Why Students Should Learn Cursive Writing

Time last week published an article on recent legislative overtures to require the teaching of cursive script handwriting in schools. The article lists requirements for signatures, benefits to cognition, and the ability to read important documents (such as the Declaration of Independence), among the reasons students should learn cursive in school. Writer Katy Steinmetz states, regarding historical documents: "(W)hat a travesty it is to raise Americans who would look at those documents as if they were written in hieroglyphics."

As a classroom teacher, I witnessed instruction in cursive script writing diminish as No Child Left Behind was implemented. Reasons given were that test preparation left no time for cursive. And besides, everyone will forego writing by hand in favor of computers. As a junior and senior high school history teacher, I found these reasons appalling.

Time writer Katy Steinmetz is correct in pointing out what a travesty it would be if American students could not read the Emancipation Proclamation in its original form. But there are other, more pragmatic reasons for learning cursive writing.

• People write in cursive. All around the world, people write using cursive script. These people could be future employers, coworkers, instructors, and the like. Imagine a child getting a letter in cursive that he or she cannot decipher. Imagine this child as an adult at a job, being handed a piece of paper that cannot be read because it is written in cursive. Students who do not learn cursive are at a disadvantage in the larger world of work (and life).

• Most tests and exams are still written by hand. This is why the focus on test preparation over cursive instruction was so perplexing to me. Had these anti-cursive teachers never taken a college admissions exam, or blue book test in college? Standardized tests require pen and paper, seldom offering an online typing option. Write in print, you say? I challenge anyone to start copying this article. Do a few paragraphs in print, then a few paragraphs in cursive. Which is faster? Which allows your hand to better keep pace with your brain? For the vast majority of people, the answer is cursive. Writing in cursive means writing more quickly. Additionally, you will likely find that the fluid movement means that writing in cursive causes less hand and arm strain. You not only write more quickly, but you do not tire out as easily as you do when writing in print manuscript.

No cursive means looking like a dumbie at work, and possibly receiving lower scores on written tests and exams. To elaborate on the first point--effectiveness on the job--allow me to list a few professions in which one could never succeed without cursive reading and writing skills.

• Lawyer. Lawyers must sift through mountains of documents, many handwritten in cursive. A lawyer who can't read documents is not much of a lawyer.

• Teacher. Many teachers forego cursive instruction in their classrooms, but need it themselves to read notes from parents, etc. And how could such a teacher teach, in a school where cursive writing is taught?

• Historian. As noted above, historical documents are often in cursive. Likewise, most personal letters, diaries, and private memoirs are in script. A historian who can't read history is not much of a historian.

• Police officer or detective. Again, these are careers that involve the reading of written words.

Challenge yourself. Take a week, and note each time you come into contact with cursive writing. Chances are high that it's often. Each time you see cursive writing, imagine what it would be like if it were written in an alphabet you do not know--perhaps Cyrillic or ancient Sumerian. Then ask yourself if students should be taught cursive writing in school. If your answer is yes, then you might enjoy our cursive writing practice worksheets. They're completely free to print and use. (Psst...we offer free worksheets for print manuscript handwriting practice, as well.)