Whitney Siders
When asked to write on the chalkboard in class a few days ago, I automatically wrote in cursive because that is what I have done since fourth grade. My professor pointed it out, and I must admit that it looked out of place next to the neighboring words that were written in print. Beyond being able to scribble a signature, it seems that few individuals write in cursive anymore. Cursive writing seems to be somewhat rare even among adults, and it has also come to my attention that many elementary schools are no longer teaching students how to write in cursive. Additionally, if they are teaching the skill, the students are not necessarily encouraged to use the method in their schoolwork.
I believe I started learning how to construct cursive letters in the third grade, which rolled over to fourth grade. Though we were not forced to write in cursive for all of our assignments, it was strongly encouraged and even required for our final drafts of written papers. The instructions from my fourth and fifth grade teachers remain etched in my mind. Our teachers explained that writing in cursive was much faster than print and we would be able to take notes more easily. This logic made sense to me and I was also attracted to the artistic aspect of the script-like writing.
Indeed, I personally feel as though cursive writing has made a major difference in my learning process. Personally, in order to fully grasp most subject matter, I must actually write out every detail. This leads me to believe that other students may learn in a similar manner. Writing by hand automatically forces you to focus on the words that you are writing, as compared to typing the letters into a digital device where they are only processed mentally and visually. When you add the physical, fluid motion of cursive writing, you are forced to focus even more as each letter must flow nicely into the next.
The deliberation involved in cursive writing is inevitably a more thoughtful process than typing. Each manually written letter is much more meaningful than the letters that can be swiftly deleted by the press of the “backspace” key on a keyboard. Kids may not be learning to write in cursive anymore, but they are learning to type as technology is becoming an integral element of education. This is merely one of the ways in which schools are becoming more standardized, as is much of modern society.
Communication is even falling into the groove of digital processes. E-mail has been an amazing advance on the basis of convenience and time efficiency, but perhaps it is time to consider what we are sacrificing. Receiving a handwritten letter in the mail is much more meaningful than the flood of e-mails we receive on a daily basis. Handwriting is a personalized means of communication. The flawless, identical letters of a digital journal viewed on an electronic screen does not compare to the unique, individualized letters that are etched into the crinkled pages of a handwritten diary. But, is it simply a nostalgic idea to preserve cursive writing? Does it really matter in the digital world we live in today? The answers are endlessly debatable, but I truly believe that there is weight behind the desire to save this deliberate, artistic and personalized means of writing.