Does your school district teach cursive handwriting?

[Debbie7452]

Hi,
I notice there are a lot of school issues discussed here. I am concerned about my school district not really teaching the kids how to write in cursive. Oh, they teach it briefly around third grade but then it is dropped and the kids are allowed to print everything until Jr. High/High school where they use computers for all projects. I have 4 kids at all different ages from 16-2.

When I was growing up, we were required to use cursive in school after third grade. It was difficult at first but we adjusted...

Is not requiring kids to learn cursive standard operating procedure now? I know this is not the most pressing issue in education today, but I am alarmed about it. I have A students that can only sign their names in cursive and that's it!

 

[ReneeA]

Hi,
I notice there are a lot of school issues discussed here. I am concerned about my school district not really teaching the kids how to write in cursive. Oh, they teach it briefly around third grade but then it is dropped and the kids are allowed to print everything until Jr. High/High school where they use computers for all projects. I have 4 kids at all different ages from 16-2.

When I was growing up, we were required to use cursive in school after third grade. It was difficult at first but we adjusted...

Is not requiring kids to learn cursive standard operating procedure now? I know this is not the most pressing issue in education today, but I am alarmed about it. I have A students that can only sign their names in cursive and that's it!

My second grader is supposedly going to learn next year.

Honestly, his printing is so horrendous that I wish he didn't have to learn cursive so that we could concentrate more on getting his printing recognizable.

Why does it bother you that they don't use cursive anymore? I'm in nursing school now, and I haven't written in cursive in YEARS. I print on medical charts so that I know that it's legible to every single person that reads it, and all my school papers are typed.

It's probably a dying art.

 

[aprilgail2]

my daughter learned in 2nd grade but they have not used it since. My brother is a high school teacher and he requires all reports and essays be turned in printed and not in script as he can't read half of whatthe kids write in script.

 

[luvmy3]

My dd learned in 3rd, used it it 4th but no longer uses it in 5th. My ds(3rd grade) will be learning it this year but they haven't started yet.

 

[Savsmommy]

My DD8 is in 3rd grade. They are getting ready to learn it within the next couple weeks her teacher said.

 

[ZachnElli]

We've moved alot. My oldest is in 8th grade and he's attended 4 school districts now. The first 3 taught cursive, but didn't require it. My DD is in 4th grade and while her school did teach it last year, it was not required and they didn't practice it alot. Now at this school she is required to write incursive and she's had to learn really quickly. My oldest does not have to use it in middle school. So I guess it's just in elementary here that they have to use it once it's learned.

 

[GJM]

Our school isn't teaching it. I wish they would a little. I don't use cursive when I write, the only time I use it is to sign my name and you wouldn't even know what my name was by reading what I wrote.

My DS print is also horrible, I try all the time to make him print neater.

 

[Anewman]

It is not one of those tested requirements, so schools have no real incentive to push it.

 

[themarquis]

I learned it in third grade back in the mid 80-s and hated it and thought it was pretty pointless. I think they tried to make us use it for a couple of years, but by 6th grade, you were allowed to do whatever you wanted. So for the rest of my school career (and to the present day), I print. It's just as fast to write and much more readable.

I never really did get the point of teaching kids how to write, then teaching them how to write *all over again*, then giving up a couple of years later. Waste of time that could be spent educating, IMO

 

[paintnolish]

My ds learned it in 2nd, and now dd is going to learn it, too. Both of their teachers basically said it was a "dying art." You never really use it again. Nobody writes in perfect cursive, and when you get a little older, everything of any length is typed. It just seems time could be better spent elsewhere.

 

[N&B'smom]

Yep, they learned it in 3rd grade. My DS9 is in 4th this year and they have to write pretty much everything in cursive. All of his writing assignments, his spelling tests, his book reports, etc.

Shelby

 

[JimmyPicker]

My son is in the fourth grade, and they've never taught it. Like someone else said, it's not on the test, so they don't teach it.

 

[Colleen27]

Our school is on the opposite extreme. They teach it in 3rd grade, and once the entire alphabet is introduced they are required to use cursive and only cursive. DS came home with failing grades on spelling tests because he printed in order to keep up with the pace at which the teacher read the words. If he wrote in cursive he was so slow he missed words, so either way he ended up failing. @@

Funny part is, now that he's in 4th grade no one cares whether he prints or writes in cursive.

 

[missypie]

DS has Asperger's Syndrome. His printing is terrible and his cursive is a lot worse. When I mentioned it at school, they said, no big deal, he can type everything when he gets older.

 

[mamamary]

My dd in 4th grade uses it very little. My ds in 6th gr. never used in elem. school. Now that he is in middle school he needs to use it. Needless to say his writing is horrible. Alot of stuff can be done on the computer but the stuff that isn't they want in cursive. I now know to push to cursive with my daughter so she will be more prepared in middle school.

 

[Debbie7452]

Thank you all for your responses! While I am sad that cursive handwriting is dying out, I am relieved that it's not just my district or area in which this is happening.

I guess I am old-fashioned in thinking that it is necessary. I mean when the kids are sending notes to school for their own kids someday, it seems like it will look immature that they will all be printed. I am not criticizing those of you who prefer to print..I just wish my kids knew both styles of writing.

My cursive, as a child, was horrendous looking and I got low marks for it. It's only somewhat improved, but my daughter tells me how beautiful it is all the time ! To me..it is just a skill grown ups are meant to have.

 

[themarquis]

Haha... I'm one of those ones who HATE cursive.

But if your DC is interested in learning (which I'm sure could be fun for some kids), they do sell workbooks to teach cursive (pretty much very similar to the workbooks they would use at his/her school anyway) at bookstores.

You could also pick up a calligraphy kit for your DC when they are a bit more proficient -- these include fancy paper, old fashioned in pens, and bottles of colored ink (or ink cartridges).

 

[suzimar57]

i can't remember the last time i'd seen anyone use cursive writing - it's like a lost skill (like Gregg shorthand, which i can still do....)

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Hi,
I notice there are a lot of school issues discussed here. I am concerned about my school district not really teaching the kids how to write in cursive. Oh, they teach it briefly around third grade but then it is dropped and the kids are allowed to print everything until Jr. High/High school where they use computers for all projects. I have 4 kids at all different ages from 16-2.

When I was growing up, we were required to use cursive in school after third grade. It was difficult at first but we adjusted...

Is not requiring kids to learn cursive standard operating procedure now? I know this is not the most pressing issue in education today, but I am alarmed about it. I have A students that can only sign their names in cursive and that's it!

When I saw your title, the first thing I was going to say was, "Of course they do!" But reading on, so far you're right! My DS10 learned cursive late in third grade, used it very little if ever in 4th, and rarely now in 5th. Maybe he won't be required to use it anymore! I'm reluctantly happy though, his printing is beautiful, so is his cursive, but he holds his pencil so tightly that he cramps while doing cursive...and is sooooo sloooowww...

I don't remember how often we used it, but I do remember getting a "D" in penmanship in 4th or 5th grade...

sometime in college I stopped using cursive..even for note taking (back when notes were handwritten...LOL) I only use cursive to sign my name now, even when I write out a check it's printed except for my signature.

 

[Northstar]

I think we should move cursive writing over from Language Arts to Art. Calligraphy has always been seen as a specialty skill or hobby... and now cursive writing has lost its functional role in our society, why not make it a fun art topic for those who want to develop the skill?