Education

Is Cursive Dead? Indiana Schools Dump Handwriting for Typing Skills

Indiana public schools will no longer be required to teach cursive handwriting come this fall, and instead students will be expected to learn keyboard typing skills.

A memo from the Indiana Department of Education said schools may decide for themselves whether to keep teaching cursive, or to drop it from their curriculums completely.

Reaction to the decision has been mixed. Karen Goeller, deputy superintendent for the Vigo County School Corporation, told the Indiana Tribune-Star her district will keep teaching cursive in elementary school for now, even in a typing and tech-savvy world.

“We consider our students’ needs, and right now, we do see a benefit in teaching cursive as part of our curriculum…we feel it’s important students have a healthy mix of handwriting and keyboarding skills.”

Currently, SAT and Advanced Placement exams require handwritten essays, leading to questions about how future test-takers will fare:

“Speed and legibility are keys to success,” Goeller said.

Another concern is handwritten signatures for the next generation: Ericka Hostetter, a parent whose children attend public school in Indiana, told the Tribune-Star that while she’s “right in the middle” on the decision, “I think we all need to know how to sign our names in cursive.”

But the debate isn’t just confined to Indiana. Parents and schools in Colorado and Georgia are having the same discussions:

And one school in South Carolina has decided to stick with its cursive writing despite its fleeting popularity:

What do you think? Is this an example of schools making necessary curriculum updates, or just more dumbing down in education?

Comments (174)

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  • firstlast
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:41pm

    Considering the US budget spends nearly 3Xs as much on the “other” spending category than it does “job training and education” per the OMB…it becomes apparent the government wants Americans divided and dumb for a very obvious reason. This has been going on for a long time–I blame more that just the current president too. Blaming everything wrong with government on one current president (as bad as he is) is shallow-minded, counterproductive, and shows a real lack of critical thinking. This country has been on the downward spiral for a long time. Stop balming the “other” side–we’re all human beings; we’re not as different as you are lead to believe. Divide and Conquer…check

    Report Post »  
  • notmeatglennbeckdotcom
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:36pm

    My nephew graduated from a Michigan high school and had to sign all of his college papers and rent agreements by printing his name for a signature. We used to denigrate the “x” for a signature, but with this trend where are we going with our education in this country?

    Backwards as the Atlanta fiasco would indicate

    Report Post »  
  • angelcat
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:35pm

    Printing is MUCH easier to forge than handwriting. And, as far as I know, you still need to sign in handwriting checks, contracts, etc. Like anything else, it is a skill that requires some effort – coordination and practice. Both of these are good things for kids. I’m not saying they should spend hours a day, but I surely would rather have them spend the time on handwriting than gay history or global warming or some other politically correct pap.
    Sidenote: I read a study of SAT tests that showed that students who did the writing portion in cursive did better than those who printed. The study wasn’t sure if that was because the kids who chose cursive were smarter to begin with or if they could write faster and were thus able to have more time to think and/or make their composition longer.

    Report Post »  
    • Vechorik
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:46pm

      I believe most people write faster using cursive. This is old news. It’s already happened in many schools. My niece was printing her homework and I asked, “When do you learn cursive writing?” She was in the 4th grade and still printing! She said, “They don’t teach it anymore.”

      Report Post »  
    • dr_funk
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 6:26pm

      Re: SAT essays

      Or is it that the cursive-written essays did better than printed essays because the graders have a prejudicial disposition in favor of cursive?

      Report Post »  
  • Shellback
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:34pm

    Wow we went back into time. Just make your mark here.

    Report Post » Shellback  
  • Centralsville
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:33pm

    The dumbing down of America. Why learn to write. Since they don’t teach math, they don’t teach reading, they don’t teach history, and they don’t teach civics, why not drop how to write like an adult. They can print in letters like little children. Not teaching cursive will free them up to teach more about sex and homosexuality.

    Report Post »  
  • SHOWMESTATEGUY
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:32pm

    I’m a little bit of a history buff, is it just me or does anyone else notice that the people who wrote letters in the 1700′s, 1800‘s and part of the 1900’s ( it stopped about 1968) did so in a very beautiful cursive style. It is interesting to me to read some of the correspondence of the people who make up our history. Don’t see that type of writting today.

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    • UpstateNYConservative
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:42pm

      @SHOWMESTATEGUY
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:32pm

      Handwriting is personal an unique to every individual; you can tell a lot about the person.

      Maybe I’m strange, for my love of writing, but with me style with a pen conveys as much as the words and wisdom. Any one can print; I can do mechanical drawing. But to write, and with appeal to the eye?

      That’s a craft.

      Report Post » UpstateNYConservative  
  • tangonine
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:32pm

    “UpstateNYConservative
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:28pm

    Nothing feels better to a man’s hand than a fine pen (other than a woman, of course, and I won’t go there!).”

    I offer you the HK P2000 .40 caliber handgun. Or, a gas/piston Bushmaster XM-15E with Trijicon optics (yes, the ones with the bible verse etched on them).

    Report Post »  
    • UpstateNYConservative
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:36pm

      @Reply
      tangonine
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:32pm

      “UpstateNYConservative
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:28pm

      Nothing feels better to a man’s hand than a fine pen (other than a woman, of course, and I won’t go there!).”

      I offer you the HK P2000 .40 caliber handgun. Or, a gas/piston Bushmaster XM-15E with Trijicon optics (yes, the ones with the bible verse etched on them).

      ____________________

      Well, I was trying to be polite and stay on the topic…*LOL*

      Touche!

      But I personally prefer Colt Commander in .45 ACP. A .40/.41 might be a little easier to control for the same stopping power. Gotta try one someday.

      Report Post » UpstateNYConservative  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:30pm

    Let’s not teach them to tell time on an analog clock either, who needs it? Addition, subtraction? Bah! That’s what calculators are for.

    Report Post » Gonzo  
  • tangonine
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:29pm

    “sportlock
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:20pm

    Why is it when I read this article I’m reminded of the cashier at the gas station the other day who was absolutely stumped trying to figure out I was due 11 cents change?”

    I went to office depot the other day and walked out with a $40 white board for $10 because the scanner didn’t work and Boy Genius behind the counter was stumped and mis-entered the price.

    At first I wanted to point it out, from a sense of honesty, but then I thought, “Ya know what? They hired this idiot, let them deal with it.”

    Report Post »  
  • smalldog
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:29pm

    What will students fall back on? Block printing? I think at one time cursive was considered the educated communication tool. If you need to hand print something, just block print? Block print your name?

    Report Post »  
    • Elena2010
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 6:52pm

      @Smalldog — that’s what the kids down here on the border do. My nephews in Central NY also were not taught cursive and were caught off guard when the SAT demanded they produce a copy of a passage in cursive.

      We learned block print in grades 1 & 2, then cursive in 3rd. Typing was an elective for high school. Kids do need to learn all three. Ditch the ka-ka-doo-doo courses and teach all three! Let the teacher and child decide which will be used for which project.

      The private school where I used to work made it happen quite nicely. We even assigned grades on Penmanship all the way thru 12th grade.

      In my time in the US Navy, we used block letters for log books for legibility’s sake. We did have one chaplain who thought his hearts & flowers cursive looked so good, he used it for the log. NOBODY could read a thing that man wrote, plus his stupid ink pen bled thru to the next page and beyond. So there is a time and place for all things!

      Report Post » Elena2010  
  • UpstateNYConservative
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:28pm

    Nothing feels better to a man’s hand than a fine pen (other than a woman, of course, and I won’t go there!).

    Nothing is more unique than a signature.

    Report Post » UpstateNYConservative  
  • likwidlizard
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:28pm

    This proves how lazy those teachers are. Are we supposed to have a nation where no one knows how to write? Stupid is as stupid does. This totally RETARDED.

    Report Post » likwidlizard  
  • tangonine
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:27pm

    This fits right in with the LA County stance that “homework is racist!”

    Yes. Assign less homework. All those black and latino kids are already at a disadvantage due to liberal stupidity, but… we have a solution: let‘s have them learn less cuz it’s hard! THERE’S the key to success!

    Liberals… they just get dumber by the day.

    Can we take our schools back now? By force?

    Report Post »  
  • TEIN
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:24pm

    Wow!!! It once was a social status symbol to have good penmanship….I guess the next generation will have to have a stamp to sign their name or just a big “X”…..Libby/Progressives moving to the standards of 1875 one step at a time….

    Report Post »  
  • Ron_WA
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:23pm

    I really hate to say it but cursive writing needs to become an elective subject kinda’ like Latin. Nobody but old folk & the elite write in cursive anymore.

    Advance placement kids should take cursive but the low-brow common kid needs to learn “key-boarding” instead.

    Report Post » Ron_WA  
    • Gamaliel
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:32pm

      To Ron_WA

      I notice that the comments left by younger people are very disparaging towards learning cursive. This is probably due to their own poor education experiences. It is sad that they cannot foresee the value of knowing how to express themselves with pen and paper.

      Report Post »  
    • mpil1
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 11:13pm

      I’m a younger person. I make a good living using typing skills, mathematics and computers. I haven’t handwritten anything by notes for myself in 10 years of my career already. Cursive is not needed. Its a waste of time..

      Report Post » mpil1  
    • threedoor
      Posted on July 8, 2011 at 1:19am

      I wright faster and more corectly with plain block leters than I ever did using cursive.

      Report Post » threedoor  
  • Kerri g
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:23pm

    What happens when the power goes out and homework needs to be done? What happens when you are where a computer or typwrite is not available? Kids should know how to read, write and do basis math without machines. It’s not about waisting time. It’s about skills, it’s about using your brain.

    Report Post »  
  • woemcat
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:23pm

    this is just great. people can’t do math when the cash registers are down. NOW, they won’t be able to write when the computers go down. the dumbing down of America continues.

    Report Post » woemcat  
    • Jennine
      Posted on July 8, 2011 at 12:54am

      Agreed. One more step down the road to complete social dependence. A computer keyboard is not the ‘new, more advanced’ way to write. It’s the calculator of handwriting. The most efficient way to write is with your hand– the only thing you have with you no matter what. Lastly, the quality of your handwriting is inevitably a reflection on you. Don’t believe me? Put two job apps side by side and tell me which person appears the most disciplined and put together. Our schools are churning out sheeple.

      Report Post »  
  • sportlock
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:20pm

    Why is it when I read this article I’m reminded of the cashier at the gas station the other day who was absolutely stumped trying to figure out I was due 11 cents change?

    Report Post »  
    • xoke
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:25pm

      @TANGONINE

      My signed name is pretty unreadable, and I’m well versed in cursive…despite my distaste for it. I just personally feel it’s an unproductive skill, especially in this day and age. I think the kids would be better of focusing on math, typing, or even a secondary language.

      I wouldn’t be opposed to cursive being some sort of art elective. Hey, I‘m not saying I’m right and your wrong, I just hate cursive, lol.

      Report Post » xoke  
  • Volfie
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:16pm

    Is cursive dead? Yes. Handwriting is fading out as people are using better tools to communicate. I think kids should still be taught handwriting at a basic level, but trading learning time from cursive to learn typing is a much better use of teaching time.

    Report Post »  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on July 8, 2011 at 6:57am

      Pray you never encounter a time when you don’t have batteries or an outlet nearby.

      Also, if you don’t know cursive, you’ll be incapable of reading pretty much the bulk of Western history from its inception to present day minus ten years.

      But that’s ok, hey, that’s why we have computers and other people to read things for us. :-/

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
  • tangonine
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:10pm

    “xoke
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:06pm

    I hated cursive in school and I still hate it to this day. What a profound waste of time. My two cents.”

    so… how do you sign your name?

    Report Post »  
  • CatB
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:09pm

    They can’t teach both??? !!! What a waste of money a public “education” is. HOME SCHOOL!

    Report Post »  
  • I.Gaspar
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:09pm

    We can force them to learn about “alternative lifestyles”and the “green sciences”, and teach them not to believe in God, but now we’re going to stop teaching them how to write.
    Just wonderful.

    Report Post »  
  • firstlast
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:07pm

    My husband, an artist by trade, teaches our girls the Palmer method, which was taught to him by his grandmother. This is a shame

    Report Post »  
  • JRook
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:06pm

    Wouldn’t think it should be eliminated, but the time involved could be reduced. I spent a number of years in IT project management and later as a CIO and the majority of employees who were uncomfortable with computers correlated with their ability to type well. One’s signature is a really bad example because the majority of them are unreadable, even for the folks who have decent handwriting.

    Report Post »  
    • goldenfish
      Posted on July 8, 2011 at 8:00am

      Sure…yeah…take out handwriting because you ALWAYS carry a laptop with you and you NEVER EVER have to write anything down. Are these the people who never send ‘thank you’ cards – real ones and not the email/tweet/facebook ones? So they never have to fill any forms out? They have never signed a mortgage or any other contract? Maybe they would like to cut math class too. After all, we do now have calculators. Cut History class…hey, it is in the past, look only to the future! Cut Grammar…we came to school already talking for Heaven’s sake!

      Report Post »  
  • xoke
    Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:06pm

    I hated cursive in school and I still hate it to this day. What a profound waste of time. My two cents.

    Report Post » xoke  
    • nptden
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:17pm

      Don’t worry. When the NWO Marxist progressives take over, you will only have to use your ID number. No names.

      Report Post » nptden  
    • angelcat
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:31pm

      So, do they let you print your name in the signature line of checks? Did you get to print your name on the signature line of your mortgage or car loan? If you did,do you realize how much easier it is for someone to forge printing rather than handwriting?

      Report Post »  
    • Gas137
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:37pm

      I think we have to leave a personal trace to prove we were actually on location. Writing in medical charts was very time consuming but necessary evidence that the service was delivered and progress was monitored, in person. The cursive skill was essential. Maybe that will all change with the use of tablets.

      Report Post » Gas137  
    • avenger
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 5:54pm

      part of the progressive agenda to create a country of illiterate morons..

      Report Post »  
    • banjarmon
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 8:58pm

      Wow everybody has the same signature…. XXX

      Report Post » banjarmon  
    • zoose
      Posted on July 7, 2011 at 9:52pm

      If you can’t write it how can you read it? This is wrong.
      They are going to create a generation of stupid people.
      Have you seen the movie ‘The Book of Eli’?

      Report Post » zoose  
    • Pontiac
      Posted on July 8, 2011 at 1:38am

      xoke, agreed. People don’t even write in cursive when they write in “cursive”. They may write well on a school essay but outside of that it deteriorates into illegible scribbles.
      “Oh no, how do you sign your name”
      With an X… Seriously, come off it.
      As for the rest of you, why don’t you go back to Quill Pens and Inkwells? I’m sick of deciphering scribbles you people pass off as cursive.

      Report Post » Pontiac  
    • gtrdone
      Posted on July 8, 2011 at 12:32pm

      Just the skills used in cursive teach nerve endings more important than picking your nose? Let see, hating school because you couldn’t write is a damn good reason to a nine year old in a mature body. Teach typing and that will cure the hate for cursive. Let’s face it, teachers will still have to teach nine year olds to do something, any good teacher will teach “how to save the planet, but writing skills, what’s that going to learn ya? to debate with other idiots, yes, let’s open this to debate…..this school district is offensive to everyone who knows how important it is.

      Report Post »  
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