I wrote the following essay a few years ago in response to an online discussion about teaching handwriting in school. Most people advocated abolishing handwriting as a “useless” skill in the modern age. I most emphatically reject this notion for several reasons. First and foremost, we are humans, not machines. The time has come to speak out in defense of a dying art form: cursive writing.
People commonly, and, I believe, mistakenly assume that technology has made certain skills obsolete. Does the ability to twist a knob or push a button to turn on a light or heater mean one need not know how to make a fire, or light a candle? Would anyone seriously argue that because we have personal stereos, no one should bother to learn how to sing anymore? It seems unwise to assume that even the most pervasive technologies excuse one from ever having to do without them. It is important that our children know how to type, but it’s also important that they learn how to write. And true handwriting is cursive, not printing. Continue reading