Can your children write in cursive?

[Ginny Favers]

Yes my DD9 can. She was taught in school. Me, trying to help her get the letters right? I was lost. I haven't done a cursive S in forever. And I'm not sure when they changed the cursive Q from looking like a 2 to more like a print Q, but that happened.

 

[luvsJack]

To the signatures being expected--DS recently bought a house. They did not physically sign one piece of paper. Every bit of it was done electronically with a PIN number (they each had one).

DIL bought a car the same way.

I have noticed many places here are wanting resumes to be submitted electronically so while cover letters may have a cursive font, they are not signed by the sender.

I think handwriting is just something that is no longer being utilized and will someday be obsolete.


I think the amount of time spent teaching it when my sons were in school was a huge waste of time and resources. Neither one's handwriting improved all that much when it was being hammered to practice, practice, practice in 6th grade.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

My 7th grader can but my 5th grader can't. They don't really teach it in 3rd grade anymore but sent sheets home to practice. DD practiced, DS didn't. I worry about note taking in college. Maybe it's all being done on laptops???

College???? A few of our local school systems already have laptops for high school, middle school, and this year two elementary schools. Kids rent them at the beginning of the year just like books.

 

[mom2rtk]

It was still taught when our youngest went through our grade schools. Not sure now. I'm glad all 3 of ours can read and write it. At the time my daughter was learning it, I know other schools near us had already abandoned it.

I'm sad to think that one day kids won't be able to read the letters they find in attics as parents and grandparents pass on.

 

[Flight]

My school district no longer teaches cursive. Laptops are now common in the classroom. However, I know of one private school in our area that still teaches and uses cursive.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

I asked my oldest child's teacher when they would learn cursive and she said "they don't test on it, so we don't teach it." He's 18 now. I worked on it some with my daughter but since she never used it regularly, she has not retained it.

As for the laptops in college, DS18 is a freshman and they are not allowed to bring them to class. He has a disability that causes a lot of joint pain and we had to apply for an adaptation through the disability office for him to be able to use his laptop in English class because the teacher often has them write essays in class.

 

[Rhombus]

Yes my DD9 can. She was taught in school. Me, trying to help her get the letters right? I was lost. I haven't done a cursive S in forever. And I'm not sure when they changed the cursive Q from looking like a 2 to more like a print Q, but that happened.

I never liked the cursive capital Q that looked like a 2. In fact, while using cursive, I've changed most of the capital letters at the start of sentences or proper nouns into more block style letters.

The capitals F, T, S, Z, and G I learned were also kind of ridiculous looking.

 

[kamik86]

I'm 28 and although I learned cursive and can read it, I never use it.

My signature is kind of cursive... but only kind of. Its less obvious now that I'm married but when my last name started with a G I definitely never did the capital cursive G... that was printed.

As for signatures. My mother and one of the people at work that sign docs both still write in the perfect handswriting cursive for their signatures. I could copy their signatures so easily its not even funny (I have done mom's to prove this point). My sister however has a signature more like mine... You can kind of tell her initials are J B but yeah that is all you can even read... however it comes out the same every time. I cannot fake hers.

So if anything maybe your better off with a messy signature... that is for places you even actually have to sign... when using a CC you can just put a line across the screen and every store at least in my area will take it.

 

[deedeetoo]

I think cursive is dying out and will be gone soon. There is really no purpose for it. My kids are both teens and can write their signatures. They learned cursive back in 3rd grade but I don't think either uses it other than signing things. I also only use cursive for signing. I haven't written anything in cursive other than my signature since elementary school. Yes I printed my notes all through high school, college and grad school. It wasn't a problem.

 

[kamik86]

As for taking notes... I have always written faster printing then in cursive... just because I was so much more familiar with it. I type even faster then that. I can take notes in meetings or when I was in college in class just fine either way.

 

[weeniecat2442]

I'm 32 and remember the handwriting teacher coming into our 2nd grade classroom a few times a week to teach us.
I write in cursive everyday- it never occurred to me that some people might not know how to read it as I didn't know it wasn't being taught much these days.
Interesting.
I just find it quicker to write in cursive verses print.

 

[mjkacmom]

Cursive is just one of those dying fads. I learned cursive as a child and the only thing I use it for is my signature. Even when I take notes I print. I'm fine that they don't teach it. I'd much rather they focus on more important things. I'm 36.

I do think it's a dying art, but certainly not a fad, since it's been around since at least the 1400's, and was modernized to the one we use today in the 1900's.

 

[Lisaloo]

None of my kids (12, 14, 15 and 17) know or use cursive.

 

[Happy Gal]

They think they can, but I'm sure that they are more talented and are writing in Hieroglyphics

 

[superme80]

My kids will learn it, but we are not there yet. I think I will start teaching my oldest next year.

 

[wenrob]

To the signatures being expected--DS recently bought a house. They did not physically sign one piece of paper. Every bit of it was done electronically with a PIN number (they each had one).

DIL bought a car the same way.

I have noticed many places here are wanting resumes to be submitted electronically so while cover letters may have a cursive font, they are not signed by the sender.

I think handwriting is just something that is no longer being utilized and will someday be obsolete.


I think the amount of time spent teaching it when my sons were in school was a huge waste of time and resources. Neither one's handwriting improved all that much when it was being hammered to practice, practice, practice in 6th grade.

When we bought our house about nine months ago everything leading up to closing was done with electronic signature but the final paperwork for funding was all handwritten signatures and initials. A stack about four inches tall. We both had hand cramps because we never write that much anymore. I would bet most places do as you said though, ALL electronic.

 

[DopeyDame]

My kids go to a Montessori school and they actually teach cursive and not print when kids are first learning their letters. So all the 4 and 5 year olds know how to write really well in cursive. Im not sure how valuable that really is but it's a neat little party trick

 

[Art 1]

Yes. In two languages.

 

[havaneselover]

College???? A few of our local school systems already have laptops for high school, middle school, and this year two elementary schools. Kids rent them at the beginning of the year just like books.

I'm a bit confused??? My DD has a laptop for middle school as do all middle and high schoolers in our county. My comment was specific to note taking as that was where knowing cursive was important because it's so much faster.

 

[Jaya]

My daughter was taught cursive in the 70's, but my granddaughter was not taught cursive in the 90's. I remember her coming to me and asking, "Grandma, can you teach me curtsey?" I said, "You mean how to curtsey? You just hold your skirt out and bob down." She said, "NO! Not THAT curtsey, the other curtsey! You know, just like letters but ROUND!" She did eventually learn cursive but is more comfortable with printing.

I do a combination of both. All the good Sisters in the world couldn't teach me good handwriting. I was hopeless and still am.