We’re just back from our global trip in search of cursive. Don’t unpack yet.
I’ve got a cross-country jaunt I’m inviting you on!
Grab some snacks and hop on board!
We’re on a search for the state of cursive in our United States!
A SALUTE TO OUR TEACHERS!
Before we embark, let me salute the work of our teachers here in the USA.
Your workload expands each year. You are told what to teach…to get the students test-ready!
Your creativity is dampened. Yet, you have to be mom, counselor, and teacher to so many!
Thank you for all you do!
WHAT STATE IS CURSIVE IN?
From my research, the state of cursive in the States appears to be somewhat askew.
It’s all over the place.
As of 2020, twenty one states require the teaching of cursive writing.
That’s 42%…still less than half of the states.
HERE’S THE SCOOP!
Most of these 21 states start teaching cursive in 2nd or 3rd grade.
How long they teach appears unclear. Most stop teaching it at 4th or 5th grade.
Hats off to Mississippi. They teach it through 8th grade.
A big bravo to Louisiana. “In the 4th grade to the end of the 12th grade, it is taught and embedded into the school curriculum.”
Many of these states discriminate between learning it and teaching it with proficiency…which is huge!
Introducing it is one thing…but teaching it to mastery is VITAL for it to “stick!”
FURTHER FINDINGS
Time is a big culprit with teachers. They are overloaded with mandates on what to teach.
Keyboarding & technology have replaced the teaching of cursive in many areas.
Most nations in the World are equipping their young people with cursive..the ability to read, write and sign their name.
How are we setting our students up for the future globally?
WHAT DO STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY?
I mentioned in a recent blog post about the granddaughter of a local salesman who learned cursive
and was asked not to use it at her new school because her teacher couldn’t read it!!!
I pursued it further and had the privilege to interview her.
Here’s her take on cursive in the United States.
This precious young lady…we’ll call her Faith… attended private school
where the children learn cursive in 2nd grade and use only cursive in 3rd grade.
The learning objective is to have the children practice and improve their handwriting that 3rd year.
It’s the old saying, “Practice makes permanent!”
TOO MANY CHOICES
It seems we leave much room for choice here in the United States.
With cursive it’s…”If you like it, you can use it. If you don’t, you don’t have to.”
As a result, we see high school and college graduates,
who don’t even KNOW how to read cursive, write cursive, or sign their name!
It just doesn’t look smart!!!
BACK TO FAITH…
As Faith grew in her cursive writing skills, she found she preferred it to printing.
She says: “It’s neater, easier, and looks more professional.
And as you use cursive, you build your personal signature.”
In 7th grade, Faith transferred to public school. “It was so different,” she added.
As she wrote in cursive for classwork, her peers couldn’t read what she wrote.
When the students swapped papers to grade, Faith had to grade her own.
No one could read cursive!
Her 5th period teacher called her to his desk one day
to tell her she had to print her work instead. Why? He couldn’t read it!
Responding to his request, Faith found it took forever to print.
She says it was a hard transition.
JEALOUS!!
I asked how her peers valued cursive.
“They almost seem a little jealous that I know it,
and wonder why it wasn’t taught to them,” was her response.
She elaborated. “Many of my friends want to learn cursive.
They want help with their signature, since we have to sign our names to our syllabus.
They ‘squiggle’ their name.
So I’ve helped some of them.”
SQUIGGLING…
Squiggling for a signature? It reminds me of kids who pretend to do cursive when they are very young!
“Of all the differences we can have in Society, why must it be with cursive?” Faith continued.
“It’s like those of us who know it (cursive), are being discriminated against for how we write.”
“Cursive benefits our future. It’s a way of writing.
We need to bring it to the School Boards. They need to come to our side.” she concluded.
I left the interview impassioned more than ever!
TEENAGERS WANT THEIR SIGNATURE!
There are high schoolers who want to learn cursive! They want to have a signature.
And…those who do know cursive, are set apart because of it? What is going on??
Thank you, Faith, for your commitment to cursive! May you continue to raise the bar!
WHAT’S NEXT?
So there you have it!! We’ve toured the World. We’ve trekked the United States.
What an eye-opener from a student’s perspective! So many questions!
My heart is full! Please join me!
Let’s sound the “clarion call for cursive” here in the USA!
Carry on with your cursive, awesome Readers!!
Encourage others to do the same!