US schools are steadily dropping the teaching of handwriting. I have to say, I’m surprised that they were still doing it. I was taught cursive handwriting at school, but my sisters who followed shortly after, were not. So in the UK, handwriting has been something of an anachronism for a few decades already. So Indiana is a bit behind the times – we’ve already dumbed down.
The reasoning apparently is that children now need keyboard skills more than they need to know how to wield a pen. Perhaps. Certainly touch typing is a useful skill – and I’m not a good touch typist by any means, but can do it well enough to wish I was more adept at it. However, we do not communicate exclusively via the keypad and the screen. Sometimes we need to put pen to paper and make ourselves understood and that need is likely to be around in some form or another for a good while yet. It helps if the subsequent script is legible. I appreciate that mine is something of a scrawl at the best of times (so who am I to speak, eh?)and my teachers went into despair when faced with the inky spider that dribbled across the page when I was a student – but, I took notice of what they taught me and as an adult have enjoyed the art of calligraphy (not strictly writing – more drawing, but hey, whose counting?), so appreciate the aesthetics of handwritten script.
However, despite my handwriting being somewhat scribbled, it is legible and I can wield a pen to effect, preferring a fountain pen, too. Ah, yes, another anachronism…
I must be getting older.
In South Korea they are planning on eradicating writing entirely.
And how the hell do you take lecture-notes, then?
Especially in Maths / Physics lessons (or Chemistry) where you are not using merely the QWERTY char-set?
I saw this on the news this morning. When I thought about it I was quite shocked to realise how little I pick up a pen these days.
It must be at least eight years before I wrote a letter to anyone and I used to write quite a few. It’s much better opening and reading a letter than getting an email.
I use a biro at work to scrawl a few notes but mostly use the keyboard to communicate.
With the family I only use the mark one gob.
I have a really nice Parker fountain pen at home. I’m tempted to get it our over the weekend and write to someone. Let’s see if that happens….
I think handwriting deteriorates with lack of use as well. Mine’s never been good but it’s definitely got worse as I’ve used a keyboard more.
‘And how the hell do you take lecture-notes, then?
Especially in Maths / Physics lessons (or Chemistry) where you are not using merely the QWERTY char-set?’
Lectures existed initially because not everybody could get hold of the required reading… so the book was read in front of many students to be more efficient. Given that nowadays none of these materials is difficult to find, or make available, I think lectures are basically redundant. And, unfortunately for longrider, I think handwriting will soon also because redundant except at the most basic of levels.
I use a Berol italic pentel pen, W for wide tip. I was taught italic writing in primary school and always liked the result. With a Bic crystal I really do scrawl as I write too fast. The italic pen slows me down!
Erasing the writing is something really dumb and wrong, I’ve learned hand-writing at school too a long while ago and it was really good. But removing this is wrong.