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NPR - Getting rid of handwriting
Does anyone else listen to NPR? If so, did you hear what they were talking about earlier this week?
Apparently there is a push for school to remove handwriting from the curriculum. They're talking about going straight to keyboarding instead because that's how most people are communicating now.
This makes me incredibly sad and nervous. If this happens it means that children will stop having to develop all of the motor skills and coordination that go along with writing something down on paper. We will have people in our country who cannot pick up a pencil and write something on a piece of paper.
There was an occupational therapist on the show who helps children catch up to their peers and she was talking about how one of the main reasons people are talking about removing handwriting is because it's hard for kids and it would be less effort for them all to learn to type. Then she said, "Well, why do you think it's hard? Maybe because something is happening here?".
I'm terrified for our future sometimes. And my children WILL learn to write.
Re: NPR - Getting rid of handwriting
"one of the main reasons people are talking about removing handwriting is because it's hard for kids and it would be less effort for them all to learn to type."
ah yes, we live in a time when shortcuts are the way to go. It saddens me how lazy society has become. Let's teach our kids to only do things that are easy...avoid anything challenging. That's not setting them up for failure at all lol!
My handwriting is absolutely horrific though, I type whenever possible.
I guess I can see why cursive would be obsolete. But general handwriting?
WTMF. I weep for the future.
OMFG.... yes let's remove any and every thing that might be more than effortless in our childrens lives because God knows we don't ever want them to have to TRY or LEARN or *gasp* STRUGGLE!
FUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK
No wonder kids are so fuuuckkkiing helpless these days. They don't understand what it is to have to put some damn effort into learning or doing anything. SH!T IS SUPPOSED TO BE DIFFICULT SOMETIMES! ITS HOW YOU LEARN!
I have a 13 year old sister and I cannot believe how different her life is compared to when I was her age (and I'm only 29).
I'm glad I'm not a kid anymore. I'm so thankful the internet craze started after I graduated from high school lol
I agree with this because no one really uses cursive at all. As far as I know it's already been eliminated from a lot of school systems. Which... I guess... those of us born before 1990 can use it as secret code?
I actually love cursive. I didn't realize it has started to be phased out. Does this mean my grandchildren won't be able to read my journal?
Have you ever thought about how much our grandkids are going to miss out on? No funny little to-do lists to find in an old coat pocket, no love letters stashed in a trunk in the attic, no handwritten baby books, no thank you notes from the people who appreciated them. How sad.
So, if we eliminate cursive, what does a signature look like then? I still have to provide a paper signature for some things as part of my job (regulated environment). And don't many legal documents still require a paper signature?
I couldn't imagine thinking it would be ok to eliminate teaching children how to write.
I really hope that never happens. Yes, many of us type more than we write, but we HAVE to be able to write. It's ridiculous to try and say that kids don't need to learn this basic skill.
~Benjamin Franklin
DS dx with celiac disease 5/28/10
Even beyond the nostalgia factor... think of the day to day things that will become more complicated. I stopped by someone's office yesterday and left a sticky note on their keyboard asking them to call me when they got back. That evening, I left a note on a whiteboard for the person taking care of the horses this morning.
In the new world order, I would have had to email or call those people and hope they checked their email or their voicemail if I didn't get them in person, because I would not have known how to write something down without a keyboard.
Um, noooooo.
My mom is a teacher and I have seen some of the kids' scrawl on papers. We need to get BACK to teaching kids how to write legibly, and clearly. You can ADD the keyboarding class (that is what we did?), but don't get rid of handwriting all together. What an idiotic idea. Truly truly stupid.
Abby is learning to write.
They really mean all hardwriting. They had a separate discussion about how cursive has gone away in most cases, but this is completely removing handwriting. No more dingy brown pieces of paper with the blue lines you have to make you 'A' inside (and the dotted line for how tall your lower case letters should be). High five if you remember those workbooks.
How is this a good idea when there are still a significant number of students without access to computers in their homes? In the future, are in-class exams going to be only on computers, and you have to provide your own?
I can see an argument for teaching typing in addition to handwriting, but good lord, if the exams I just graded are any indication we really can't afford to get rid of handwriting completely! Some of this chicken scratch is impossible to read.
I am teaching my child cursive. And writing.
That is very sad. I still use cursive when writing personal things, such as my journal and signatures.
I still use print handwriting a lot. If not for work, then for the letters I am writing a friend who is in prison (long story. Short version - he was stupid). He can't get email.
I intend to teach my son handwriting, cursive, and even calligraphy if he is interested.
We're already there - many government agencies (and NATO) are already employing Electronic Signatures (similar to encryption keys specific to the person with a pin that digitally signs the document as authentic). There are ever some systems that have you enter your signature on a tablet of sorts and you use it electronically to finalize your documents. And with information transfer becoming almost soley electronic (vice paper/mail based) scanned signed images are legally acceptable in many areas already and have been for the past 5-10 years, and of course the digital encryption signatures...
Scary...
Along with the slow extinction of printed books, this ties as the saddest part of the electronic revolution for me.
Damn.