) but never finished. I only recently realized this when I was going through old workbooks and found his handwriting books with only a few pages finished. He’s now in 6th grade.

Europeans don’t use American style cursive -they use more of a linking print style of writing, not the Spencerian cursive that American public schools teach. I can’t believe that a teacher would require cursive - if you didn’t learn it as a child its almost impossible to learn as an adult or young adult. It’s almost like having to do things left-handed if you’re a righty.

Why is cursive required unless one plans to major in calligraphy? It’s probably faster to write that way, but no easier to read. I guess I would fail that H.S. writing course just on the basis of my non-cursive writing. What torment! It seems to me that it is more important for kids to learn keyboarding than cursive!

By oldteacher

October 12, 2005 10:50 AM | Link to this

SWC, I actually agree with you. I tell my students that as long as I can read it, it is fine.

By OldSchool

October 12, 2005 11:39 AM | Link to this

I teach high school Engineering Drawing which here includes traditional board drafting. That means I teach my students lettering (all caps, vertical Commercial Gothic, single-stroke style). I have had any number of parents and teachers express their appreciation that I still insist on quality lettering and give my students plenty of time to practice. For many it means they can actually read what their children write for the first time in high school Most of my students adopt lettering as their normal writing style. None of their teachers complain one bit.

Of course, I’ll be retiring in a year or so and the move is to offer only computer-aided drafting. There goes the lettering!

By SWC

October 12, 2005 11:48 AM | Link to this

OldSchool - I’m curious - can your students actually use this technique to write things like test essays or is it too laborious to utilize for everyday use? I tried teaching myself Spencerian script years ago but couldn’t attain any fluency in it. I could have done a wedding invitation envelope or 2 but that was about it!

By DKB

October 12, 2005 11:51 AM | Link to this

My son taught himself cursive in the second grade because he got impatient about not being taught the skill. He WANTED to know cursive. I think he feels it makes him seem more “grown up”. He had limited instruction in cursive at school in the 3rd grade. He’s now in the 4th grade and his teacher is not teaching or requiring the students to write in cursive.

From SWC’s comments, it sounds like I’ve adopted the European hand writing method of linking print myself. I sort of half write and half print. I didn’t know it was an actual style, I’m just always in a rush and that’s the way it turns out.

I do think that children should know cursive and should also learn letter writing skills. There are certain occasions when it is appropriate, if not actually required. However, I don’t think it’s importance should be equated with the 3 R’s as long as their writing is legible, whether in print or cursive.

By I_Teach

October 12, 2005 12:05 PM | Link to this

I teach second grade…and according to GAs standards, second grade is where it is introduced and learned. All of the teachers I know who teach second follow the GPS.

However, it is never mentioned again in the standars. So, we teach it in second, and unless the upper grade teachers stress it (most don’t, esp.the 3rd grade teachers w ho have to worry about passing CRCT scores) they lose it.

My son, a college freshman NEVER learned it. My other son, a sophomore in hs, did learn it (he had teachers who made him relearn it in 5th and USE it) can write in cursive, but not well.

At the very least, kids need to learn how to sign their name! I had to teach my oldest the proper way to write his so he could sign his learner’s permit!

By BB

October 12, 2005 12:31 PM | Link to this

I teach 3rd grade and our county “requires” that we teach cursive, but provide nothing for the students. I usually have a parent volunteer run copies of a practice book that I purchased. We then bind the copies into a handwriting booklet for the students. They LOVE writing in cursive. I ask them to try their best to make the letters accurately, but I also explain that every person has their own handwriting style, and to concentrate more on legibility than anything else.

By JR

October 12, 2005 12:39 PM | Link to this

Cursive begins in 3rd grade.

Some kids have trouble with it due to poor fine motor skills.

I think if they print or write cursive neatly, as long as it’s legible, who cares. The fact they are writing something coherent is what’s important not whether it’s cursive or not.

They should be able to read printed cursive style lettering.

By Vicki

October 12, 2005 12:43 PM | Link to this

My older son was taught cursive last year in the 3rd grade and is required to use it in all subjects in the 4th grade except for Math.

My 2nd grader wants to learn cursive now, but his teacher this year is encouraging him to work on his neat printing, which he needs to do. She lets him know that cursive is taught in the 3rd grade.

By sm

October 12, 2005 01:17 PM | Link to this

I teach high school special education. I understand the need for teaching cursive writing in the younger grades so that they are exposed to that style of writing. However, as long as I can read it and it’s not in highlighter or crayon, that’s fine with me. It’s a kind of “pick you battles” thing. Who cares what style they write in as long as they know the material?

By montessori mom

October 12, 2005 01:17 PM | Link to this

My daughter began learning cursive in pre-k in her DeKalb county public Montessori school. Montessori students learn to read and write cursive from the start, as it is nearly impossible to confuse “b” with “d” or “p” with “q” in cursive. My daughter is now in 1st grade and has very legible cursive writing. My older daughter is in a traditional school and is just beginning to learn cursive in 3rd grade.

By NotMyProblem

October 12, 2005 01:20 PM | Link to this

I am 38 years old and I learned cursive in the 3rd grade, used it in 4th and 5th grade, and then decided in 6th grade that I didn’t like it and went back to using print, which I have used for my entire life now. I can write my signature in cursive and that is about where it ends. I can write just as fast in print as anyone can in cursive, and when I do try to write cursive, it looks like a 3rd grader’s handwriting. My daughter will most likely learn cursive, but I certainly don’t think it’s crucial to education or success in life, and if she decides like I did, that she no longer wants to use it, I will simply tell her that the most important thing is to develop her own style of neat writing, whether in cursive or print.

By Swangirl

October 12, 2005 01:33 PM | Link to this

BB, I commend you for telling your students that it is legibility that counts the most. Some kids, and I was one of them, never did very well with cursive. I was awful with capital lettes.

I had tiny hands and we used those big fat pencils back in the 70s. No wonder I had trouble. I use a combination of cursive and print now but love typing on the computer even more. My typing speed/accuracy is great.

By retired teacher

October 12, 2005 02:57 PM | Link to this

I think Swangirl has a point; computers are preferred by many students and teachers today. When was the last time any of you were asked to complete a form or application in cursive.

By FK

October 12, 2005 03:04 PM | Link to this

My son attends public school in N. Fulton. He is now in high school, but learned cursive in 3rd grade. Cursive lessons lasted what seemed to be a week. None of his teachers stressed it, at least not the way it was when I was a student. Way back when, we even had a penmanship grade on the report card!

When he was in the 4th grade, I lamented to the teacher about his handwriting. She told me to pick my battles. His penmanship was legible. Handwriting was not all that important so long as it was legible. With the age of computers, handwriting is not so much of an issue, so long as he can sign his name,legibly, and his handwritten numbers can be deciphered. That was good advice. Now if he would only use the spell and grammar check instead of ignoring it!

By jack

October 12, 2005 03:12 PM | Link to this

Learning to write in cursive is becoming another lost art, not because it is hard to learn but because the children complained about having to learn cursive and the parents caved in for anything little Johnny and Jenny wanted. Cursive isn’t necessary, even though it is faster than printing, it just looks much nicer when someone has mastered the style and turns out a beautiful hand written paper. Besides, the practice and effort required to learn cursive is a good learning experience.

By DB

October 12, 2005 03:20 PM | Link to this

Penmanship doesn’t mean you have to use cursive. Neat handwriting is neat handwriting whether it cursive or not. And for technical writing, cursive increases the chance of errors because of letters being connected. If you ask me, cursive is the sloppiest form of handwriting anyway.

By 5thgradeparent

October 12, 2005 03:32 PM | Link to this

My son attends a school within the Fulton county school system and he is not learning cursive. In his spelling book there is a section that says “write your spelling words” but there is only room for him to write four words. I asked him if they were teaching him cursive and he said no. I asked his reading/language arts teacher during PTA if they were going to learn cursive and she said they would get around to it. I think with this CRCT mandatory passing requirement, teachers no longer teach like they use to.

By OldSchool

October 12, 2005 04:36 PM | Link to this

SWC, many of my students do indeed “letter” their answers to test questions, short essays, and even take notes in “lettering.” With practice you build proficiency but like most everything, with speed you lose a bit of legibility. Still, most can “write” clearly enough to make the other teachers appreciate my efforts. Teachers here are encouraged to make their test formats similar to standardized tests (Scantron) so there is seldom a need for cursive writing on a test.

By the way, I took cursive for several years in elementary school and won accolades for my handwriting. That was before I started taking notes in high school and college. It developed into an illegible scrawl that even I could seldom read. Now my normal handwriting is “single stroke vertical Commercial Gothic” lettering! I also have been doing calligraphy (Old English, Spencerian, Gothic, and Chancery scripts) for my high school for many years. So I CAN write very well…I just chose when that happens!

By Lindy Weaver

October 12, 2005 04:41 PM | Link to this

I thought this was interesting after our conversation yesterday.

By stepmom

October 13, 2005 08:23 AM | Link to this

My stepson is 16 and learned the denilian style of writing (all the little tails on every letter). It’s supposed to help them learn cursive writing, but it’s impossible to read anything he’s written. He only prints and still uses the denilian style. My stepdaughter is 14 and learned it too, but only prints now (her handwriting is just as illegible at times). They hate cursive writing and aren’t made to do it anymore because of increased technology. Everything is typed now - not hand-written. My 4 yr old son is in pre-k and denilian is not stressed. My sister-in-law who teaches kindergarten says that they do try to have them try denilian. I don’t think it’s really important to schools anymore as long as they can just get kids to do their work!

By Iteach3rd

October 13, 2005 09:07 AM | Link to this

As a third grade teacher, we are to teach cursive to our students, but it is EXTREMELY difficult to find the time for proper instruction, especially when we are trying to get them to pass the CRCT on the spring. There are days when I have them get out their cursive workbooks and work on it individually if they finish their other work early. I do think that cursive is beneficial, especially to children with poor fine motor skills; however, teachers need more time to fit cursive instruction into their day!

By Lynn

October 13, 2005 11:30 AM | Link to this

As a child, I went to a Catholic school in MA. I was left-handed (which they tried to beat out of em with rulers) and so the nuns decided I would always have poor handwriting. My cursive is fine, but is a combination of print/cursive. My son is in 4th grade in Carroll County. They started to learn cursive in 3rd, but were to busy cramming CRCT knowledge in. His 4th grade teacher gave me an old cursive workbook she dug up somewhere and told me to work with him at home if I wanted because they just don’t have the time. She says everyone is behind on math skills because they concentrated on English to raise test scores.

By SWC

October 13, 2005 12:38 PM | Link to this

“Teachers here are encouraged to make their test formats similar to standardized tests (Scantron) so there is seldom a need for cursive writing on a test.” This is scary! No essay questions, especially for English Lit and History?

By Rhys

October 13, 2005 01:07 PM | Link to this

My daughter attends The Heiskell School, and they require all written work to be in cursive. My litte one is in Kindergarden, but they start cursive in Pre-K. She actually loves learning it because before she could do it, she would see cursive writing and call it “curly writing”. Now she can write “curly.”

By thinkahead

October 13, 2005 02:43 PM | Link to this

Teaching cursive writing in the age of the computer is a huge waste of time. Computer programs can read some printing and all type fonts but not cursive. Take the time wasted on cursive and teach them to type, it will be far more useful through out their lives. If any time is saved spend it on reading. Being able to read and think quickly is the key to success on standardized tests.