"And the survey said"
This is really just a quick little survey, and that is if some of you all remember. I have a mixed group of followers some with kids my own age, some empty Nester's, some school teachers, etc......
My son Jack just started fourth grade. First assignment yesterday was to write numeric numbers in cursive. Well guess what? He only touched upon it toward the end of last year. To the lack of my awareness, he really should know somewhat how to do this. Do you recall when you learned cursive? My older boy informed me he started to learn in second grade. Of course we were in a different school system. The teacher did reassure me he is NOT the only one. There are a handful of kids that will be working in small groups now to catch up on this. Just thought I would put this out there and see what y'all had to say.
For the record my cursive handwriting is mediocore at best. My husbands, terrible, and my older boy terrible. How is your handwriting?
Sad to see that in our generation we write very little. No more hand written letters, no more hand written reports, etc.....I think the kids are missing out in a way...what do you think?
Labels: cursive handwriting
posted by Debbiedoos @ 3:30 PM
54 Comments:
In our school district, we teach the kids in third grade. About half have mastered it by the time they reach 4th, but half still struggle. As an elementary school teacher, I know that all 3rd-5th grade teachers should be helping the students work on it.
Debbie, thanks for joining my blog. Im a school teacher, and although I love technology and having typed papers I still believe in handwriting, and cursive. Our school focuses on that in its lessons!
Savannah and Sammy both got it in the third grade; Thom is autistic, so he learned in middle school. I have the kind of practiced flourished penmanship they taught Southern girls in the 60's, the children's is barely passable, and I halfwway suspect my husband is illiterate and is just faking it by scribbling on paper.
I don't remember when I learned cursive, nor do I remember the last time I USED it except to sign my name.
Hand writing is a HUGE deal in elementary school which totally disappears (as long as what they write can be easily read) in high school and beyond. Word processing is where it's "at" now.
I am a high school teacher and I really HATED reading papers written in cursive - - - too hard to read. Most students do a nice little combo of printing and cursive which they can do quickly and clearly.
Elementary teachers HAVE to have SOMETHING to worry about - - - -let it be cursive.
Debbie, my kids learned in 3rd grade but they rarely need to use it.
I remember having a full section in class in the 3rd grade... 4th seems a bit late. But then again, that was a long time ago! Different part of the country, too. To this day I get a strange enjoyment out of writing in cursive... haha
I really can't remember when I or my kids learned cursive {I seem to be the only non~school teacher commenting so far!}. Both my daughters prefer printing. It seems everything for the 4th grade up is done on computers.
xoxo
Jane
Hey Debbie,
I think I learned cursive in about 3rd grade. I remember how much I loved writing way back then (I'm 53) and to this day I still love using it, but they may be because I like the creative side of it.
Wow, that has been so long ago that I had to strain my brain. I remember learning in 2nd grade but it was a continued thing through 3rd and 4th. I used to love to write. I still try to write when I am sending letters to my elderly family because of course they have no email! However, when I am in a hurry, I type a letter and send it to them. How funny to think about it!
I do remember my English teacher from freshman year. She was a bit eccentric but she taught us "beautiful penmanship is mastered by keeping the wrist straight and using the arm"! She had BEAUTIFUL handwriting!
I think my kids learned cursive in 2nd or 3rd grade. It's been too long and I can't remember. My oldest always hated writing and has been doing book reports on the computer since 3rd grade. We requested this from her teacher. She is the fastest typist I have ever seen, but her cursive is terrible. I can do calligraphy ok, but my everyday handwriting is awful. My husband has a difficult time with cursive, as well. It doesn't matter when your son learns it, just that he does.
One of my friends said that I write like a psycho path. Not sure what that means but I'm sure it's not good. Anyway, I guess my writing is poor but I can type like no tomorrow!
Around here, they learn cursive in 3rd grade. That's when I learned it back in the 70s as well as my children today.
I'm a teacher's assistant and I have 4th & 5th graders who struggle with it. I'd say 95% of my students print.
Here in New York, there is sooooo much emphasis on state testing, that things like cursive writing & learning basic math facts have taken a back seat to higher learning. It's a shame really. How do you build on something if the basics aren't there?
Funny, I was thinking about cursive the other day! I'm not sure I even remember how LOL! My handwriting now is like a slanted, connected print, not true cursive. I think I learned in either the 3rd or 4th grade. My 7yo has been asking to learn cursive, so it will give me a chance to brush up on my skills!
Mary Ellen
I remember learning that in third grade. It is true nobody hand writes letters any more. All this darn technology we just type and send everything. I don't write worth a flip. I usually print.
Both of mine learned in 2nd grade. By 4th they had to write ONLY in cursive.
i think i started to learn in late 3rd grade and continued into 4th...i remember even as a child i always loved cursive writing but i love fancy printing also. i have been told by many that i have beautiful writing...but i also know that through the years i have combined my printing with my cursive together..i bet my mom still has my papers from back then!!
I was taught cursive in the second and third grade in the 1968 and 1969. I once had beautiful handwriting but twenty-five years of nursing has pretty much ruined it so says my hubs. Now that I am retired it is improving as I have slowed down. It is a shame this is a lost skill to many. hugs♥olive
My sons went to private school and it was a long time ago...they learned some sort of transitional writing, I forget what it was called, in the second grade, and this was supposed to help with cursive. It was inbetween both, but very pretty really. They learned cursive in third grade. It's funny, my younger son, who is now 28 had beautiful hand writing until high school and then it became messy.
I completely agree on the lost art of writing! Fortunately, my oldest (which is my only boy in school at the moment) is in private school where they began focusing on penmanship early on. As for me, I LOVE giving and getting hand written notes and invitations! It makes me feel special =)
My daughter learned last year in the second grade. In fact, her cursive is prettier than her handwriting and she loves cursive.
I write. My husband writes.
We both have terrible, terrible, terrible handwriting.
I have osteoarthritis in my hands and if I write very long they get really sore but that isn't the reason my writing is terrible - it was terrible before the arthritis manifested itself.
I believe that I learned in 2nd and 3rd grade. I definitely prefer my cursive writing, much prettier than printing. I usually use cursive in my scrapbooks. My brother, sister and I once typed up my grandma's old recipes for our mom and promptly threw away the handwritten ones, not knowing she would have kept them just to have that piece of her mother! Don't think that love notes or any of that other stuff has the same appeal as it once did because it is missing that personal touch.
Ave is in the 3rd grade this year and she said they will learn this year. I remember starting in the
3rd grade, but maintained a C until 6th grade, upgraded to a
B-. I too think technology is taking over, but it is an art form that should not be lost(even though my writing is a weird hybrid of print/cursive).
My mom taught me to read and write in cursive long before ever starting school at age 5.
My problem was the printing..
hated it and would not do it at all!
still detest printing anything..
Loved to write and I have a beautiful penmanship.
Still do handwritten correspondence as do most of my peers.
My hubs, a physician, has typical doctor scribble..but really takes his time when sending cards and letters..he hates computers.
My son has a weird printed sort of handwriting which is easily read.
It is such a shame that basics are no longer being taught or utilized in todays world.
Believe my children learned in 3rd grade but they NEVER use it and they are in grad school & college now. I feel when my daughter (19) was learning it, the teachers did not spend as much time on it since the children were also going to computer lab in the 3rd grade and the emphasis was computer skills. They probably teach that in kindergarten now! My handwriting (printing with some curly-ques and connected letters....not true cursive) is ok. My husband's is horrible....always has been but even worse now that he is a doctor. Believe in med school they teach them how not to write!
I wish I had better handwriting! They really emphasize it in my son's school and I think they start in the 3rd grade. I'm glad because I do wish someone would have pushed me more in that area!
Vanessa
http://southerninmyheart.blogspot.com
Hi Debbie,
I just found your blog through your comment on my moms blog (Kris at Simplify). Your blog is great and I watched your you tube video at the bottom of your blog and oh my gosh you are hilarious! That was so much fun. Lookout Oprah! ;)
-Genn
Yes, the way of the hand written word is nearly gone. Kids today, they barely know what a typewriter is. I can't remember when I learned. But I do know that I appreciate a written note in the mail!!! Good luck!
Gosh, to be honest with you I don't remember when they learned cursive. My 2 older boys went to private school for several years but my youngest only ever went to public and I know his writing was much better than the 2 older boys. I know it was somewhere in those elementary school years that they learned it.
The really sad part is once they hit junior high you really don't even see their handwriting anymore, they wrote everything on the computer and printed it out. When my oldest son was a junior he failed a poetry assignment because our printer was broken so he handwrote it instead of typing and printing it...I was LIVID to say the least that handwriting something was grounds for failure.
I do send handwritten thank you cards to family members tho, I think it's important to do that...esp. the older folks:) My handwriting is average I guess but I notice since I rarely write anymore my hand gets sore sooo quickly!!!!
I think I have a pretty good handwriting but my husband's? You can't read his, lol. I cannot remember when I learned cursive...Christine
I believe we started in 3rd or 4th. Don't feel badly. I had to work one on one with my 6th grade teacher because my cursive was so hard to read. I went from that to having people compliment me.
Take heart, I saw a segment on CNN this weekend where they were interviewing college professors who said cursive writing is obsolete and that most people (me included) write in a sort of hybrid handwriting (half print, half cursive).
Not bad for a leftie, but then my Mom is a leftie and taught first grade... So, I do pretty well on this test of yours today.... plus no catholic school for this kid.
Hi Debbie,
Handwriting (in my day called penmanship)is definitely becoming a lost art. I remember learning in the 2nd grade although it wasn't until 4th grade that my wonderul teacher showed me that if I changed the direction of how my paper was situated on the desk (opposite of the way taught in the 2nd grade) my left hand writing wouldn't be leaning backwards; and she was so right! I'm still grateful for that teacher, Miss Mills, but my writing that used to be beautiful isn't as neat anymore--much more rushed looking.
My son learned in 2nd grade too. This year our grandson begins 2nd grade, and his printing isn't very developed yet, so it will be interesting to see how he does with cursive. He's a wiz on the electronic gadgets though; and my 4 year old granddaughter can operate her DVD player, etc.--amazing to me.
How long has it been since you wrote or received a handwritten note? They are few and far between, aren't they?
Love your blog. Peggy
My son will begin learning cursive this year in second grade. His 'regular' handwriting is so awful, I can only imagine what his cursive will look like~ yikes! I cannot imagine they will use it often, as I never ever use it. But you're so right about the lost art of a handwritten note. On the flip side, though, it does make it really special to receive one!
I don't remember but I am thinking my boys learned it in 2nd or 3rd grade too! They are'nt very good at it though! It seems there was more emphasis on cursive hand writing back when I was growing up. I remember being very particular about my handwriting until I learned how to do calligraphy (in highschool) then I adopted a cursive handwriting of my own that is somewhat like calligraphy with letters that do not connect, but not as exact and fancy as calligraphy. Of course I had to be an original! Handwriting was very important to me!
Our school does teach cursive handwriting- I think they in the 3rd grade. But I know it is something that seems to be going away. Too bad, Cursive handwriting always looks so nice.
Okay, Debbie there are 5 kids at our house right now and I polled them this questions (all go to the same school)! 3 said 3rd grade and 2 said 2nd grade. I have noticed that some teachers teach it better than others (sorry teachers). It is sad that we don't write as much as we use to, I have noticed that my hand writting isn't as nice as it use to be...but my typing has greatly improved :)
Wendy
I learned in third grade and by fifth, we had to only write in cursive. I have really nice handwriting. I get comments on it all the time. My printing is crazy neat as I had to make sure kids could see it and read it while I was teaching. As much as I love handwriting and the beauty of cursive, I also know there are some kids out there that just can't do it. Believe me... I have had to try to read their writing!!! I wish it could be taught, but then you do what works for you and is most legible!!!
i do a weird combo of writing and printing LOL however, my mom won a penmanship award when she was in school! :D
I've heard rumors that cursive will cease to be taught in the near future.
It makes me wonder if my son's may find my husband's and my love letters to one another one day and not be able to read them because they are in cursive. That would be sad....or maybe not ;-D.
Brittany
http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com
The best I can remember I started writing cursive on the cave wall with a stick.....Don't really remember what grade I was in!!
Carol
Is cursive that thing you do with pencils??? I forget!
LOL Debbie, this post cracked me up! I am a third grade teacher in AZ and to be honest....I didnt even use cursive (other than signing my name...which is border line cursive) until I started teaching it in 3rd grade. And my first year teaching...let's just say I was learning as I went. After the 3rd year, I can proudly say that I have BEAUTIFUL cursive :)
Kara
I remember it was third grade for me. My hand writing is terrible.
I don't remember when we learned it. I have two daughters, one about to go into 5th grade, and the other into 3rd grade. They started learning and practicing it in 3rd grade here, but really start to hit it hard in 4th grade.
I love it when someone has beautiful cursive handwriting. Mine is pretty nice, I spent a lot of time getting it just right. My husband's is horrid and he ends up printing most of the time.
It seems like it is something that has gone by the wayside. I half expect in a few years that they will have "Texting classes" focusing on acronyms, abbreviations and how to get your thumbs to move faster. ;-)
I have a weakness for pretty looking handwriting. I really try to make mine as neat as possible. Sometimes it becomes a little uncool looking.
Deb, I think I have complimented you earlier for your beautiful handwriting on the chalk board in your kitchen. I remember pretty handwriting.
We learnt cursive writing at ages 4-5 yrs here, but I think Jack is doing okay because kids now use computers a lot. I saw my first computer in standard V.
well i learned in yhe second grade i always wanted to write nice i would try and try .Although i did go to catholic school and they really pushed it back then .And i think you have good handwriteing.Mabey because i was a lefty the nuns didnt like it so my Dad would sit with me for hrs and try and teach me righty:)
I absolutely agree! Even though my yougest son has difficulty with his hand coordination, I still think he should of had more practice. The teachers never even tried to teach him cursive.
He's has a program called 'Dragon Speak'that he speaks into and it types for him on the computer. He's had it since we moved to Iowa 5 years ago. It was recommended by his doctore and specialist since he was 11, however the school back home refused to get it. It helped him be even attend college. However I see programs like this one used by many, many people who don't Need them, just for Convenience. Then last week I saw on a cable news channel that many colleges are going to give every student a version of 'Dragon Speak'. what so they never Have to write or even type anymore. That is just lazy and sad for our society.
Great Post and subject, Debbie!!
Hugs,
Coreen
I agree with you that the new generation is missing out on the hand writing part. I find myself prefer to typing more now too..
I love cursive and think that my own handwriting is pretty good. It has declined as I've gotten older (hasn't everything!) but the more I practice the better it gets. I hope my kids are able to learn it in school.
Liz
The Nifty Nest
I still use cursive. My sixteen year old son learned in the 2nd grade, but does everything on a computer. His penmanship is horrible. He turns in most of his homework (except calculus) to his teachers via internet-how things have changed since I was in school!
I think we began to learn cursive in 3 grade - many, MANY moons ago.
Handwriting was a class in which we were graded from then on. It appeared on our report cards!
I was never good at it. I grew up to be a calligrapher. Now my writing is all but illegible. Go figure.
We started at the end of 2nd and had to master it in 3rd. I remember because I loved how my teacher, Ms. Dominick would write on the chalk board....I was in awe. This was in 1971!
Pretty sure it was 2nd grade for my kids but that was awhile ago.. They both have nice handwriting and still enjoy writing real letters..
Sonny
I know positively that we were learning 2 letters a week for the lst quarter of first grade, so we could practice over summer and come to second grade prepared. Did not know my school district was so progressive!
The reason I remember was that I had an accident near the end of the school year and was excused from the rest of the year. So I did not learn the end of the alphabet in cursive until school began again.
Now that I think about it, why didn't my parents just show me?
To this day I write by hand daily, but a mixture of print and cursive, sometimes even within the same word.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home