Cursive writing is being removed from many schools' curriculum.
Photo courtesy of The Optometry Center of Vision Health
What grade were you in when first learned to write in cursive? Or did you even have the opportunity to do so?
Currently, many schools have taken cursive writing out of their curriculum due to the presence of computers and technology, and their ability to electronically write for us.
Losing the ability to write in cursive is hindering students, and research shows that it should be available to students.
“Children need to go through this process to fully understand the English language and connect words to motor memory. Learning cursive handwriting is important for spelling skills, enabling children to recognize words when they read them later. Typing doesn’t have the same affect on the brain, as it doesn’t require the same fine motor skills and simultaneous activity,” the Optometry Center for Vision Therapy says on its website.
Without the ability to write in cursive, a child are being deprived of a key cognitive development which has been proven to make children smarter and allows their brains to function at a higher level.
Aly Brent, the mother of a second grader at Gilchrist Elementary School said, “When I was my son’s age, I learned to write in cursive and I still do to this day. I don’t like that he isn’t being taught this writing style because I know that he will use it in the future. I may result to teaching him at home so that he can be capable of writing in cursive.”
There have been a number of complaints and notices from parents that are concerned with their children’s writing styles across the country. Due to the fact that they can make no direct accusations as to whose fault it is that cursive writing isn’t in the curriculum, they are left in a tight situation.
Concordia University in Portland, Oregon, reported, “Being comfortable with cursive writing will guarantee students will be confident when writing and signing legal documentation. A cursive signature is most commonly required to endorse legal documents, accompanied by a printed version of their name too. Students with learning disabilities, specifically dyslexia, can have a very hard time with writing in print because many of the letters look similar, particularly b and d. Cursive letters, however, look very different from print letters. This gives dyslexic students another option — an option that can decrease their dyslexic tendencies and make them more confident in their abilities.”
Based on research, adding this writing tool will only benefit students as a whole. The improvement of their brains and learning and writing will allow them to be better scholars, as well as better communicators.