A
Art Mann
Guest
Cursive writing goes the way of the quill
In the age of the keyboard, learning penmanship is no longer part
of the curriculum, leaving young people stumped when asked for a signature
By: Louise Brown Toronto Star June 23 2013
When Durham Region farmer John Molenaar took his Grade 8 son to apply for a passport, he ran into an unexpected snag.
His son couldn’t sign the form.
“He started printing his name and I said, ‘No, Lukas — sign your name; you know; write your signature.”
The 14-year-old confessed he has never been taught to write in “cursive.” Printing was all he knew.
He’s one of the casualties of the global trend away from cursive writing in today’s digitally focused curriculum.
“When I picked myself up off the floor, I told him to print the letters close together so at least they look like writing,” huffed the Sunderland dairy farmer. “But I was absolutely shocked they don’t teach cursive writing any more. He’s going into high school and he can’t write his name.”
Many U.S. states have dropped cursive writing to make room for keyboarding lessons, and Ontario has downgraded it from an “expectation” to just one way students can “publish” their work.
“My friend had the same problem with his passport,” countered Lukas — both boys need passports to volunteer abroad with their local church.
When Molenaar called his local school trustee to complain, the trustee told him it was the same with his own 14-year-old grandson.
“He does a lot of umpiring and has to sign game sheets, and we noticed he was printing his name because he didn’t know cursive writing,” said retired teacher Joe Allin, trustee for the Durham District School Board.
Argued Molenaar: “Your signature is your mark. Are we having a whole generation who can’t write their name? How are you supposed to sign cheques — put your fingerprint on a legal document?”
READ FULL STORY HERE
In the age of the keyboard, learning penmanship is no longer part
of the curriculum, leaving young people stumped when asked for a signature
By: Louise Brown Toronto Star June 23 2013
When Durham Region farmer John Molenaar took his Grade 8 son to apply for a passport, he ran into an unexpected snag.
His son couldn’t sign the form.
“He started printing his name and I said, ‘No, Lukas — sign your name; you know; write your signature.”
The 14-year-old confessed he has never been taught to write in “cursive.” Printing was all he knew.
He’s one of the casualties of the global trend away from cursive writing in today’s digitally focused curriculum.
“When I picked myself up off the floor, I told him to print the letters close together so at least they look like writing,” huffed the Sunderland dairy farmer. “But I was absolutely shocked they don’t teach cursive writing any more. He’s going into high school and he can’t write his name.”
Many U.S. states have dropped cursive writing to make room for keyboarding lessons, and Ontario has downgraded it from an “expectation” to just one way students can “publish” their work.
“My friend had the same problem with his passport,” countered Lukas — both boys need passports to volunteer abroad with their local church.
When Molenaar called his local school trustee to complain, the trustee told him it was the same with his own 14-year-old grandson.
“He does a lot of umpiring and has to sign game sheets, and we noticed he was printing his name because he didn’t know cursive writing,” said retired teacher Joe Allin, trustee for the Durham District School Board.
Argued Molenaar: “Your signature is your mark. Are we having a whole generation who can’t write their name? How are you supposed to sign cheques — put your fingerprint on a legal document?”
READ FULL STORY HERE
