Lazy and Illiterate Teachers

I still remember the bump on my finger caused by so much writing. Cursive writing! In fact, I still have the bump bacause I have never stopped writing. But now that we are in the 21st Century it has just become too much for teachers to take the time to grade students handwritten work. So in comes the 20th Century buzz word "technology". Forty-one states have adopted the standard English core curriculum which does not require cursive writing. The ACT test also does not require cursive writing. So today, in our modernity, we have grown men who print their signature, who can't read cursive, and think that being a big baby is no big deal! Well,it is a big deal and the lack of writing and reading skills creates a huge disconnect with the history of the English language,the history of literature, the art of letter writing, and the history of education; with history period! How are students to study copies of the Declaration of Independence, the writings and personal journals of our forefathers, even the journals of their grandmothers? This is pure laziness and sloppiness personified in our teachers. We are getting fooled on every side and bombarded with psycho-babble. The great American posture of today is head down, shoulders humped, looking down at a smart-phone, fingers flying! Why not put those flying fingers back into the true art of flowing hand-written reports and letters to lovers. Cindee Will, assistant principal at James Irwin Charter Elementary School of Colorado Springs, maintains that choosing to teach cursive is not about aesthetics or preference, but about giving children the mental tools needed to read English. She explained to the Denver Post that the threaded letter strokes help guide students' eyes left-to-right and definitively correlates reading with writing: "When kids get to third and fourth grade, when they're supposed to be composing, they can use more brain space for content than mechanics," Will says. That rationale is intensely applied at Camperdown Academy in Greenville, S.C., a private school that teaches dyslexic children how to cope with their learning disabilities. WYFF reports that Camperdown teachers use cursive handwriting extensively, as the built-in mechanics of the craft teach students how to group words in the proper order and make it more difficult to swap letters. One teacher told WYFF: "They do so much better if they can interact with what it is they're learning." An article in the NYT recently stated: Jimmy Bryant, director of Archives and Special Collections at the University of Central Arkansas, says that a connection to archival material is lost when students turn away from cursive. While teaching last year, Mr. Bryant, on a whim, asked students to raise their hands if they wrote in cursive as a way to communicate. None did. That cursive-challenged class included Alex Heck, 22, who said she barely remembered how to read or write cursive. Ms. Heck and a cousin leafed through their grandmother’s journal shortly after she died, but could barely read her cursive handwriting. “It was kind of cryptic,” Ms. Heck said. She and the cousin tried to decipher it like one might a code, reading passages back and forth. “I’m not used to reading cursive or writing it myself.” Also whatever happened to the wisdom that writing help to hone fine motor skills? How about filling out applications? Are you going to print your signature? Plus many employers require sample hand writing of a paragraph. They can tell alot about the type of person you are just by your writing ability, the preciseness and neatness of your work and the pride you take in your work. Lack of writing skills may also be one reason for plunging international rankings across all 'academic' categories. Well, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Scrolls and all)! As for me and my school, we will continue teach cursive and to require cursive in workbooks, reports, sentences, etc. etc!