CURSIVE HANDWRITING: THE DEBATE GOES ON

In the March 2004 issue of American Teacher, David Rufo and Janie Cravens answered our Speak Out question “Is teaching cursive writing a waste of time?” Their respective “no” and “yes” responses triggered an avalanche of letters from readers. Here is a sampling.
 

I totally agree with all of Ms. Cravens’ reasons for continuing to teach cursive. As an elementary teacher,
I find it very frustrating that my own daughter has never been required to use cursive since she finished fourth grade to help keep her skills alive.

Unlike Mr. Rufo, I do not believe that cursive writing has run its course. Printing or using a computer is just not appropriate for letters of condolence or personal thank-you notes. And how about the warm feeling we get when we receive a greeting card, postcard or letter that someone
has taken the time to handwrite to us?

As my daughter approaches college, her preferred method of communication is likely to be instant messages. Hopefully, though, she will remember the cursive lessons of long ago taught by her wonderful third-grade teacher whenever personal messages need to be handwritten.

—Jean Levitt
Rochester, NY

As a parent residing in a school district that has chosen to teach cursive in kindergarten, I am disappointed by Ms. Cravens’ reasons for continuing it. I applaud Mr. Rufo for noting that the purpose of writing is to communicate, and that it should be done in the easiest and most effective way. As a teacher, this is my primary concern.

How can we, in this age of technology and increasing curriculum demands, be concerned with cursive writing? In my six years in a middle school resource room, I can count on one hand the number of students who have used
cursive as a means of communicating.

—Lisa Sargent
Ogdensburg, NY

I taught cursive writing to third-graders for 27 of my 33 years of teaching. Nothing was more pleasing or rewarding than a letter I recently received. It was written on notebook paper in small, but readable cursive. It was from a former student, a reluctant learner who is now a staff sergeant serving in Iraq. Guess there’s a shortage of keyboard time over there. How lucky she had her pencil!

—Barbra Freeman
Greer, SC

I cannot believe David Rufo’s “loopy” attitude toward cursive writing. He, as an artist, should understand the need for
fine motor skills. Cursive writing goes far beyond putting words on paper. It is about the ability to use our hands in
a controlled, decisive manner. Technology can never fully eliminate the need to communicate with pen or pencil.

—Marlene Reineke
St. Paul, MN

It is true that in this day and age, when all text is presented in print form and children are taught to use a keyboard from preschool on, there is very little use for cursive handwriting. Yes, it is attractive, but that is not a valid reason to spend hours teaching it year after year.
We must commit ourselves to teaching life skills, and I fail to see where cursive writing is a life skill.

I don’t see how learning to write in cursive increases students’ ability to listen and follow directions. Where is
the research that supports it? Students with small-motor difficulties and those with learning disabilities are better able to communicate through writing when they are not forced to write in cursive.

—Susan McElveen
Clearwater, FL

Even though David Rufo believes that cursive writing is a waste of time, I certainly hope as a third- and fourth-grade teacher, he still builds it into his instruction. It is his responsibility as an educator.

As a fifth-grade teacher, I can tell you firsthand that cursive instruction isn’t an option. A few years ago, I had some students who were not taught to write in script. These children could not read many handwritten letters from their friends and they were constantly asking me, “What does that say?” This was the case even with textbook-perfect cursive. It is a disservice to children not to teach them this aspect of literacy.

—Robert J. Moore
Saratoga Springs, NY

We do not have the time to waste on cursive handwriting. We teach children to print, and just when they start to become proficient, we tell them “No, no,” you have to start using cursive. We then spend hours teaching students to perform this function. Finally, some begin to become competent in cursive, and we then tell them, “No, no,” type that paper. We don’t need three forms of writing the same language; it’s redundant.

I never use cursive handwriting, not even to sign my checks. I made it through four years of college and two years of gr