Cursive writing is dying

A check (with Google, of course) told me that cursive writing is usually taught in third grade, or around the ages of 7 or 8. It is said that by this age, a child should have the motor skills necessary to control the hand as it learns to write differently.

When we first learn to write, it is in print. Block letters, that is. Children, as young as 3 or 4 years old, are encouraged to learn to write once they're able to hold a pencil properly, or with enough grip so it doesn't slip. And the first lesson is to print letters.

While the alphabet, usually taught through song, or a picture book featuring words to associate with a photo of an object, is part of a toddler's early education, it is a child's name that parents first teach when it comes to writing.

This, however, shouldn't be forced on young children. Let them enjoy using crayons if they like running these back and forth on paper or coloring books. When they're comfortable holding crayons or pencils, that would be the signal that they're ready to learn to write.

Writing requires interest and discipline, plus the use of certain muscles. When a child is ready to write, they'll pick up a pencil or whatever writing implement on their own and do it.

Should they know how to write when they attend play school or Kindergarten class? Not necessarily, and it's disturbing how many parents seem to want their kids to be so advanced once they set foot in school.

It takes a lot of effort to write in print. It can be exhausting for small hands. But it is a huge thing to be able to write their name, and an even bigger achievement when they write the whole alphabet in beautiful, block letters.

If there are penmanship genes, I've been blessed to have gotten the good ones. I'm not quite sure how good my parents' handwritings were when they were younger. And I'm mostly familiar with their script than print writing. They're legible, not quite old school and can sometimes look like a scrawl. But it doesn't need hard deciphering.

Did I learn cursive writing in the third grade? Am not sure because that means I was in Singapore at that time. I'm more inclined to think I was taught this in the Catholic school on my second grade. And I don't remember if it was a nun who trained us. If it was, then no wonder I wrote well. Hahaha!

I wrote with care, and liked imitating the nice handwriting we're supposed to copy, so that's probably one reason why my script was really neat and actually beautiful.

Why do we need to learn cursive? It's a more efficient way of writing, especially when listening and note-taking at the same time. Apparently, it is a tool for learning. Since it requires motor and perceptual skills, this is why it helps in retaining information better.

The former I can validate. In my work as a journalist, even with recorders, it's more helpful to take down notes with a pen because truthfully, the brain absorbs details better when I do. While my handwriting isn't always tidy and fully legible to others (it was to me and that's what was important), when I go through the notes, what I heard as I jotted things done all comes back to me.

It's like the hand movement when writing also imprints data to the brain so it sticks more. Although I did develop the skill to really listen and absorb when conducting interviews so much so that I can replay it almost verbatim right after. But the note-taking really does help, and cursive just allows me to write even faster.

Today, however, cursive isn't even being taught in schools. Or if it is, it's not being required to use it. So kids either write in print, or worse don't write at all and instead type on their phones or laptops.

And the art of cursive or longhand writing is all but dead.

So why aren't kids being taught cursive any more? Because it's not something easily learned, unlike tapping on a keyboard. Computer lessons took the place of writing lessons. Teachers, too, no longer have the patience to teach kids, who mostly have short attention spans, and can be irritable when asked to do something repetitive that required effort.

It was enough they knew how to write in block letters so it wasn't necessary to know or be good at longhand writing to graduate from grade school.

I admit I mostly write in print now, especially when I sit down and have time whether to create an article, or jot down notes. But... I still revert to cursive when it's something that needs to be written down fast, or I'm listening to someone talking fast and have no time to record.

And yes, I can still put out neat and legible cursive writing. But boy, does it hurt my hand a lot when I do it for a long time!

So people, who still writes in cursive and who's abandoned it?

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