By: Marilyn Keller
I had lunch this week with a
friend who is an archivist. As we
progressed through our getting reacquainted chatter, she mentioned how disappointed she was with an intern she had
recently hired. “What are your concerns?”
I asked. “She can’t read,” my friend
stated. “She’s a junior in college. How is it possible she can’t read?” I
questioned. “It’s not that she can’t
read at all,” my friend explained, “but she can’t read cursive writing, a
rather critical skill when working with historical documents.”
I did a little research on
this topic and learned that while the instruction of cursive handwriting has
been declining for years, the trend turned official with the first offering of
the Common Core State Standards Initiative in 2010. The CCSSI aimed to standardize math and
language arts requirements across the country and omitted any mention of
cursive writing. 2012 test scores showed
75% of American high school seniors lacked basic writing skills, including the
ability to form a sentence, paragraph, or essay that was articulate and
grammatically correct. As of 2013, 45
states have elected to implement the Common Core standard, so the demise of
cursive appears to be eminent. Maybe I’m
romanticizing this form of handwriting, but I think the lack of such ability
will continue to have a negative impact on those growing up in a keyboard
culture.
For me, learning cursive was
a rite of passage. An art which stated,
I was becoming an adult. I never had
beautiful handwriting, at least the nuns didn’t think so, but practicing my
penmanship led to my love of writing. As
I moved my fountain pen across the lined paper, my writing became my
voice. I wanted to read more to gain the
knowledge to write more. My vocabulary,
spelling, grammar, and sentence structure all improved. Today, I primarily use a computer when
writing, but am often inspired by looking back at my handwritten journals.
In business, my clients often
mentioned how much they appreciated the handwritten thank you notes I
sent. They were rare and made them feel
special. In my personal life, I love
receiving handwritten mail. Even before
I open the envelope, the handwriting announces the author and I eagerly
anticipate the message.
My relationship with my
deceased mother was not strong, but when I left home at age 17, she gave me
four pieces of pink stationery on which she had written my favorite
recipes. To this day, I cherish those
papers, especially the recipe where she forgot to include all of the
ingredients.
My husband knows how much I
love the written word and over our 12 year relationship, I have filled a large
box with his many handwritten cards and letters.
A person’s handwriting is
their signature. A part of them that is unique.
I understand the importance and necessity of keyboard
instruction, but see much value in at least introducing today’s students to the
art of cursive writing; the art of writing.
