Cursive writing: Jimmy, Slow Down!
Cursive writing: Cursive writing is a skill that is developed as early as elementary school. I remember practicing cursive in my 4th grade class and struggling with the new style of letters that I had to memorize. On top of that, my teacher instructed us that from now on we must only write in cursive. Tests, papers, and all other assignments were to be done in cursive or points would be deducted from our work. Writing in print was no longer allowed because it was deemed childish and was only used by children who were in 3rd grade or younger. Even though I couldn't stand writing in cursive when I was younger, I now realize how important it is for children to master the cursive style of writing.
Children often struggle with cursive because it's something new to them. They have been learning about the alphabet ever since they were toddlers and saw the alphabet in a certain way. Now, they're being told that the letters that they are used to seeing can be written in another way. Imagine doing a certain task for multiple years a certain way to only have it changed on you by a superior. Stress, anxiety and the feeling of being overwhelmed can all be results of these changes. After these initial reactions wear down, the cursive writing process should become a lot easier to them.
The practice of cursive writing is important because we must learn how to express our opinion on paper in a legible way. Teachers should focus more on the student's ability to write cursive clearly and in a more comprehensible manner.
Why is this important? I'll use my job as the perfect example. The job that I have requires me to read letters that individuals send in to us. After reading these letters I am required to respond to each and every one of them. The problem comes in when I can't read what the individual has written to me because their cursive is unreadable. Sometimes what's even worse than writing an unreadable letter is trying to read the individual's name or address. If I can't read the individual's name or address, how am I supposed to respond to the letter?
The best advice to give a student who is learning cursive is to make sure that it's readable. Remember, students are always full of new and exciting ideas. If those ideas are unreadable, however, they will be lost..