Back to the Stone Age

rsz_cursive_writingI do believe that the world is going to ?H? in a hand basket. What in the dickens is going on in our schools, cursive writing not included in North Carolina Public Schools curriculum? When I heard this the other day I was shocked. Texting, Twitting and the keyboard are taking over the creative part of our minds. Not to mention making us lazy.

 

To me learning the art of cursive writing is as much a part of growing up as loosing your baby teeth. I have to think what it would be like if I couldn?t write in cursive. And, if I can?t write in cursive or ?long hand? as us old school folks call it, then I can?t read it. I think back to the days when my husband was in college, he would occasionally write me a letter. I have to admit it was sort of mixed up. Part would be printed, other parts written in cursive. I tend to do that too. Studies show that most people do the same. But what if I had never been taught cursive, I wouldn?t have been able to read all those mushy things he was saying to me. Mushy, yea right!

 

These days a love letter would consist of lettering something like this: I have a ?BCO? on ?U?. I ?L? it when you ?S? at me. ?LYSM?

Translated into real words the above says:

?I have a big crush on you. I love it when you smile at me. Love you so much.?

Which one has more meaning to it? Or, better yet which one can you even translate?

 

Really people, who would know what those abbreviations mean? When I googled texting abbreviations, I found that there are thousands just like I used in the above paragraph. I wouldn?t be surprised if our schools are not teaching these abbreviations instead of cursive writing. In one news article a teacher said, ?We can?t teach everything, something had to go.? And that something was cursive writing.

 

Thankfully there is a bill in legislation right now called, ?The Back to Basics Bill.? Obviously someone has figured out that to stop teaching cursive writing would mean a huge communication gap between generations. Why, The Declaration of Independence was written and signed in long hand. That means children of today would not be able to read it. It would be like it was written in a foreign language to them. Children of this generation would not be able to read old letters that grandparents wrote, and grandparents certainly can?t read notes that their grandchildren write them. When a person writes, ?LOL? does it mean, lots of love, or laughing out loud? This shorthand is insane!

 

Studies have shown that typing doesn?t help the brain develop as much as writing in long hand. When typing the fingers make repetitive movements rather than connect shapes. To me writing in cursive has always had a beauty to it. I would say that it is a form of art. No two people write the same way. We are taught a like, but since every person is unique to himself or herself the flow of letters and words when put on paper has a style of their own.

 

In some schools teachers are forming cursive writing clubs, just like ?FFA?, Future Farmers of America or the Beta club. For the few students who are interested they meet after school and learn to write in long hand. A poll was taken a while back, 3900 young people were asked if learning to write in cursive was important to them, this was their answer: ?NO! OMG, 4get cursive, it?s dead!

 

No my children, I think not. Long hand is very much alive. I looked back at a few notes I?ve received in the past few months. All the hand written messages was written in long hand. I hope we not only keep teaching our children to write in cursive but that we also teach them that taking the time to write out what is in their heart means so much more. Really, would you rather see a note or letter signed, ?AML?? Or, ?All My Love??

 

These shortcuts are robbing our children of the basics. Will they even know how to spell complete words? We might as well go back to the Stone Age and start grunting at each other.

 

1Corinthians 1:10

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

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