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Cursive writing...Or is it cursed?

I saw a news report last night that because of the internet, cursive writing is an endangered species.

I am left handed and I have always thought cursive writing was cursed. My cursive writing has always been illegible and during elementary school we were graded on writing. My perpetual "D" in writing kept me off the honor roll several times.

Also a cursive capital F is very similar to a cursive capital T. This, and my mouth, got me into trouble in the sixth grade. We were taking a true and false quiz and had to grade someone elses quiz. I got one with the letters "T" and "F" in cursive and capitalized and in my head processed them all at T's. The teacher called me up to the desk and started berating me in front of the class about that. After looking him straight in the eye and telling him in a very loud voice "nobody's perfect" which was one of my favorite phrases at the time, I was told that I had to stay in from recess for the next week, after which I let out a primal scream. He then sent me to the office, following me with the paddle(that was legal in 1968).

Anyway, if Mike Skala would have either printed his answers of used cursive lower case letters, that would have saved me some embarassment.

I have printing exclusively since the seventh grade. And if cursive dies, I may send flowers to the funeral.

Related story on WKYC.com.

Another related story on Grand Traverse Herald.

Comments

islandgirl4ever2 said…
Hi Cliff,

Interesting... I don't like to print or write in cursive because both are terrible. My French students have such nice writing. They learn cursive at age 6 here in France, by the way. The French style of writing- both cursive and printing are different from the U.S. styles... Take care and have a good day...
Leesa
February 18, 2009 8:16 AM
Anonymous said…
My handwriting has always been awful. I suffered a lot of verbal abuse in elementary school for it too! I do agree that printing does seem to be more readable than cursive. I wonder why.
February 18, 2009 9:05 AM
clean and crazy said…
now how could they censor cursive writing? That is just silly. I am going to tell you something someone told me a long time ago. Everybody is born right handed, only the truly gifted can over come it. I too am a soth paw and i am proud of that, but I don't understand why cursive writing would be done away with.
I learned to turn my page sideways so I wouldn't have to turn my hand to write and I think my cursive is very nice now. People always comment though on how I write it is funny how righty's just don't understand.
February 18, 2009 9:19 AM
Cliff said…
CNC, you've got me wrong. It's the use of computers and modern technology overall that is "killing" the use of handwriting.

My handwriting has always been horrible, and that's due to some lazy habits as well as being a southpaw.

I also had a speech impediment until I was 8 years old because of lazy speech habits.
February 18, 2009 9:43 AM
Busy Bee Suz said…
Great post. I think it will be gone too...no one seems to write by hand much anymore. Even in school the kids do much of their work on pc's.
I do like to write though, but my cursive is mixed w/ print.
you know, NOBODY'S PERFECT.
(that just cracked me UP)
February 18, 2009 10:14 AM
Pat Jenkins said…
i heard left handed people are that way because they were dropped on their heads as babies... any truth to that?
February 18, 2009 11:35 AM
Anonymous said…
Oh Wixy, I feel your pain. I went to a catholic school and we too were graded for our penmanship. To this day I print and have ever since I left that beloved school. It takes entirely too long to write cursive. I'll write the eulogy LOL!
February 18, 2009 12:43 PM
Jessica said…
Thanks for the poem Cliff... You did put a big smile on my face.
February 18, 2009 4:23 PM
SandyCarlson said…
This southpaw says to heck with script and the loads of third grade time dedicated to this nonsense. Such a waste.

I was tortured by teachers who didn't know what to do with me and my sloppy left hand. I remember them well. That taught me about cruelty, not communication. So this is good news, Cliff.
February 18, 2009 9:16 PM
Jen said…
My son who is 20 never would write in cursive. He always prints. I don't think he ever got in trouble at school for it either, they didn't seem to push it. His printing is okay, but I have to use a magnifying glass to read it, and that was before I needed bifocals. Any way--- cursive is a dying thing and personally I think it is Sad. I think computers are to blame and so are our schools.
A lot of left handers have a long history of writing problems and I also think teachers need to give it a rest, and help kids with the issue instead of what they did to you.
February 18, 2009 10:08 PM
david mcmahon said…
I should go back and look at what my handwriting was like when I was at university!!
February 19, 2009 4:00 AM
Tim Lones said…
I was never good at Curive, but writing pages and pages of notes at Bible College really ruined my handwriting..Now when I was to write a letter of importance, I use WordPad..lol
February 19, 2009 10:43 AM
ArneA said…
You are my favorite POTD today
February 20, 2009 3:30 AM
Jinksy said…
Maybe we should all take up brush lettering, like Chinese or Japanese - some of the most beautiful scripts calligraphy has to offer.
February 20, 2009 8:00 AM
Deb said…
Hi ~ I am a fellow leftie and an 'oddity' since I have excellent handwriting BUT only because I hold my paper and pen as a rightie - which sent my teachers over the edge! I wrote a post about it a while back - the 'penmanship' teacher and I had an ongoing war. So...Lefties Unite!Congrats on POTD over at Authorblog!
February 20, 2009 8:14 AM
Louise said…
What a fun post! I've never liked those "F's"and "T's," either!

Over from Authorbblog.
February 20, 2009 10:38 AM
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