Stop Teaching Handwriting

[Feralpeg]

Children no longer need to learn how to make their own soap, how to use an abacus or slide rule, nor how to hand write things.

Make handwriting an art, alongside calligraphy, perhaps.

Hard to believe, but there are people in the world who do not have access to a computer.

I know people who no longer think it necessary to teach spelling. Their justification is that people can read things phonetically...like texting. I disagree!

 

[monkey68]

I think kids should learn how to write in script. Writing in script can be a lot faster for many people since you don't need to pick up your pen. I take all my notes in a print/script hodgepodge. It is much faster than straight print. And then what happens when a kid who never learned to read or write script can't decipher some text from our history? Maybe they'll discover some letters written by Ben Franklin that had never been found before, but they wouldn't be able to read them.

And all the arguments about kids being dyslexic, or having coordination issues always bugged me a bit. There are kids with number dyslexia, but we still make them take math. There are kids with bad hand-eye coordination but we still make them take PE and play basketball. Some kids are not good at reading, but we still make them do it. So if a kid has a bad handwriting, we shouldn't make them learn to write because it's bad for their self esteem? What about the kids that have difficulties in other subjects? Besides, I'm sure there must be something about maybe encouraging more use of the brain with handwriting. Teach the kid to focus, concentrate. Doesn't seem like a bad thing to me. The more parts of a kids brain that can be used, the better.

 

[barkley]

I think kids should learn how to write in script. Writing in script can be a lot faster for many people since you don't need to pick up your pen. I take all my notes in a print/script hodgepodge. It is much faster than straight print. And then what happens when a kid who never learned to read or write script can't decipher some text from our history? Maybe they'll discover some letters written by Ben Franklin that had never been found before, but they wouldn't be able to read them.

And all the arguments about kids being dyslexic, or having coordination issues always bugged me a bit. There are kids with number dyslexia, but we still make them take math. There are kids with bad hand-eye coordination but we still make them take PE and play basketball. Some kids are not good at reading, but we still make them do it. So if a kid has a bad handwriting, we shouldn't make them learn to write because it's bad for their self esteem? What about the kids that have difficulties in other subjects? Besides, I'm sure there must be something about maybe encouraging more use of the brain with handwriting. Teach the kid to focus, concentrate. Doesn't seem like a bad thing to me. The more parts of a kids brain that can be used, the better.

i have a kid with motor skill problems that makes writing horrendous for him-BUT I AGREE WITH YOU.

just over a year ago my dh and i sat in on a meeting with a school whose i.e.p. staff (save one person) was ADAMANT that because dh has issues with this we should abandon ever requiring him to write and start teaching him to DEMAND HIS RIGHTS to have a scribe and voice reccognition software. we were flabbergasted. our son can write-it's not pretty, it's difficult for him-but he can write. we (and the one lone staff holdout) were shocked that anyone would say that there is 'NEVER' (and these people did say this) a necessity for a person to be able to write. we pointed out how he would need to be able to write in his personal life (can't have a scribe 24/7) and was called upon to fill out hospital admission forms or other items of necessity that could'nt wait. we pointed out how teaching him to no longer write at all would likely result in the loss of the writing skills he currently possesses. it was insane.

we ended up consulting with other occupational therapists who were unanimous in their agreement that children with fine motor skills that IMPACT (not prevent or exclude) writing should at the very least be taught and encouraged to use traditional writing (and actualy cursive is easier for them due to it's fluid nature, no stops and starts in a word). with our ds repetative practice (his school teaches handwriting with daily assignments from 1st-8th) does nothing to improve his skills-he has topped out to as good as he will be. to that end he is only required to do one handwriting assignment a week (a paragraph they have to copy). other than that he is permitted to type most writing assignments (and once we let him do this his creative writing skills became apparant-he always held back because he wanted to keep the physical writing down to a bare minimum). he has to keep his writing skills together though-things like math require them as well as things he will need to be able to do as an adult (fill out the paperwork at an e/r, exchange information at the scene of an accident, fill out a permission slip for a future child, jot down a grocery list-sure there may be automation out there that can do this, but the reality is that 'accomodation' can for these types of situations be either (1) unavailable or (2) far more cumbersome to utilize (and an accommodation is supposed to put a person on a level playing field-not make small tasks more cumbersome and time involved).

 

[Feralpeg]

I think kids should learn how to write in script. Writing in script can be a lot faster for many people since you don't need to pick up your pen. I take all my notes in a print/script hodgepodge. It is much faster than straight print. And then what happens when a kid who never learned to read or write script can't decipher some text from our history? Maybe they'll discover some letters written by Ben Franklin that had never been found before, but they wouldn't be able to read them.

And all the arguments about kids being dyslexic, or having coordination issues always bugged me a bit. There are kids with number dyslexia, but we still make them take math. There are kids with bad hand-eye coordination but we still make them take PE and play basketball. Some kids are not good at reading, but we still make them do it. So if a kid has a bad handwriting, we shouldn't make them learn to write because it's bad for their self esteem? What about the kids that have difficulties in other subjects? Besides, I'm sure there must be something about maybe encouraging more use of the brain with handwriting. Teach the kid to focus, concentrate. Doesn't seem like a bad thing to me. The more parts of a kids brain that can be used, the better.

I agree. Some things will always be more difficult for some kids than others. That doesn't mean they shouldn't try. My brother is dyslexic. He managed to learn to write in cursive. He did struggle, but in the long run, he learned and it helped him.

I know I will get flamed for this, but I believe we make too many excuses for our kids. No one ever said learning is always easy, but it is always worthwhile. You can never learn too much. Ever skill you master may come back to help you in the future. I think the idea of our kids not learning writing skills is just another nail in the coffin of our failing education system. Some day, we will look back and see that making things easy for our kids wasn't such a great idea.

 

[gina2000]

I beg all of you to teach your children to write legibly regardless of whether it is printing or cursive.

You try reading 75 open-ended questions at a clip. It's a middle school nightmare. And quite frankly, if I can't read it, I don't care if the answer contains great pearls of wisdom or not. If I can't read it, I can't appreciate what's written. If I can't appreciate it, you aren't getting the benefit of my full attention. And your grade may be in the toilet as a result.

 

[barkley]

I agree. Some things will always be more difficult for some kids than others. That doesn't mean they shouldn't try. My brother is dyslexic. He managed to learn to write in cursive. He did struggle, but in the long run, he learned and it helped him.

I know I will get flamed for this, but I believe we make too many excuses for our kids. No one ever said learning is always easy, but it is always worthwhile. You can never learn too much. Ever skill you master may come back to help you in the future. I think the idea of our kids not learning writing skills is just another nail in the coffin of our failing education system. Some day, we will look back and see that making things easy for our kids wasn't such a great idea.

no flames from me.

my kids got a great lesson on the importance of learning HOW to do something vs using the 'easier' automated method last winter when we had a terrible storm that knocked out power for several days as well as disrupted sattelite transmissions.

there were stores with items on the shelves that people NEEDED-cashiers could'nt figure out how to add the prices (printed not bar coded), use the sales tax charts or make change without calculators (batteries were long gone, and the solar powered ones were kaput). those stores could'nt operate. the ones that could were those where the staff knew how to do the manual process. gps was'nt working so unless you could read a map to find the alternate routes to get around the road closures you were stuck. some medical providers were totaly reliant on automated perscription writing systems-and you could have a significant delay if they did'nt have a manual system in place

 

[DisneyWalle]

I am so thankful that I homeschool my son. My son is 8 yrs old and is within 59 weeks of the completion of 3rd grade. He can print, write in cursive and use a computer to complete his writing work. His handwriting is beautiful and easy to read. Board posts like this one, only confirm that we are doing the right thing in homeschooling.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

start teaching him to DEMAND HIS RIGHTS to have a scribe and voice reccognition software.

I have a question--what happens when a child who has had a scribe and voice recognition software do all his 'writing' for him in school has to go out in the REAL world after graduation and fill out paperwork for a job?

 

[moon]

Hard to believe, but there are people in the world who do not have access to a computer.

I know people who no longer think it necessary to teach spelling. Their justification is that people can read things phonetically...like texting. I disagree!

Good point. I don't think anyone should be penalized for not having access to a machine.

When I was back in HS, I had to write a research paper. This was back in the late 80's, so kids were still using typewriters for this kind of work. There were reasons why I hadn't access to one, so I wrote it by hand -in cursive. The teacher was always complementing my handwiting (I've only written in cursive since second grade) and told me my paper was the best one in the class, yet she gave me a C+ in presentation (A+ in content). I thought that was unfair, but she gave me that grade because it was handwritten.

 

[Lanshark]

Let's not teach writing because they'll use computers instead
Let's not teach them how to spell because there is spell check
Let's not teach them to add/subtract/Multiply/Divide because they have
calculators
Let's not teach them to read because there are audio books and computers

Before you know it I'll be able to retire and you'll all be homeschooling your children on how to use technology.

 

[ksumn1]

I have a DD who's in Kindergarten and she HATES handwriting practice. SHe tries very hard but if it's not perfect, she has to redo it. I think we should teach print and stress neatness. I think cursive should also be taught but let's face it...not all people have perfect, beautifully formed handwriting no matter how hard they try.

I actually recieved a note form my DD's teacher about why I ALLOWED her to turn in a handwriting sheet where the writing was still too big. It was sent home for correction because the letters were too big. My Mom made her redo it and I checked it at home. Still too big so I made her redo it AGAIN. Teacher sent a note home that it was still too big and I should not have sent it in. Yes, it was still a little too big but every time she wrote smaller, it was too messy. Keep in mind, she spent over 3 hours on the paper and finished it the morning after breakfast then took it to school. The kid had too sleep.

I think that perfection may be the standard but effort should also count. When a child really tries and it's still not perfect, yet perfectly readable and the letters are formed correctly why should they still "fail". Keep the standards reasonable. Readability should be the goal as well as neatness.

 

[Feralpeg]

I have a DD who's in Kindergarten and she HATES handwriting practice. SHe tries very hard but if it's not perfect, she has to redo it. I think we should teach print and stress neatness. I think cursive should also be taught but let's face it...not all people have perfect, beautifully formed handwriting no matter how hard they try.

I actually recieved a note form my DD's teacher about why I ALLOWED her to turn in a handwriting sheet where the writing was still too big. It was sent home for correction because the letters were too big. My Mom made her redo it and I checked it at home. Still too big so I made her redo it AGAIN. Teacher sent a note home that it was still too big and I should not have sent it in. Yes, it was still a little too big but every time she wrote smaller, it was too messy. Keep in mind, she spent over 3 hours on the paper and finished it the morning after breakfast then took it to school. The kid had too sleep.

I think that perfection may be the standard but effort should also count. When a child really tries and it's still not perfect, yet perfectly readable and the letters are formed correctly why should they still "fail". Keep the standards reasonable. Readability should be the goal as well as neatness.

Don't they still use the lined paper that tells the child how large the letters should be? If not, then I would suggest the teacher get some.

I agree that teachers should not expect all students to have beautiful handwriting. My handwriting is not beautiful at all. It is, however, neat and easily read. That is the important thing.

 

[7165red]

I just remembered I once got a job because of my handwriting. Handwriting was not part of my job but the boss judge by the applicants handwriting.

 

[bicker]

There is a difference between printing and handwriting. Indeed: Printing is "important". You need it to fill in applications and other forms. Note how forms say "Print", not "hand write".

 

[themarquis]

There is a difference between printing and handwriting. Indeed: Printing is "important". You need it to fill in applications and other forms. Note how forms say "Print", not "hand write".

I just started to notice that some people on this thread are confusing the two....

No wonder some people seem incredulous that the schools might not teach "handwriting" (that is, printing). Of course children need to know how to print. Even with technology, most of us print almost every day (filling out forms, writing letters or notes, writing in a diary, writing on a whiteboard, etc.)

The relevant question is -- does it make sense to teach our children to print, wait until they have mastered it, and then RE-teach them how to write (using a totally different script -- that is, cursive), then wait until cursive has been mastered and then tell them we don't care what they use (hence encouraging most of them to go back to printing). The whole thing makes no sense to me, is not necessary for communication, and is a huge waste of precious learning time.

 

[Lanshark]

We work very closely with our OT in helping the student learn cursive. Once they learn they are allowed to choose whether they want to print or use cursive.

Personally, if I am giving a spelling test I want the student to use the method they are most comfortable with. I've given assessments where a student will get hung up because they can't remember how to make a certain letter. I always tell them to use what is most comfortable for them.

 

[bicker]

The relevant question is -- does it make sense to teach our children to print, wait until they have mastered it, and then RE-teach them how to write (using a totally different script -- that is, cursive), then wait until cursive has been mastered and then tell them we don't care what they use (hence encouraging most of them to go back to printing).

But it goes beyond that -- we don't "tell them we don't care what they use" -- Can anyone name anything professional, outside of school, for which handwriting is preferred over printing?

 

[Aliceacc]

The relevant question is -- does it make sense to teach our children to print, wait until they have mastered it, and then RE-teach them how to write (using a totally different script -- that is, cursive), then wait until cursive has been mastered and then tell them we don't care what they use (hence encouraging most of them to go back to printing).

(The bold is mine.)

That's where you lose me. Why on earth would that encourage them to go back to printing??

My 8 year old is THRILLED to be learning cursive. Her 10 year old brother's script is far more legible than his printing.

And when did our kids suddenly become too stupid to handle cursive? I'm never in favor of the "dumbing down of America."

If we're going for strict Utilitarianism, then why teach Algebra, since not all will need it. (Note: I'm a math teacher.) Why teach literature at all? Why teach geography when so many kid have access to a GPS?? Why teach spelling when there's Spell check, or Grammar when there's grammarcheck? In fact, why teach writing at all? Why not just teach keyboarding???

Why teach anything beyond how much salt to put on the fries???

 

[DisneyWalle]

I am so thankful that I homeschool my son. My son is 8 yrs old and is within 59 weeks of the completion of 3rd grade. He can print, write in cursive and use a computer to complete his writing work. His handwriting is beautiful and easy to read. Board posts like this one, only confirm that we are doing the right thing in homeschooling.

Sorry, I needed to correct a mistake in my orginial post. My son is within 59 days of completion for 3rd grade.

 

[Kath2003]

When I went for my interview to get on my teaching qualification course, they gave us a handwriting test. There's absolutely no point in being allowed to teach if the students can't read what you've written on the board or as feedback for their work. Equally there's no point in a student submitting a long piece of work if I can't read a darn word they've written. I get that some people find it harder than others and I don't expect every person to be able to write in cursive, but legible would be nice...