I don't like reading long documents, medical forms, waivers, and any other sorts of documents. On the other hand, though, I will gladly go through thousands of papers so I can sign my name at the bottom. One of the most satisfying things on this earth is writing my perfect signature in cursive. I make a statement with how big I make my "F". My sister's is big and loopy.
A friend of mine has a signature so fancy she may as well signed the Declaration of Independence with how extravagant it is. As much as I love my signature and the art behind it, my question is, is it really a necessity to teach this in schools?
As much as I would like to say yes, the reality is cursive is becoming an obsolete art. In third grade, I remember spending a week or two going through a booklet learning how to write my cursive abc's and then not much after that. As soon as I had mastered upper and lowercase "z" I closed my workbook only for it to never be opened again. It was a one and done deal.
There wasn't a time after that where I would ever have to use my cursive knowledge academically and I discovered a good majority of high school students forgot or had never learned cursive. In the end, my cursive became a skill I only used for my signature.
For some, cursive replaced print handwriting. My grandmother, mother, and one of my friends write in nothing but in slanted loops and curves. Sometimes you have to take a second to decipher each word, but ultimately the cursive writing, to me, is just a professional style choice. It's gorgeous and the writing of our ancestors, but there isn't much more to the cause.
Schools are already dismissing the practice and others should follow suit. I say this because, due to my experience and for others, we don't use the skill nearly at all after spending class time learning it. Class time could be filled with other academics and subjects that could better fulfill a school day.
Although it shouldn't be taught in school, I still acknowledge that there are benefits to learning cursive. It can help neurological improvement, impress future employers, and it's also quicker than writing in print. I can fully agree that it is a unique art form that people should try, but when it comes to school I would rather my time be spent learning pertinent academia.
