Is Cursive a Dying Art?

January 09, 2012

Lately, I have been hearing more and more about schools planning to drop cursive writing from their curriculums. Apparently, many people have moved back to printing—or use a kind of hybrid mix of printing and script—including middle and high school students. They feel that their cursive is "hen scratching," and they can print more clearly. Many feel they keyboard more quickly and clearly and would do better using that method than wasting time learning the "archaic" art of writing. 

Do we really need to be able to write in cursive? For what purpose do we use it? Does it improve our small motor skills? Will we need to be able to "read" cursive? If we don’t learn to write script, will we be able to read it? Will we still need to sign our names on legal documents or credit card slips? (Gee, we can’t read those signatures half the time anyway!) Maybe, we’ll just use our thumbprint or eyeball scan instead!  

In light of all the eReaders that just glutted the market this Christmas, it does make one ponder the future of the written word. If books are moving into the digital age, is writing far behind? Perhaps, we still need to be able to write just like we still need to be able to read. However, it may be time to reconsider the technique we use. Perhaps, cursive has outlived its usefulness, and we need to modify the skill to match its electronic counterpart. I personally love the beauty and flow of cursive writing and hope it will be retained at least as an art form!

If this train of thought interests you, you might consider reading Matched by Allyson Braithwaite Condie.

Laura C.
Smithville Branch