Current Events –
Handwriting Is Almost Dead!

Thanks to modern technology, handwriting is just about dead!

Current Events
We feared that this day would eventually come — we just didn’t expect it until the distant future. Well, the future is here. Computers, mobile devices and the Internet have made good ol’ handwriting virtually obsolete!

Do you remember the last time you actually put pen to paper to compose a letter, take notes, make a list or sign a check? Probably not, since email and texts have replaced letter writing, voice-to-text technology has replaced note taking, and online banking and bill payment services have made signing a check a thing of the past.

Sadly, we’re not just mourning the death of “cursive” writing, but ALL handwriting.  If it isn’t already dead, it’s in intensive care and on life support with no hope of survival.

Opponents of cursive say it is no longer relevant.  Even teachers are saying classroom instruction is better devoted to other subjects — like digital proficiency — and NOT handwriting.  Oh, what is the world coming to.

In Kansas, a 7-year-old girl was sent home with an almost unthinkable message written on her class assignment by her teacher: “Stop writing your name in cursive. You have had several warnings.”

HUH?

Not only did the teacher not want “Alyssa” writing in cursive, but she treated it as if the young girl had completely misconstructed a sentence by using double and triple negatives. Instead, Alyssa had merely put to use the knowledge her mother taught her prior to 1st grade: the simple ability to sign her own name. For the teacher, it was a cardinal sin.

Current Events
Interestingly, more and more schools across America are getting rid of handwriting altogether, in favor of digital instruction. Why? Because so many adults are typing or texting on their devices and skipping the need to ever write anything again. Also, these adults are creating their own language, by using “U” instead of “YOU” and “YOUR” in place of “YOU’RE,” which is absolutely butchering the English language. So, is this proper preparation for our very near future, or are we creating a generation of writing illiterates?

Although it’s true that only so many classroom hours exist in a day, research shows there are still plenty of reasons to teach and practice legible penmanship.  Studies show that printing letters and writing in cursive uses different parts of the brain, which helps to develop a child’s fine motor skills.  Kids who learn cursive have often scored higher on reading and spelling tests and shown a better ability to retain information.

A 2006 study followed children in grades 2 through 5 and showed that printing, cursive writing, and typing on a keyboard are all associated with separate brain patterns that lead to different results.  In fact, when children wrote text by hand, they not only produced more words faster than they did on a keyboard, but they also expressed more ideas.

More so, people with learning disabilities, including dyslexia or severe brain injuries, have been helped by handwriting. Also, people still need to fill out forms and sign plenty of paperwork, from lease agreements to marriage certificates.

Additionally, let’s not forget the myriad of important historical documents that are handwritten and are in cursive. Future generations who aren’t allowed to decipher cursive words won’t be able to read them. It’d be as if the Declaration of Independence was written in some confusing and squiggly foreign language.

National Handwriting Day falls each year on January 23rd, which is also the birthday of  John Hancock, the American Revolutionary leader and first signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.  This year and in honor of the occasion, people shared images of handwritten notes on social media using the hashtags #HandWritingDay and #NationalHandWritingDay.  It was a noble effort to save the art of handwriting.

Is handwriting dead?  Should we let it go by the wayside and embrace a future of texting and typing?  Or is handwriting worth saving?

OK WASSUP! covers current events.  Today’s article:
Handwriting is almost dead!