Schools Decide that Cursive is N/A, and Why I Believe in the Handwritten Letter
Do you write letters?
I feel sorry for those who don’t know the joy of writing and receiving a personal letter. They don’t know what they are missing. In today’s world of efficiency and productivity, a hand written letter is undervalued. Why put all that time into something that only ONE person will ever read? is the mindset.
We’re bracing for a huge blizzard today here, and while I planned ahead for food for my family, books to read, and games to play with my kids, on the top of my list is letter writing.
This article in the WSJ about schools who plan to stop teaching cursive script handwriting just plain made me sad. “What child really needs to know cursive?” they argue. “What they need in today’s world is word processing skills!”
I disagree. Children who are raised in an atmosphere of computers need the handwritten word more than ever. Education is not merely about skills needed to produce and be productive. Education should also include art skills, like beautiful handwriting, painting, music and drama because these are the things that touch souls and promote relationships. I rarely read and re-read a typed email, but I will return to a letter or glance at its beautiful script several times.
I have written letters all my life. When Peter and I were separated during our college years we communicated through letters every day. Not only did I read and re-read his letters, I could tell a lot by his handwriting, whether he was busy, relaxed, stressed, or anxious. Letter writing is more personal, and you can say things more thoroughly in a letter than you could say face to face. I’ve written to a dear friend for over 15 years, and although we’ve never met, her words of wisdom guided much of my homeschool experience. Her handwriting was a gift to me.
Edith Schaeffer in The Hidden Art of Homemaking
Some of her wisdom:
“If writing is your buried art form, disinter it and develop it. Hidden art in the area of writing can be developed in a practical way for the fulfilment of the writer and for the enjoyment and enrichment of the lives of family, friends, and casual contacts. Writing for enjoyment of expression, like music and art, does not need an audience of more than one.”
“You are writing a letter to a friend, your fiancee, your husband or wife, your children…but if you express yourself or your mood better with a sketch than in words, you sketch at the top of the page, or intersperse writing with sketches. They can be beautiful, serious or amusing. You have made the letter more interesting and more communicative.”
“If it is time for a card, do not simply buy a card but sketch one, paint one, or paint a whole booklet to commemorate a big occasion. While this is an outlet, it is also something which develops human relationships on a real and human level, rather than an artificial and plastic one.”
“Write without ambitious pride, which makes you feel it is a ‘waste’ to write what will never be published. Write to communicate with someone, even if it is literally only one person. It is not a waste to write beautiful prose or poetry for one person’s eyes alone!”
“If you are a parent with a children away from you for some reason or another-write, write, WRITE. Home is made up of communication and growing relationships. If you havent the daily possibility of preparing artistic and delicious meals for your children…if your children are in boarding school because that is the custom of your society, if your kind of work transplants you into a foreign country, writing frequent and adequate letters is imperative, whether or not you have a talent for writing!”
“You are making lunches for your children to carry to school or your husband takes a lunch with him to work–why not make the lunches communicate more than just the originality and deliciousness of the content, by slipping in some surprise communication in writing?”
“If you have an important letter it can go under the pillow to be read at bedtime when it is found just as the person is climbing in, before the light goes out.”
Don’t know when to write? Here are a few suggestions:
- When someone pays you a small kindness, gives you a gift, or encourages you and you wish to thank them.
- When a child goes off to summer camp, hide a few letters in his luggage to be found during their week away.
- When someone has a sickness, long-term illness, long-term rehabilitation or there has been a death in the family.
- When children are away from home or in college.
- When someone is discouraged and needs a kind word. If a child has had a particularly trying day or an mountain-top monumental day, a note on their pillow is a welcomed surprise.
- When you’ve noticed someone seems a little down, and you want to encourage them.
- When you want to invest in a relationship and get to know someone more intimately.
Tips to make letter writing more enjoyable:
Practice your own handwriting. I know this seems a little second-gradish, but handwriting is an art form that needs practice. I ordered the Spencerian Penmanship Handwriting Course years ago and still enjoy practicing this old school method.
It looks overwhelming at first, until you realize that it teaches only 7 strokes that you need to know to form each lowercase letter. There are four additional strokes used for uppercase. That’s it. The rest is practice putting the strokes together. You can find a downloadable copy of an old Spencerian manual here. Don’t be overwhelmed by the front matter. Skip ahead to the first few lessons and analyze how each letter is made, and it will give you the courage to try it. 🙂
What do you say? Is handwriting a lost art in today’s world? Do you re-read hand written letters? Do you think that teaching kids to write cursive is a low on the totem pole priority in today’s world? Let’s talk about it in the comments!
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I never thought my cursive was very pretty so I somewhat morphed my print with cursive but I love to write (as in handwrite). I have so many hand-written journals documenting my walk with the Lord and I’ve started writing journals to my children 🙂 Writing is my passion and I still make to-do lists using my handwriting instead of just making typed out lists. My son is 7 and he also loves to write and has become interested in cursive so I’m excited to teach him. We sponsor two children through Compassion and so we write letters to them and we love it. I like to write thank you notes and little notes here and there just to have an excuse to buy cutesy cards 😉
Absolutely agree that cursive needs to stay…
But I think typing skills are also a must.
Though our oldest struggled initially with cursive (and I almost considered tossing it out)…her dyslexia teacher said that for kiddos with dyslexia and/or dysgraphia…it is actually helpful because of it’s continuous nature.
I love the nudge to keep up letter writing…I can still expect almost a letter a week from my Pop (grandpa) and now our kiddos get to enjoy the random record of his love and funny stories/comments/thoughts.
I agree. We need to keep the cursive writing flowing. I still like reading notes and letters from my Mom and Dad who are now in heaven. It is interesting that one’s personality comes across in their lettering….at least I think so.
Excellent post! Besides all of the great reasons you mentioned, learning to write beautifully is a discipline, something else that is so lacking in our society, especially among the younger ones. My girls both have lovely cursive writing and would like to learn calligraphy. My 5 year old son has very nice printing and was so excited to start learning cursive today. All three love to write thank you notes and notes of encouragement. We have had so many people tell us how much of a blessing it was to receive a note or card from them. So it can be a wonderful ministry as well.
YES, it is a wonderful ministry, Debbie, because it is so rare, like you said! 🙂 It is a discipline. Years ago, kids learned the Spencerian method in grammar school!
“Children who are raised in an atmosphere of computers need the handwritten word more than ever.” Good point, Sarah. Writing by hand requires thought and reflection that the keyboard does not.
And for the person who suggests that a letter is not worth the time since only one person will receive it, I’d say the same applies to hugs. Does that mean we should all just start waving to our loved ones because that way we can do it more quickly and encompass more people with a single effort?
I don’t think my Grandma would have stood for that 🙂
Tim
I agree! Neither would my grandmother! 🙂 I hate when schools make everything functional. It takes all the beauty out of life! And, the article makes the point that a generation that doesn’t learn cursive will no longer be able to read the Declaration of Independence nor a handwritten cursive note from a grandparent or older person. Tragic!
Just a few days ago my twins had an appointment with their developmental specialist. In the office, one of the nurses gave my older kids some paper and crayons to occupy them. Towards the end of the appointment my two oldest (12 and 9) wanted to give their pictures to the doctor and the dietician. They requested that my girls put their names on them so they could remember who gave them to them. My girls used their best cursive writing and wrote their names. Both ladies were VERY impressed with how nice their handwriting was! They were showing each other the picture they were given and I heard them exclaim behind us how beautiful the handwriting was. It was a proud mama moment then =)I have always insisted on my kids using their best handwriting, even in just practicing at home. (on a side note, I couldn’t have “not” taught my 9 year old cursive even if I wanted to…she used some cursive writing cards we had and taught herself before I even started working with her on it! Her cursive is nearly identical to her 12 year old sister!)
Crystal, YES, that must have been a proud mama moment! Sounds like you have some artsy girls on your hands there, to have taken the initiative to teach herself! Bravo!!
I always make my boys write their thank you notes for Christmas and Birthdays. The receivers are always so thrilled to get a letter from the boys. Even my youngest does. Last year when he had just learned to write and it took him a long time to write thank you, I just had him write it on one paper then I copied it and had him color and draw on each one to make them special.
Nancy, my mom always wrote thank you notes and taught us to write them as well. I love how you’re teaching your youngest to write them. When my kids were toddlers, I would tell them to color a picture for the person who gave them a gift, and then I would write what they told me to in the way of the “thank you” note. 🙂
Loved this, Sarah. I’m not very good at it at all. I don’t love my handwriting so that may be part of it. I want to do more and this is really inspiring.
Curious what handwriting course you used with your kids. Just deciding on one for us and I am considering the Getty-Dubay as I like the italic style. Would love to hear your thoughts.
I used italic as well for my kids. I also used “A Reason for Handwriting” for Hope. I think the ABeka style is beautiful as well. Eventually they develop their own style.