Not Teaching Cursive Anymore? REALLY??!!!

Honestly, learning cursive was the biggest waste of my time/life. I only use cursive to sign my name. I posted forever ago on who actually writes in cursive, and wasn't surprised that not many people do.

Learning calligraphy used to be the big thing... now that's ancient news. I'm not surprised that cursive is slowly becoming outdated.

I hated/still hate cursive! I'd rather send smoke signals or morse code!

I am a regular substitute (10 yrs) for the elementary school my daughter attended. It is am exemplary school, Blue Ribbon school and well recegnized... people pay to transfer in to this school. We chose this area to live based on the school system.

I don't know about nationwide but starting in K, the children are taught the proper way to write the alphabet, names, etc.. As they move from K -1 the writing gets more detailed, they have journals, they have something to write daily in the journals and the teachers read it and comment on EACH entry.

Moving on to 2nd grade, a lot of the children are anxious to learn cursive and start on their own. There is another level of more writing in 2nd grade.

3rd grade is when the cursive is practiced daily and once the student gets through the practice cursive book and passes everything then they no longer print... ALL writing is in cursive. They have creative writing, journal writing, etc. State testing begins in 3rd grade and part of the test is writing.

This past week, the 4th graders were on writier's workshop and all the classrooms were turned into a "campsite", they wore special t-shirts, teacher dressed like camp counselors and the focus of the 2 days was the creative writing they will be tested on as well as cursive.

It goes on up the scale that way. My daughter is in 11th grade at a Sr high school which is recoginized in the top 1% of high schools in America. Yes, there are days she does take her MacBook to school for writing projects but on all major tests, they have "free response" which is writing.

Also, begining in K, the children work on a typing program "Paws in Typing Town" to learn typing as well. The computer is used a LOT but the students here also expected to have good handwriting skills.

Keep in mind, the parents are encouraged to work with the children and most in our area do. Parents need to work with the children with all aspects of their school work.

Our school still teaches it and the kids get a handwriting grade every quarter.

As far as budget cuts.....
Our community "braced" for the budget cuts when they were announced.
Spanish was eliminated as a "special" in the elementary school. The Spanish program was eliminated. Oh--also our kids didn't receive t-shirts for their field trip this year.
Interesting that in other, less fortunate districts, MUCH wider cuts, cutbacks,etc.
I know we are fortunate to be able to live in a "good" school district.
Doesn't quite seem fair that less fortunate districts have to do without basics.
NEVER have I been asked to provide items from a supply list. My child is given notebooks, journals, pencils, paper, etc. Sadly those items are a premium in other districts. How on earth can the school teach writing, math, etc. when they cannot provide paper and pencils???
Let's call it what it is. It's not "entitlement" programs that are cutting assets for our kids, it's the basic lack of mindset to put education first. Wouldn't it be wonderful if an inner city Detroit first grader could expect the same resources and education as a suburban elite child?
WHY is this differentiation allowed? Ridiculous.

ETA: Have you heard Santorum's ideas for education? Leave it up to the communities to decide what & how & where to teach...like the days of "pre-industrialized Amercia, when farmers home schooled their kids..." ???!!!
That's all well and good for communities with nannies, money, resources and concerned, available parents, but what about the underprivileged kids in urban cities? Scary!

We homeschool, because after kindergarten, my son hated school. He went to an awesome school and learned to read, write, and speak Spanish fluently. We brought him home to homeschool him and I ask him frequently if he wants to go back to school and he's always said, "No way!" We thought this homeschool thing would be a short-term solution to his issue....well, here we are in the 5th grade with him and homeschooling his younger brother and sister....who ALL LOVE TO LEARN!

We spend probably 15 minutes on it once each week STILL with our 9 year old, who is our 5th grader. He LOVES to write in cursive. I debated if it was still necessary, without knowing there was a social/educational debate going on. I bought a workbook and held onto it. It turns out, he loves it. HE feels BIG when he can write in cursive AND he also can read things written in cursive. How would he EVER read the US Constitution if he couldn't read cursive? Have you seen that handwriting?

This past Valentine's day, he bought a gift for a girl he knows and made a card for her....all in cursive. He felt proud writing in cursive and taping the card to her heart shaped gift...and when she received it, she felt important.

Our kids KNOW their way around a computer and most of our 9 year old's writing is done on a computer, for his writing assignments...but I do require that he actually writes his answers to everything on paper, so I'd say 90% is done with him actually writing and other 10% of his writing is done on computer. BUT, that being said, we have math programs and other subjects that require him to use the computer. My 3 and 5 year olds move through my iPad like they invented it.

I feel it's something they should know, whether or not they become proficient in it.

Yes, cursive is being taught in the district I work in. Is it being mastered? Nope. To be completely honest, there is not enough time in the day to teach it. With all of the federal and state guidelines for achievement in math and reading, the main focus is on those two subjects. Everything is an afterthought. The amount of learning that is crammed into every day leaves zero time for cursive instruction. The sad thing is even print seems to be going downhill. I agree, kids should know cursive, but until someone can tell me what I can get rid of to teach it, I don't anymore.

I need to add, at our schools, parents were encouraged to continue working with their children on print and cursive writing. Especially during the summer months. You would be amazed at how many parents complained. They felt like their children need time in class to "practice". Of course these were the same parents that had children that " never did anything wrong" snicker.......

I agree with you, but think back on how much time was spent learning cursive. Take that time now in a classroom, and the children will not get enough time for everything else.

The good thing is that they do touch on it in 1 st and 2 nd grade here in the class rooms. But not like we did as children. Once the kids are in 4 th grade most of their reports etc. are done on the computer.

They still hand write most of the day. And most of their tests are still on paper. But technology, is what they will need all through high school and college. They will need to be proficient, when they graduate from HS. No one writes with pen and paper in the working world.

Cursive has nothing to do with spending cuts, it is because it is not required by federal guidelines. Apparently, around here, it is still taught by the Catholic schools but not the public. I say this because the budget for a student in a Catholic grade school is about one fifth that of a public student. If they can do it the public schools should be able to do it as well.

One of the teachers told me it is not on that stupid test they take so they just choose not to teach it so they can get the kids to pass the test.

Oh it also has nothing to do with overcrowding, again using the difference between public and private, the private schools have between 30 and 35 students per class where the public schools cap between 20 and 25.

The difference is private schools do not lose funds if the kids fail the test, I can't remember the name, that was brought about from the no kid left behind. Because of this they just educated the kids. Public schools are so driven by the test they are focusing on passing the test, not actually educating. The problem with this is you lose sight of the fact that everything you teach has an effect on those test scores, not just what is actually asked.

our school district does not teach cursive .. much.. it is covered briefly..

my daughter is in kinder.. there are 20 in her class. she is advanced.. she is learning nothing in school. there are at least 4 kids in her room that need constant direction supervision and redirection. I was in her class and it was horrible. THIS IS A GOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT!!!! They teach creative writing before the kids can read. Seems like you should get everyone reading before you work on writing.. Homeschool is best for actually teaching the child reading writing and math...

i don't know what is going on. my daughters' school starts teaching cursive in 2nd grade, which is the grade my kids are in.

A.:

The money has to come from somewhere...the money is being used for other entitlement programs instead of focusing on our futures. Schools and our future leaders are paying the consequences of entitlement programs.

ETA: please don't assume that when I say entitlement programs I am ONLY talking about the poor and the elderly. Maybe we could get our representatives to forgo their 100% pay for retirement after one term of service? Imagine all the money we could save from that alone?!

I get what you are saying about compromise. However, that compromise needs to start with the knowledge and agreement that a BUDGET MUST BE PUT IN PLACE. We have gone 3 years without a budget as a country. Unacceptable. We CANNOT keep supporting programs that are taking away from our future leaders. We cannot keep spending more than we take in. It's a balance - a very fine line. it would take an adult to do it and i think that all the people on the Hill are monkeys and my kids understand money, budgets, sharing and compromise better than they do on The Hill.

Our schools in Fairfax County - teach cursive writing in the 3rd grade and that's it. It's a VERY small part of our curriculum. Most kids are learning how to "write" via computer instead of with their hands. And most schools are using computers to teach and while they "push" reading - many kids have Kindles or Nook's and don't "touch" books.

HAND WRITTEN communication matters - it's VITAL. What are you going to do when the electricity goes out? I know - sounds funny - but kids need to be able to read HAND WRITING as well as type written stuff.

So - what's going on? Simply put our schools and our future leaders are suffering at the hands of our government and entitlement programs. I would love it if I could dedicate my tax dollars to education - alas - I cannot dictate where my tax dollars go. I can only complain about it to my elected officials...start complaining. Call your employees - they ARE your employees and tell them to pull their heads out of the rear ends and start focusing on doing their jobs and using money wisely instead of pointing fingers and saying "well, he did it so I can do it too" - two wrongs don't make a right.

My daughter is in K and they are learning to print their letters in the D'Nealian way (which is with the hooks on the letters) to prepare them for cursive. I've also heard of stopping teaching cursive, but it doesn't seem to be applying at our school.

I don't know if it really matters if we know it or not. I guess my own handwriting is a combination of printing and cursive. And look at what we are all doing now - typing every last thing.

And now that I think about it, I can't remember when I've written a paragraph of anything - outside of helping my daughter at school. Any journaling I do I do on the computer (in a photobook for instance), my to-do list and calendar is on my tablet, most of the checks I write are done through my bank's on-line banking system. I do keep a paper grocery list on the side of the fridge and will send a card with a note on on occasion. And really, if you have to sign your name it doesn't have to be cursive - as long as it's consistent so it can be identified incase of fraud.

I think we can probably live without it. But it's sad to see it go away because we remember learning it ourselves in school.

When I was learned it in school, I thought it was pointless to spend so much time on cursive writing. The only time you use it is to sign your name and write checks. I think all schools need to teach of cursive is how to sign your name. Other then that you don't use the skill and the classroom time/ homework time could be spent on something more important.

My son went to a private school K-3rd. He learned cursive in 3rd. Then I lost my job there and he moved to a public school for 4th. He was the only one that knew cursive and he proceeded to teach it to the other kids in his class! His teacher realized she was fighting a losing battle and from that point on devoted a little bit of classtime every day to cursive.

our school still teaches cursive writing but I have heard that it will be phased out also and most students will be using computers for most of thier writing in school and in the work force.

Its really sad.

I hear you! I think it's very sad. Our kids attend a private, Catholic school. They start learning cursive in third grade. My daughter is in 4th grade and writes beautifully. I think they should still teach it despite the fact that most communication is done electronically. Just like they still teach long division when NO adults ever sit down and work out a long division problem at home or work.

I can't say enough good things about a Catholic education. We originally made the decision to send our kids there because we live in a very poor school district. The elementary school our kids would attend doesn't even have actual classrooms. It's one giant space with partition walls between the "rooms". When I visited, it was like you described with the teachers disciplining (yelling) the entire time. I told my husband there is no way in heck any child of ours would ever go there.

We looked into out Parish school and started our oldest there when she was in preschool. The class sizes are smaller, they have all of the extras, and there are very few "bad apples" because the school doesn't tolerate bad behavior.

Has it been easy to send them there? No, at times it has been very hard. We have sacrificed greatly to do it and it's been worth every penny. Our house is barely 1000 sq ft, we need new cars, we don't go on vacation etc... But our priority is our kids' education and always will be. Even if we can move into a better district at some point, our kids will continue to go there. We will find a house that we can afford along with the tuition.

I know, it's nuts and yes, it matters.

My children both went to public schools, which fortunately were quite good, however, I didn't expect the schools to do all the work.
I also taught my children at home, every chance I got, to supplement what they were learing in school.
I've mentioned this in previous responses....
I didn't allow my kids to use the computer to look everything up. I made them use books and other reference materials. When they had vocabulary, there was no googling. I made them use the dictionary.
My son is a Junior in High School and he's had some pretty massive projects and reports to turn in. I make him do it all the "old fasioned" way. His outline, his notes, spelling corrections, editing, his rough drafts, all done by hand. Then, and only then, do I let him use the computer for his final draft, AND he turns in all the hand written work as well.
He gets extra credit every single time because there is no copy/paste/spell check involved. And, I've found that he actually retains much more by doing things that way.

I think it's a shame not to teach cursive, even if you have to do it at home. It is, after all, a form of our written language. Perhaps the importance is not so much actually utilizing it, but being able to at least read and understand it.

Technology is great as a tool, but in my opinion, children still need to start by learing the basics.

This is just my opinion.

well, what would like to see cut? i mean, i'm with you. i think cursive is important. but i also have sympathy for the budget-strapped schools where parents still think that a FAPE means each school will be custom-tailored to their own kid's needs (not saying this about you, just in general.)
cursive writing IS becoming obsolete. keyboards are by far the main method of *written* communication these days. we may not like it, but schools are forced to look at reality, not at what we'd like. if we as parents want handwriting to stay important, we have to demonstrate reasons that it should take precedence over other subjects being cut.
keep homeschooling. it's really the only and best way to make sure that your priorities get emphasized.
khairete
S.

I have been teaching in a public high school for 12 years and students haven't been able to read it for that long. Also hardly anyone teaches how to read analog clock. Everyday of teaching is an uphill battle. We are doing our best. But think about this: how many parents do you know that are carting their kids from place A to B to C everyday. Kids have so many extra curriculars going on that no one spends time on homework to reinforce at home. Also consider in every class the bottom third isn't getting all the info and the top third gets it and is ready to move on. We spend so much time on the middle and the bottom that the top is being cheated every day. My work load has tripled in the last 3 years and my pay and benefits have been cut. After 14 years of teaching I'm very good at what I do. But republican controlled states want teachers with experience out and newer cheaper ones in. It takes 5 years for a new teacher to master teaching. At the rate we are going schools aren't going to get better.

Well, as sad as it seems to US, I DO believe the NEXT generation will be able to lead the world into a successful future WITHOUT spending an entire year of their childhood learning the lost art of Cursive Writing, which they will rarely, if EVER, use.

However, I, too, am nostalgic, so it would be beneficial to the next (and future) gens to learn HOW and WHY cursive writing was needed in prior generations. So perhaps it would be better offered as a history elective, or a chapter in art class.

But every generation of Parents, like we are now, thinks the NEXT is not equipped for life, blah, blah, blah...and yet the human race marches on, doesn't it?! It is because the next gen molds and defines what life will be like when THEY'RE in charge, not the previous generation (like us!).

With regards to our overall educational system in the US, we are still a very young country. Our educational system is infantile compared to, say, Japan. We will learn and grow, we WILL adapt. That is to say our KIDS will adapt. Country wide social change takes time, a LOOOONG time. To be honest, I already see signs of the CHANGE we need. And one of those changes is to let go of the nostalgia, the way it WAS, and look FOWARD to what the future will require our kids to be.

:)

I think it's a shame that they are not teaching much cursive anymore. It's good to use computers, all the new technology, etc., but it's something to know and use and should be taught, and sometimes you may need to have it. How much time and effort does it take to teach cursive? Maybe they could cut out some of the unnecessary time wasted in public schools to teach it. There is a lot of wasted time, maybe less on some of the other 'new' things that are in the schools. I won't go into it all but most days I think kids learn very little.

We are in an area where the School district is ok, not really good, but not really bad either. They do teach cursive writing. I realize a large majority of people do not use it anymore, but I really don't understand how it hurts to teach it. I also don't see how it takes that much away from the budget. The teacher (more than likely) knows it. It is a sad state of affairs in general in our schools today. America as a whole is getting dumber, and will soon be surpassed by the rest of the world. I don't understand why education is no longer a priority in this country. Why are we not giving our children every opportunity that they can possibly have to be able to compete in the global market they will one day enter. It's just a shame.

I think children are learning computers at home and it's not necessary to focus on it so much at school.

My daughter is in an online school and handwriting is HUGELY stressed...they actually have sentences to copy, etc, beyond all the writing they do for assignments. And that's an online school!! Yes, they are learning cursive (with the same rigorous curriculum)..and what I find funny is that my child's online school does NOT have a typing class/curriculum!!!

Yes...somehow in school I managed to learn how to print, to write, and to type. The state of our school system is in sad shape these days, which is why (among other reasons) we chose to homeschool. We are blessed to have found that in between option...the best of both worlds.

They still teach handwriting in our school, but it's not a priority.
The world is changing and our educational system must adapt. There are many benefits to handwriting, as you pointed out, but our children are falling behind in much more important areas, particularly math and science. If America is to compete globally we need to make sure we give our kids the proper skills and tools.
My son HATED writing in school until he learned how to type (in 4th grade.) After that he loved to write, and his stories and reports came to life.
Writing is a skill and an art, whether you are sitting down with a pen and paper, or in front of a keyboard, the fundamental skills are the same: organization of ideas and a clear voice. Conveying ideas in an articulate manner is all that really matters.
p.s. I happen to be a wealthy person in a wealthy district and we ABSOLUTELY buy school supplies for our kids!

Interesting to read the comments. I just came from a teacher meeting, where she mentioned that my son would learn cursive in 3rd grade. My response was - why do we still bother to teach that? I don't know anyone who writes in cursive, seems like a waste of time to me. I don't think that WRITING is a waste of time, I take handwritten notes all the time, but I print. But - you would be happy in my district I guess :)

In our schools they start cursive in 3rd grade. In 5th grade my oldest still has a cursive worksheet once a week.

Not in our area. They're still aggressively teaching cursive.