Should we encourage penmanship instruction in school?

A friend of mine went to school in Canada where handwriting instruction was given, but then moved back to her country where it was not taught or encouraged, and she lost the art. 

Yesterday I stumbled upon this letter to me from my friend Suzanna. (You can click on the photo to make it bigger.) I have never not drooled over her handwriting.  <whine> Why don't I write like this? </whine>

I've been told I have nice handwriting but I'm always comparing mine with Suzanna's, so mine never measures up.  Suzanna's writing is always consistent.  She doesn't have bad writing days.  I do.  (Actually, this IS her bad writing day.)  Her capital C's are always perfectly curved, her little S's are always the same and perfectly pointy, her little R's are perfection.  She doesn't have many extra lines coming in and off of letters.  Her writing is crisp and clean.  Mine is not.  

The thing is, Suzanna spent a lot of time practising her handwriting.  I know because we've discussed this.  Does anyone do that anymore?  

I've heard that some North American schools, like those in England, no longer include instruction on cursive handwriting.  Is your child's school one of them?

My son's school does still instruct on this. (I think.)  And my son is very interested in perfecting his handwriting, which pleases me, even though he may never send a thank you card to anyone. By the time he's grown, will people still send postcards?  Handwritten letters?  Christmas cards? If it can be made on a computer, will anyone ever think to make it by hand? 

People used to be hand-writers for a career.  If you really wanted to fancy something up, you'd hire a calligrapher.  Of course, they still exist, but then so do blacksmiths. 

Do people value nice handwriting anymore?  Is it a dumb, vain ambition to want to improve your handwriting?  Do people even consider it possible or do they just think of their handwriting like their fingerprints, like we're destined at birth to write a certain way?

Heber J. Grant, a late prophet of the LDS church, was teased in school for his handwriting.  He said, "These remarks, while not made to hurt my feelings but in goodnatured fun, neverhtheless cut deep, and aroused within me a spirit of determination.  I resolved to live to set copies for all who attended the university and to be the teacher of penmanship and bookkeeping in that institution... I commenced to employ my spare time in practicing penmanship, continuing year after year until I was referred to as 'the greatest scribbler on earth.'"  He later won first prize in a penmanship contest and did go on to teach it at what is now the University of Utah.  [Teachings of Presidents of the Church; Heber J. Grant; page xii]

His signature:

 
 
 Maybe I should start practising my handwriting.

Daily Gratitudes

1. Every now and then my sewing machine's tension stops working. Nothing I do to adjust it works. So, I set it aside for a few months and then when I go to use it again, it's all fixed. This has been happening for years.  It fixes itself. Or the elves come out at night. Either way, I'm grateful because I don't even know what any of the parts are called nevermind how to fix them.
2. Jude and I found some decent used furniture at an out-of-town shop, for our bare basement.  Three solid wood pieces: $150. 
3. I have not forgotten preschool today.  I have forgotten for weeks but not today.
4. It's been very sunny the past few days.  Glorious. 
5. I'm almost done making Christmas presents. Just have the kids left. Hooyah!

Comments

[LaurieBee]

We were just talking about this yesterday in a staff meeting. The 19 year olds are being hired that can't read handwritten notes because they didn't take cursive writing in school. I find that very sad indeed.

[Natasha]

Wow. See, not being able to read cursive writing seems pathetic to me. Right up there with not being able to tell time on an analog clock. WTH?

[Casey]

I was just talking about this very topic with my staff yesterday as I moaned that my child will be getting a B in Handwriting (he's in 1st grade). The teacher is extremely strict. They are printing, though, and not learning cursive. Which I think is a shame.

My Mother was a professional calligrapher and practiced and practiced her craft. Probably because I spent years drooling over her beautiful penmanship, I wrote and wrote and wrote, practicing my own skills.

I receive compliments on my handwriting all of the time though the style changes with my mood. I typically write in a fluid cursive, but if I'm feeling hip, it looks more modern, and when I'm doing something artsy, I revert to a architectural-style block print (which is very cool, by the way).

I think handwriting is a very personal expression from a person and cursive is a very beautiful way to express one's individuality. I am sorry to see schools dropping it from their plans-

[Emily]

Penmanship is very important to me. I home school and have been ashamed of my childrens' terrible writing . . . until this year. I found Italics Beautiful by Penny Gardner. While the cursive isn't quite as lovely as I will eventually require, their letters are beautiful (not blocky or half cursive/half print like that ugly D'Nealian). Now, instead of cringing at the sight of my children's papers, I stare with delight. So much better!

[Brandi]

My son learned cursive when we lived in Maryland, but the schools here in Georgia don't teach it and he gets in trouble(!) for writing in cursive.

I think it's a nice skill to have, but not a necessary.

To be honest, now that I rarely hand write anything (not even shopping lists--I type those too), my handwriting has become horrible.

Kids don't even pass notes in school anymore--they text.

O.K., now I'm officially feeling old.

[Clear2Go]

I had a discussion with a friend of mine about this just a month or so ago. She like your friend has wonderful penmanship. She also has taken and practices calligraphy. I was surprised when she said she isn't worried that her son's penmanship (he is 8) is not wonderful. She feels that by the time he is in high school and university writing will no longer be required.

My daughter is 9 and she is the same. She can read and write, but her penmanship isn't great. That being said she can type on a keyboard and make her way around a computer no problem. I personally feel those are more valuable skills.

I suspect with the improvements in voice recognition, touch screens (think iPhone screen on keyboard and eBook readers), typing will be close behind penmanship over the next few years.

[gina]

It will be a sad day if people stop handwriting anything - even Christmas cards! I hope that day never comes - it won't for me. I love sending and receiving handwritten letters - but like everyone else, it happens less often. When I do... my hand hurts in a hurry because I rarely do it - that tells me something. Thankfully, my children's school teaches cursive - if the schools ever stop, I will teach them myself. Handwriting will always be ESSENTIAL in my book. Interesting, about Heber J. Grant. I love his signature especially after hearing his story. That story says a lot about the kind of man he was & how he became that way. :) Fun post!!

[Natasha]

It's completely possible to be able to type and write well and I don't see why either should be neglected!

I even don't like it when people type out entries for their scrapbooks. So what if your handwriting isn't perfect? It's PERSONAL. I'd hate to flip through a scrapbook my mother made and have no signs that SHE did, in fact, make it. I love looking at my husband's somewhat messy writing and recognising it as his. Anyone can type a message and print it on a piece of paper.

No matter what your writing is like, isn't wonderful because it's yours and it's unique?

I am particular about what pen I use. I can only use thin rollerball or thin felt pens (I prefer black) or pencils. My writing is pretty horrible with a ball point pen. Although there was one brand of Pilot pens that made my writing look nice.

Gina: Yes, he was doggedly determined about a lot of things: penmanship, singing, baseball. He became an expert at all. It's a good story for me to have read right now because I really forget that with enough practise anything is possible. I give up too easily.

[Steph]

My children's prior schools paid no attention to penmanship. This year their new school finds handwriting to be very important. Needless to say this was a shock for them. I always regret that I never practiced my handwriting more. I am encouraging my kids to not repeat my mistake.

[gabriellevalentine]

When I married Brian, I was impressed to learn that he'd practiced (my american spelling, there) his handwriting for years during his teens. His signature is beautiful with big swirls and loops and looks like calligraphy. I've saved all the notes he handwrote me and I'm always amazed that a man wrote them. It makes them more romantic, I think.
I think it's kind of sad that things we did even 10 years ago are being taken over by technology. Like handwriting stuff.

[Celeste]

I read a recent article on the internet that talked about how penmanship will be obsolete in the future. Schools don't have room for it in their curriculum and there is no need for it because of electronics. Sad.

They used to grade it. I always received poor marks, but then, I'm left handed. I got so sick of the comments that I started to practice and now everyone says I have beautiful handwriting. A teacher I once had, told me that they used to teach it in school and one of the exercises was to draw loops in a continuous circle so that it looks like a tunnel (does that make sense?). It's like writing big, fat, round, cursive "L"'s and making them close enough that a string of them looks like a tunnel. I do this all the time, forwards and backwards. Other people doodle houses and roses. I doodle cursive tunnels. It does help.

[Charlotte]

I have lived in 4 school districts (3 states) since my kids started school and all taught handwriting (some emphasized it more than others). Cursive is taught in 3rd grade and my kindergartner & third grader have handwriting practice every night (one learning print and the other cursive). I've never heard of it not being taught, that would be very sad indeed. Some of my kids are good at it and others prefer a more sloppy approach.

[Donnika Phanor]

I have very beautiful and unique penmanship(handwriting); I literally get compliments from EVERY person who see it. I am very interested in having a font made out of my writing. Any suggestions? Thank you, Donnika Phanor @ lovlil8t@hotmail.com