As of right now, 41 states do not require cursive writing to be a part of their curriculum (“5 Reasons Cursive Writing”). That is far too many states in my opinion. There are many reasons as to why cursive is important and necessary to teach in elementary school.
Since Technology has increased drastically, many people think that teaching cursive writing is a waste of time. However, cursive motivates the brain. When writing in this form it improves the dynamic interplay of the left and right cerebral hemispheres, assists in creating neural pathways, and improves mental effectiveness (Hatfield).
Cursive uses different hand muscles and activates different parts of the brain that neither typing nor printing can do. For a more beneficial way to further the development of motor skills, children should be between the ages of 7 and 8 (“5 Reasons Cursive Writing”). Teaching children repetition by encouraging the force needing to be applied to the pencil and paper, positioning the pencil on the paper at the right angle, and motor planning to form writing each letter smoothly from the left to right creates physical and special awareness to write. Repetition also creates neural foundation of sensory skills to perform everyday tasks such as tying shoes, picking up objects, reacting, buttoning, and note-taking (Hatfield).
By learning cursive, it gives children the opportunity to better understand and know the alphabet. If they are only taught English in one form, print, then they only get that one chance of learning and memorizing the alphabet. It also gives a clear understanding of how letters are formed and that can also improve on printing as well (“5 Reasons Cursive Writing”).
Some children write sloppy in print that it is hard to determine where one word ends and another begins. However, cursive requires children to write from left to right so letters join together in correct sequence, which makes it easier to read. In cursive, it allows the child to see words as a whole, instead of separate letters, and makes it easier to check for spelling. After repetition of the use of cursive, the hand acknowledges the spelling patterns through movements that are repeated in spelling (Hatfield).
If schools take away cursive writing, students will not be able to read or write important documents. Many of the historical documents are written in cursive. Some of these documents are translated into print online but there are still some that are not. Without knowing cursive, children will miss out on our history and even read important letters from grandparents or great-grandparents. The older generation use cursive daily and if kids do not learn how to read it then they will miss out on certain things (Hatfield).
Cursive writing is a unique form of writing that can only be read by those who have been taught to write it. Using this form of writing is how we sign our own important documents such as checks, contracts, opening bank accounts, etc. With that being said, there are many important reasons why cursive should be a requirement to be taught in schools.
By Taylor Seaborn, Business Major – IUPUC
Works Cited
“5 Reasons Cursive Writing Should be Taught in School | Concordia University – Portland online.” Concordia University’s Online Education Degrees | Online Masters in Education. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/curriculum-instruction/5-reasons-cursive-writing-should-be-taught-in-school/.
Hatfield, Iris. “Teaching Cursive Handwriting Tips Cursive Workbooks .”Teaching Cursive Handwriting Tips Cursive Workbooks Penmanship . Memoria Press, n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. http://www.newamericancursive.com/learncursive.
x204project
X204 Project 
x204project said,
September 17, 2013 at 5:08 pm
The following comment was shared by the instructor’s friend:
“Hi Robin — I enjoyed the student blog post. Pretty good. I was thinking of a few different things when I read this, so it did its job in that prompted further thoughts.Possession of fine motor skills goes along with walking upright without stumbling. Little boys often are prone to stumbling or knocking things over until they can control their hands with pencils. Just my observation. Development of fine motor skills goes along with the coordination to see and reproduce letters and numbers that may have concomitant mirror images, such as d, b, p, q, 3, j and i. Boys typically struggle with this longer than girls. Just my observation.Also, the digital signature may replace the cursive signature for those who may only write on official documents.Thanks for the good read!
x204project said,
September 18, 2013 at 3:41 pm
This comment was added to the instructor’s Facebook page by a friend who is a professor in Japan as well as a published author: “I support the teaching of cursive writing in schools. In fact, I am surprised that it is not taught in so many states. It is a good and easy skill to have.”
– Robin
Margaret L. Scott said,
September 18, 2013 at 5:05 pm
When I first heard that cursive writing was taken out of curriculum, I thought “the nuns are turning over in their graves.” Now my opinion is this: you can cite all the research and facts that explain why we should teach this to our children, to me the reason is a simple one. Handwriting is an “art” form! We express our uniqueness through it the same as we do when we paint, draw or even color. It is like a fingerprint, no two are the same. In an effort to standardize our children, we are erasing the very things that make them who they are. Can you imagine not being able to distinguish your handwriting from someone elses because there is only one acceptable way to write? I say there is no harm in teaching this skill. I believe they will be better for it.
Jill McClure said,
September 24, 2013 at 9:16 pm
I believe cursive writing needs to be taught in school. I think cursive writing is an important tool children need to learn. If children don’t know what to write cursive, they can’t read cursive. I am a teacher’s aid and I have seen children who don’t know cursive and can’t read cursive. This is an important concept that needs to be taught. Don’t deprive the children of this knowledge. Knowledge is power,
Karen Dobbs said,
September 26, 2013 at 1:55 pm
I hope they never remove cursive writing from the school systems. It is very important for everyone to learn how to write. We all need to be able to read and write to be successful. I have heard numberous times that the USA is behind other countries as far as educating our young. I believe removing cursive writing from the curriculum will will only increase that gap.