The Dying Art of Penmanship

I think a lot of people feel the same way. Mine has deteriorated as well, though my post-it notes tend to be a lot longer than they should (and that means practice! Yey!). ;)

I found that quite shocking as well. That and the touchscreen whiteboards are what prompted me to write this little piece. You can even type on that thing.

Cursive print is no substitute.

That simplified form is definitely no substitute for proper cursive. There are other things beyond writing faster that are learned through the process of training oneself in that form as in all the others. We all choose to use one or the other or both, applying what is most efficient for us under the circumstances, but nothing beats cursive for absolute speed, imho. :)

Although I agree that it looks quite pretty (almost made me eat my words too, but not really), it doesn't replace the other, imho. It certainly isn't as legible as proper cursive or standard print. You were trained in both, and you preferred print. To be trained in both makes a difference. I believe it has to do with the process of learning to write, with the way we perceive things before and after, etc. Like reading, it's something basic that comes from our evolution of learning. There's something in the movements and forms that stimulates the brain in a certain way, imho. I may sound a bit romantic about it, but apart from the legible efficiency, I think there may be much more going on there. I don't think that it has become something passé to be thrown out the window like an old history book that still shows Yugoslavia as a single country.

It's like certain people that think listening to a book on an iPod is the same as having read it. The stimuli are not the same, nor are the neurological processes. Reading is something that is heavily declining in the U.S. which is not a good thing. The statistics are staggering. These things to me are quite basic, and certainly should continue to be taught and stimulated. My opinion may or may not matter, but that's what I think.

Just pondering...

P.S. Then again, considering the state of our educational system, perhaps it may be better that they only learn a simplified form they can actually use, otherwise no one might understand their handwriting. ;) hehe.

I'm not sure I enjoy the crack about illegibility, it was written quickly for a reason: I'm not going to spend a half-hour lettering a piece of calligraphy, I get paid to do such things, and paid rather well as these things go.

I certainly didn't mean to offend and I believe you may have perceived the wrong idea as to the commentary. It seemed you presented your piece (which I found beautiful and said so) as evidence and as evidence it certainly wasn't as legible as what I was referring to before. Thank you for your explanation (both about this and about your achievements in handwriting) and I congratulate you on what you have achieved as it is quite laudable.

No, technology is going slightly backward, the iPod reading of a text goes back to the first storytellers, who operated without the benefit of editors and performed before audiences to earn their daily bread.

Though you are correct, it's not exactly what I was referring to as I said that listening is not equivalent to reading. Reading requires an entirely different skill set than listening. Though you are correct that we are reading the text presented here, there are a number of articles both seeded on newsvine and throughout newspapers everywhere presenting an increasing level of evidence that people are reading less and less (including sites like this one). They're referring to the mass of people, not to the exception, as was I.

and so is typing. My kids were typing quickly long before they went to school.

Exactly what I'm writing about in the article presented here.

I grow exceedingly weary of complaints about the educational system. Parents are a vital part of education and always were. Slovenly parents produce slovenly children. My wife's a teacher.

As do a lot of people, but the reality has been clearly presented in scores of articles and studies that things are not well in the educational system. I completely agree that parents are a vital part of education, but unfortunately, it would seem that they are taking a less active role as of late (I'm happy to hear that you're in the group that cares to be active in your children's education). Slovenly parents certainly produce slovenly children, I agree. I've worked as an elementary school teacher and my wife is currently a teacher as well. It would seem we're both on the same page as to the importance of a good education, but again, the reality of the masses is that they're coming out of school with less of a clue than they used to.

A number of things prompted my writing this article, and one of those included a news story of a couple of years ago which spoke about teachers not wanting to teach cursive because they found it difficult. I found a number of subjects difficult to teach, but that didn't make them less important for me to teach them. In my opinion, handwriting (and cursive for that matter) continue to be vital and important in a person's overall education, and therefore should continue to be taught. Not all teachers are the same. Again, I commend you on your desire to rise above the fold.

Just pondering....

P.S. Thank you all for your comments and opinions. One thing I'm really enjoying on newsvine is the interesting dialog that is created from the topics presented throughout the site. I learn a lot from everyone's thoughts and beliefs. Thank you.

I obviously agree, and am forever grateful as well to all the wonderful teachers who taught me to love to write and read. I may not handwrite as much as I used to, but I do believe I got a lot out of learning it (and I do still use it and find it practical). So, here here to Sister Cora and all the great teachers our there working hard so that children might learn to use their brain, to use their skills, and to be better people. :)

My Grandfather's writing was so amazing.

I know what you mean. I still read both my grandmothers' handwriting every now and again and can't help but be forever impressed by their beautiful penmanship. Even their post-it notes are beautiful. Their writing is fast, clear, and pretty.

I used to like to sit and write on paper.

I used to as well, but like you have less time and also, in my case at least, have fallen into the technology trap and can't seem to escape it. I guess it would be difficult to imagine Thoreau sitting by a stream writing Walden on a laptop, so, there is still a need for handwriting if only for those times when a computer is either impractical or undesirable. Eventually though, as battery technology improves, we could see a laptop or keyboard driven device even under those circumstances. I think I'd still find it cool to sit by a stream with a non-electronic notebook and a nice pen (but that's probably just the romantic talking). :)

Very well written article!

Thanks a lot. :)