Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Why I am Happy My Son is Learning Cursive

"How was school today?" I asked as I picked my son up from school.  I got the usual quick responses of 'it was good' and 'can I play the computer when I get home?'

Later during homework he showed me something, he now knows how to write A,B, C and D in cursive.

"That is cool you are learning that!" I told him.

I have heard that many schools are not teaching cursive anymore.  I honestly didn't know if my son's school did or not.

Many seem to be saying there is no longer a need for cursive.  With the advent and continual rise of technology everything is available in print.  I know my husband is a big fan of technology.  He loves going to the kiosks at the movie theaters, 'to avoid human interaction as much as possible' he jokes as he inserts his card to pay for our tickets.

I obviously like technology also- I am a blogger after all.  To me though, there is still something I love about holding a real book; something fulfilling about getting a blank notebook and just writing in it.

As a pre-teen my favorite place to go was Walgreen's to walk down the school supply isle.  I loved pens and notebooks.  Something about having a blank notebook just made me have to write!

Things have changed, things will continue to change.   There will always be those who push for more change and those who fight wanting things to be like 'the good old days'.

I think as with everything in life, it is a balance.  There is good and bad from both, the key is to somehow embrace and find the good of the new without losing the old.

So, I am glad my son is learning cursive.  Besides, if they stop teaching at least the foundations of cursive, how is anyone ever going to know how to sign their name?

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Since it is Tuesday I am linking up with some other great Tuesday meme's.  IA and Shawn's Talk to Us Tuesday and Stacy Uncorked's Random Tuesday


Stacy

22 comments:

  1. Our state pulled it from this year's curriculum, but added it back after some complaints. I'm like you, how would you sign a document if you didn't know cursive? Next thing you know, we will just be signing with a fingerprint!

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  2. I hadn't thought about the fact that if they don't teach cursive, how will they learn to sign their name? I'm glad Princess Nagger's school still teaches cursive - even though she complains when she was a cursive assignment. ;)

    Jennifer Lawrence Can Do No Wrong, Neil Diamond’s Generous Soul, Auntie Anne’s Fun: Random Tuesday Thoughts Rebel

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  3. I'm glad he's learning cursive too. We need the basics still! Ugh, what is happening to the world? I am right there with you. I have a love/hate relationship with technology, and I love the smell of a real book. I loved buying school supplies, even well into college, when I should have just used a laptop. :-) I'm so looking forward to buying Piglet his first backpack, and teaching him to write his letters.

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  4. My son is only in second grade so I don't know if they're going to teach him that but I'm honestly kind of hoping not. He has a terrible learning disability and it's focus is on reading and writing. I'm having a hard enough time with regular printing, I'm not sure I can handle teaching him a whole new way of writing.

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  5. I'm glad your son is learning cursive as well! my step-daughter made me promise that if her school didn't teach her cursive, that I would.

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  6. I will say I rarely use cursive except for my signature...but yes there is nothing like a good book or a new notebook!

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  7. I was so upset when I heard they weren't teaching cursive anymore. I think it's important...I really do. I'm so glad he's learning it, and hope my boys learn it as well!

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  8. I'm thankful he can learn to write...to me, being literate is reading and writing...and not just hitting keys on a keyboard.

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  9. My nephew was complaining last week about cursive writing and how it's "stupid". He's 7. I turned to my brother-in-law and said, "Is he really learning cursive?" I had also heard that most schools weren't teaching it anymore, but he assured me that yes, indeed, Caden was learning it in school. It made me SO happy!! I still love real books, notebooks, pens... and when I write, I prefer to do it in a scribbler with my own handwriting instead of a computer.

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  10. Another thought...if we don't learn cursive...how will we read cursive when doing family history and things like that! Yikes!

    I'm pretty ok with technology (except the whole ebook taking over thing cause I like to hold books) but I think that kids these days are allowed to be WAY too "plugged in"...social interaction will diminish and other things as well...that's my biggest fears.

    Plus handwriting is so fun--I mean it shows so much personality..>I would hate to see a day where no one handwrites anything anymore :-(

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  11. I know that my school teaches cursive and has no plans to eliminate it. And if they decide to, I'll fight them tooth and nail.

    I make my kids write all the time....and I love buying notebooks for them to doodle in.

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  12. I wish that they would stop teaching spelling... just kidding, kinda. ;-)

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  13. the scary part is how things are changing that most of your basic skills are not being taught I have been teaching my son how to balance a check book because they no longer teach that skill in math.

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  14. My only complaint with cursive handwriting, as a teacher, was that it was taught too early. Here it's usually during 2nd grade which is funny when kids are still learning to read and then we teach them to write handwriting that they aren't reading. When I taught the strugglers I always told them I didn't care if they didn't write in cursive. I wanted them to get the down what they needed to and not worry about handwriting. I figure as long as you can express yourself I don't care whether you print or do cursive. I don't agree that we can get rid of handwriting completely because of technology. They would simply have to have EVERYTHING imaginable computerized in order to do that. That's not going to happen over night.

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  15. At our school system they actually don't teach cursive or multiplication tables anymore. Absolutely the stupidest thing I've ever heard!

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  16. When I found out schools were going to stop teaching cursive I almost fell out of my seat! As soon as I learned cursive it was all I wanted to write in, I would spend hours just writing because I love to write. Still to this day I write in cursive 90% of the time. It's ridiculous they are taking out of the curriculum.

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  17. Good for your school!
    Our schools have been debating this. Makes me sad.
    There is nothing more beautiful than a well written HAND written letter.
    I treasure those old recipes and cards from my grandmothers.
    Their handwriting was impeccable.

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  18. Our students still use it. When I taught in the classroom however, I didn't have the kids use it, because they didn't practice enough and it was a MESS and almost impossible to read!

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  19. I am with you on that one! Dylan is learning cursive at his school, and I'm really happy about that. I, too, have heard about schools not teaching it.

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  20. Typing is just not the same as writing with a pen. I'll never stop my handwritten journals!! I love pens! I love cursive too. I hope my kids learn it - sad that some kids aren't!

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  21. I love cursive and I hope it doesn't become a lost art!

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  22. Good point about signing your name! Hahaha. I never thought about it with that angle. I am sad that some schools aren't teaching cursive anymore, though, because I worry about geneology. Most records from way back when were written in cursive, and if kids aren't learning it, they wont be able to read those old records. I am glad your kids are learning cursive, and I really hope mine get to learn it too. Besides, I love to write in cursive. I have the same love with the school supply isle as you do. I still have a notebook that I am saving for something special that I bought a few months ago at Target. :)

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