Tuesday, January 19, 2010 Cursive handwriting: A lost art?
Recently, I was discussing the school year with a fourth grader and asked if this is the year she learns cursive writing.
My mind raced back to my most creative years — not of creative writing, but of cursive writing as an art form. A time in my life that defined my penmanship as an expression of who I was. It was at that point I decided my writing would be neat, organized and beautiful. I discovered the flowing circles and waves that made an ‘a’ exquisite. I perfected the sharp, angular lines of a backwards capital F to have it reflect the proper flair seen in classic examples of the written word.
Fourth grade was the time in my life I developed that dry rough callous on my right middle finger, where the pencil sat while I practiced those curves, arches and angles that created beautiful, flowing words, defining my style to the reader.
Handwriting no longer important?
The fourth grader’s response to my question? The students could use whatever writing is easiest for them — print or cursive. She much prefers the cursive, she said, and spends most of her non-school hours perfecting her writing.
Will cursive penmanship and the hand-written word have a place in the lives of the next generation? Will our children develop a cursive writing style displaying their own personality and creativity? Will they know the appreciation that comes with receiving a hand-written letter from someone who took the time to create a piece of hand-written art?
Penmanship, personality
Our company recently welcomed a client to our offices with hand-written notes from each employee displayed on a lobby wall. I found it fascinating that no two notes were alike. Each expression was written in a style as unique as the individuals who make up this company. It gave the client a tiny peek into each of our personalities. All written with the warmth, excitement and passion we feel for the work we do on this clients’ business. To me, it was proof that the art of the written word is not lost at all.
Reader Comments (6)
Great post, Kim! I, myself, always got in trouble for my cursive not leaning enough to the right and as a left-handed student that was a hard standard to live up to!
I've found that my own handwriting style has changed over time. As life gets busier and more hectic, my penmanship has become less precise and neat. I think I'll make a point to slow down a little bit and give more care to my handwritten word.
I love this post Kim; I've always felt that a handwritten note conveyed a personal touch that is often missing today in our practice of quick-hit, abbreviated communications. I know I appreciate receiving a hand-written note and try to make a practice of doing that when ever sending someone an article of interest or a thank you. - I've also caught myself taking special care to make my penmanship reflect well on me (unlike my note-taking scrawl)
Kim - this is a great post. Interestingly, I gave up writing in cursive when I was a senior in high school, because I thought printing was neater.
Thanks for sharing this article.Cursive writing become disappeared now days.
Handwriting matters ... But does cursive matter?
Research shows: the fastest and most legible handwriters avoid cursive. They join only some letters, not all of them: making the easiest joins, skipping the rest, and using print-like shapes for those letters whose cursive and printed shapes disagree. (Citation on request.)
Reading cursive still matters -- this takes just 30 to 60 minutes to learn, and can be taught to a five- or six-year-old if the child knows how to read. The value of reading cursive is therefore no justification for writing it.
Remember, too: whatever your elementary school teacher may have been told by her elementary school teacher, cursive signatures have no special legal validity over signatures written in any other way. (Don't take my word for this: talk to any attorney.)
Kate Gladstone — CEO, Handwriting Repair/Handwriting That Works
Director, the World Handwriting Contest
Co-Designer, BETTER LETTERS handwriting trainer app for iPhone/iPad
http://www.HandwritingThatWorks.com