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* Indiana has made cursive instruction optional…
Starting this fall, the Indiana Department of Education will no longer require Indiana’s public schools to teach cursive writing.
State officials sent school leaders a memo April 25 telling them that instead of cursive writing, students will be expected to become proficient in keyboard use.
The memo says schools may continue to teach cursive as a local standard, or they may decide to stop teaching cursive altogether.
* More…
The debate over the need for cursive isn’t a new one. The worries range from more emotional concerns, like a growing detachment from the written word, to more practical ones, such as fears that a sloppy, simplistic and inconsistent signature is much easier forged.
Those who support the move, meanwhile, say that classroom time is limited and teachers should use the time they have to build computer skills and typing prowess at a time when more and more communication takes place online.
* The Question: Should Illinois make cursive instruction optional? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please. Thanks.
*** UPDATE *** Well, this is kinda funny. According to the Board of Education, Illinois never has mandated cursive writing instruction. It’s still an interesting question, though, so carry on.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:09 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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not sure about public schools but in my sons private school they started cursive in 2nd grade and keyboarding in 4th. worked out well and he can do both now in the 8th grade. I feel there is still a need for cursive.
Comment by Just Because Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:12 am
Kids will learn to use the keyboard at home since almost every kid has access AND is using one at home. When I was in school, typewriters. Kids need to have, at a minimum, decent handwriting, and getting away from cursive will bend the curve to the low end. Mistake.
Comment by PaGo Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:13 am
No, it should be mandatory. I’m old school, and even though I never use cursive, except for signatures, I think learning cursive is one of the milestones of life.
There is no elegance in a keystroke, no passion in a pixel, and no such thing as a “love e-mail.”
Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:13 am
I haven’t used cursive while writing in nearly 20 years. While my penmanship was never ‘perfect’ I’ve managed to earn an MBA, and raise a family all without it.
Perhaps when quill pens and ink wells become popular again we can use cursive once more.
Until then I think typing should be a mandatory course in school. That is much more important today.
Also, my mother still writes in cursive. I can barely read it. In another 20 years reading cursive will be a lost art. Similar to reading cave paintings now.
Comment by How Ironic Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:14 am
“Profficient in keyboard use”-my guess is kids are probably better with computers now than most teachers and can certainly type faster.
Comment by Shore Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:14 am
The solution is to lengthen the school day and provide more instruction time.
And before we teach keyboard use, we should require a foreign language, ideally Spanish or Chinese.
Keyboards are designed to be intuitive and require no instruction.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:17 am
Much like Latin, cursive is dead. As for having a signature as one’s identification, we’re less than a generation away from biometric identification being the standard.
Comment by God's Country Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:18 am
Yes. Even as a child I couldn’t figure out why we spent so much time on cursive. Then I couldn’t figure out why I was forced to use it in my writing for years. As soon as we were given a choice, I switched back to printing. Today I don’t think I can write a complete sentence in cursive. Spend more time teaching kids how to write, not how to shape the letters.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:19 am
I don’t think there needs to be a choice between cursive or typing — I learned cursive in second grade and typing in sixth grade — in twelve years of schooling I think there is room for both. In fact, I would rather cut back a bit on some high-level math and science than writing.
Comment by Just Observing Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:22 am
I’m surprised it’s not optional already. In my child’s public school they covered cursive in 2nd grade for 15 minutes every Friday. I am not kidding. In third grade they didn’t cover it at all. 4th grade is coming up this year — we’ll see. From this experience, I’d assumed Illinois was already out of the curriculum.
Comment by lisamarch Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:27 am
In Indiana, cursive is a waste for the forgery angle … don’t most Indianans use an “X”?
To the Question;
Cursive is important for the simple fact that kids today use the keyboard so much, that they should learn to write and be able to string 5 or so letters together in a cursive way to form a word. Next thing you know, a hundred years from now “specialists” will be needed to “read” cursive, like Latin, or Ancient Greek or Egyptian Hieroglyphs.
Cursive is important. The kids are typing faster than all of us as it is now!
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:29 am
Make it a part of arts education and maybe we can get more funding for arts!
Comment by D.P. Gumby Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:34 am
It will be sad if cursive goes away. It is still important for kids to learn now. I am 26 and always write in cursive. Many people I work with still write in cursive. Dodi Hofstetter at the Tribune Had a great editorial a few weeks ago commenting on her interns inability to READ cursive. I learned cursive in grade school and took typing in highschool. Seemed to work for me. I think part of the reason for teaching cursive is teaching students to write cleanly and neatly. Your handwriting is an extension of your personality. Sloppy is as sloppy does.
Comment by Cam McAndrews Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:37 am
We need to keep handwriting and manual arithmetic (at least up to long division) in the schools as basic skills to master.
Maybe I’m out of date already. Do we still teach long division?
Comment by John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:37 am
Outside of the classroom, in how many professions is cursive writing required?
With schools relying more on computers for instruction and feedback, what sense does it make to keep this in the curriculum? Soon all written communication will be replaced by electronic devices. Cursive is almost as dead as Latin.
I’d like to see more attention focused on the skills needed to read and compose, grammar. You can pick any style of font you like for your final product.
Comment by Wensicia Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:41 am
I recently read where young people won’t be able to read historical documents that are written in cursive if they stop teaching it! They don’t have time because Illinois (I know this is true of Chicago) has some of the shortest school days in the country.
Comment by 32nd Ward Roscoe Village Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:42 am
Yes, the fewer enforced “you must teach this” rules, the better.
Comment by Robert Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:50 am
Like the elimination of writing as a testable element in Illinois education, the elimination of cursive as a means of writing begins to gut the soul of honest communication and individuality. It is a damnable shame on us for allowing our machines to dictate our behaviour.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:52 am
As a number of posters have noted, there is little need for cursive in work or society today. Mandated subjects should be based on the needs of the children to succeed in college or have a sustainable career with competitive wages. I can’t see how cursive contributes to being a better citizen either.
Schools complain about the number of mandates. Cursive does not meet that test for a mandate. Here’s an opportunity to reduce the number of mandates by removing cursive from the list.
Comment by muon Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:57 am
the only thing I write in cursive anymore is my signature and I changed that as a kid after looking at the back of one of my fathers annual reports from some company he had stock in and seeing other ‘important’ signatures that looked like scribles.
Comment by OneMan Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 11:57 am
“Keyboards are designed to be intuitive and require no instruction.” (Yellow dog democrat)
That’s actually not true, keyboards are actually designed to be inefficient to prevent typists from jamming up the keys in typewriters.
Comment by danny Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:02 pm
I say, cut the cursive.
I’m in my 20s and could never write in cursive well and it hasn’t affected me in the least. I’m still perfectly capable of reading historical documents written in cursive. Perhaps reading cursive does need to be taught, but seeing as how in 40 years no one will write in it anymore, how they will practice I don’t know.
Keyboarding is a much more crucial skill. While I have poor handwriting, I can type 150 wpm and use keyboarding shortcuts whenever possible. This is a true skill that is used every day at home and at work; it’s what we really should be teaching kids.
Comment by danny Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:05 pm
Roscoe Village @ 11:42, there are also a number of historical documents written in calligraphic script, and there was a time when that was the standard for proper writing. Those documents may be difficult for the general public to read, but experts in the field will make calligraphy part of their training. On the other hand, I was exposed to calligraphy in art class, enjoyed it, but I did not master it and see no reason for calligraphy to be a mandate. Why should cursive be any different?
Comment by muon Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:07 pm
No…reminds me of learning how to swim before you can tread water.
Comment by Louis Howe Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:07 pm
Oh my gosh. I agree with Small Town Liberal. That is the first time in three years of reading CapFax.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:10 pm
Every 2nd grader (and younger) I have ever met says they “can’t read cursive.”
It is more about being able to read common human writing than it is about having nice penmanship.
Comment by George Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:15 pm
Terrible idea. It is a basic part of education. As others, I learned cursive then much later keyboard skills just came as the jobs required. Using the same logic, dump that trig, language translation, who needs to disect that frog, long division - please no time, balance chemical formulas- why bother. It all can be done through a screen/IPAD. No need to actually use a pencil and learn the simple basic building blocks. Students are just too smart and not enough time, even though time and constant repetition is how most people learn. The rationale for ‘no cursive’ sounds very similar to that ‘New Math’ from a decade ago. That worked well - not.
Comment by zatoichi Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:18 pm
Bye-bye. Adding an extra hump in an m and an n has never made any sense to me. Bunch of momsense.
Comment by KeepSmiling Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:21 pm
Sending/Receiving hand-written letters and notes has been replaced by email and social media. My 90 year old mother is an exception and I look forward to receiving notes from her to see cursive writing at its best - truly beautiful writing. From my perspective, I’m not so focused on whether someone writes in cursive, printing or keyboard. I’m far more interested in knowing the person can write a complete and clear thought.
Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:22 pm
Cursive continues to be the standard for communication on a global scale. Not all cultures, countries enjoy the same level of rapid keyboard communication as the US. And what about note taking when electronic recording not available?
I control and will control some hiring decisions for years to come. Don’t come looking for a job unless you can write cursive.
Comment by Cook County Commoner Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:22 pm
cursive writing releases no greenhouse gases and doesn’t rely on an electronic device…printing takes longer cuz you have to raise the writing instrument between letters…most college kids I know don’t know how to fill out a check by hand…
Comment by Loop Lady Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:33 pm
Illinois should continue to teach cursive and basic math. Otherwise the students won’t be qualified for all the waitstaff openings out there …
Comment by Retired Non-Union Guy Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:35 pm
I voted optional, would prefer to mandate the elimination of it. As I see it, he problem isn’t cursive, as such. The problem is starting cursive before kids can actually print legibly. In our system, kids learn to print one year, then the next year they are taught cursive. In later years, they discover that no one can read their cursive, so they switch back to printing, which they never learned well in the first place. Daniellian (sp?) script is a step in the right direction, but true cursive, if it is taught, needs to be taught later in school.
Cook County Commoner, you would not be able to read my cursive, but you might be able to decipher my printing.
Comment by downstate commissioner Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:37 pm
Loop Lady, I haven’t used cursive to fill out a check in 20 years. No bank has ever given me any problem with printing in the blanks.
Comment by muon Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:57 pm
So what do you do when there is no power?
It’s not such a big deal to learn writing and keyboarding
Comment by Plutocrat03 Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 12:57 pm
My concern is that spelling will become the next “optionally” taught life skill because so many of our youth use shrtnd wrds & akronims. LOL
Comment by Jake From Elwood Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 1:07 pm
What’s wrong with learning cursive and keyboard use? I learned both in school. Just think if John Hancock had printed his signature. Keep the cursive.
Comment by Jaded Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 1:10 pm
I think it is absolutely critical for students to learn to type quickly and correctly. Cursive is nice — so are calligraphy and illumination. But none of the above are requirements for most jobs these days, unlike keyboarding. I have horrible handwriting, but I am a very fast typist. And my lack of legible cursive skills has done me no harm in the workplace. I would rather see schools spend less time on cursive and more on writing — whether printed or typed.
Comment by soccermom Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 1:22 pm
Jake: Spelling already is optional…see: texting OMG!
Comment by Loop Lady Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 1:37 pm
Grown ups should know cursive.
I cant imagine signing my last will and testament
with a printed signature…
Comment by Loop Lady Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 1:41 pm
I think we should keep cursive and re-evaluate the need in 25 years.
Comment by Just Observing Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 1:50 pm
- I cant imagine signing my last will and testament
with a printed signature… -
I’m struggling to understand the idea that you have to learn cursive to be able to come up with a signature. Why don’t we just spend a short amount of time helping the kids develop a signature? Could that not be done without extensive practice writing in cursive?
Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 1:53 pm
When I was in 5th grade, we had a daily class that taught cursive writing. My teacher’s name was Ruth Birr, a no nonsense teacher who did not hesitate to correct an errant student. Years later, when I worked for her husband and found out that Mrs. Birr was a wonderful lady with a sense of humor.
Comment by Huh? Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 1:57 pm
I’m probably in the minority here but cursive seems to be going the way of the Edsel. I have never had particularly good penmanship anyway so most of the time I end up using block letters so I can read my own notes. For that reason I suppose it can be eliminated.
Comment by Stones Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 2:24 pm
What next…no need to learn to milk a cow by hand, no need to grub potatoes, or no need to know how to use a scythe for cutting grain?
Before you know it we’ll be required to use indoor plumbing.
The one and only time I use cursive is when I’m signing someone else’s name to my credit card.
On occasion I use large letters and write really slow when I’m writing my Congressman, but never use cursive.
Comment by Justice Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 3:10 pm
Just because some people have bad penmanship doesn’t mean we should get rid of cursive writing instruction. Like many things, cursive writing instruction isn’t just about learning how to write. It is also about following rules and instructions. Next they will get rid of printing and spelling. Kids know how to use keyboards, having a whole class dedicated to learning that seem ridiculous to me. Just because we don’t use something on a daily basis doesn’t mean we shouldn’t learn it.
Comment by Anon Good Nurse, Anon Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 3:14 pm
Actually, the point is development of a new style of writing that is neither traditional block printing nor traditional Palmer method, but is a hybrid print-writing that is quicker than printing, but more legible than most people’s handwriting. But old-fashioned cursive is going the way of calligraphy.
Comment by D.P. Gumby Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 3:28 pm
Anon….isn’t that what attending school is pretty much all about? Could The same arguement could be made for gym class as cursive as being part of the curriculum? I would just prefer for our young people to focus more on a skill that will be useful for them in their future careers.
Comment by Stones Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 3:38 pm
Well how about we not teach basic math anymore either and teach how to use a calculator.
We don’t really need spelling either. We have spell check…. and can you read this:
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Comment by Snj Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 4:01 pm
Here are top ten lines from our future crop’s resumes. They all passed (or past) the spell check.
10. “Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store.”
9. “I am anxious to use my exiting skills”
8. “Speak English and Spinach”
7. “I am a Notary Republic”
6. “I attended collage courses for minor public relations”
5. “Following is a grief overview of my skills.”
4. “I’m attacking my resume for you to review.”
3. “I am experienced in all faucets of accounting.”
2. “Hope to hear from you, shorty.”
And the most embarrassing one to finish off our list:
1. “Directed $25 million anal shipping and receiving operations.”
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Friday, Jul 8, 11 @ 5:10 pm