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<p>I’m a recent college graduate (2010) and don’t know what you’re talking about when you say “blue books.”</p>
<p>I couldn’t tell you the last time I wrote in cursive with exception of my signature. I was told, from a young age, that I was going to go into a medical field based on my handwriting ;)</p>
<p>My handwriting has always been horrendous to the point I can’t read my own notes when studying for midterms. I prefer handwriting my notes as I seem to remember it better. And as an engineer, most of my assignments I also handwrite. Luckily I haven’t had occasions where I lost points because of it… Yet. I should learn to use latex at some point.</p>
<p>I was diagnosed with dysgraphia. But I’m not sure if that led to bad handwriting or bad handwriting led to the diagnosis??</p>
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I’m a current college student and I do know what the mean by “blue book”. </p>
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I would think that your bad handwriting led to your diagnosis, but that is not to say that your labeling had no effect on your handwriting and its ability to improve.</p>
<p>This is still a wonderful program:</p>
<p>[Handwriting</a> Without Tears | A Complete Handwriting Curriculum for All Children](<a href=“http://www.hwtears.com/hwt]Handwriting”>Handwriting Without Tears® | Learning Without Tears®)</p>
<p>Blue books are exam booklets. You usually have to buy them at your school store for, like, $0.50 each, and one is used for an exam. I think the idea is there then shouldn’t be any loose paper floating around, so it should make it a little harder to cheat or something like that.</p>
<p>Haven’t read this whole thread and it’s been a while so I have to ask – do high school students still take notes in class? Aren’t those handwritten or is everyone taking a laptop to school every day? I would think that would allow for some handwriting practice at least through 12th grade. I know in college it’s pretty common to see everyone pull a laptop out of their bag.</p>
<p>More importantly, aren’t there some things in the course of life that must be hand written – I’m thinking of things like birthday cards? I realize that kids are more likely to text their friends happy birthday but if they’re going to a party and bringing a gift, surely they aren’t attached a typed card, or are they? I know greeting cards aren’t a day to day thing but I’m assuming they still sell, given that Hallmark is still open.</p>
<p>Kids are still being taught to write. It is cursive that is being dropped. At our school, teaching keyboarding, power point and getting ready for standardized testing among other things has caused most third grade teachers to drop it. Our kids start on lap tops in 4th grade. They still take notes by hand but most of them are printing and many printed years ago even when they knew cursive. I know I do a combination printing-cursive when I write. I print much nicer than I do cursive.</p>
<p>As someone who went through 12 years of Catholic school and the Palmer method of handwriting, browbeaten (literally) by nuns, I have pretty nice handwriting. But given all the typing I do on various devices, my handwriting has definitely suffered.</p>
<p>lol …same here. I still remember doing those Palmer drills. </p>
<p>If you were to sit down, place your paper properly and practice a bit, your nice handwriting will return. Some of “loss” is probably due to a lack of muscle strength in holding pens. Typing uses different muscles.</p>
<p>I think many boys today have lousy penmanship because they haven’t developed the fine motor skills to write decently. Girls today still seem to have cute printing skills which probably helps them have better cursive skills.</p>
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<p>This might be a product of traditional ideas going back centuries that one’s handwriting is not only indicative of one’s education and refinement, but also one’s social status and even character. </p>
<p>Historical note: During the days of the Chinese imperial civil service exams, calligraphy and otherwise knowing how to write neatly was one bare minimum requirement to even have a smidgen of a chance of one’s exam being considered. If the handwriting is poor in the eyes of the examiner, the entire exam would be flunked automatically without even a glance at the content. Poor handwriting alone was considered a sign one wasn’t educated and socialized enough to be fit to have the opportunity to work in what was the the most prestigious job of the time. </p>
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<p>Part of it is also due to socialization and expectations. Girls are expected to have neater handwriting skills and are lauded accordingly among their peers. </p>
<p>Boys on the other hand don’t have this expectation as much and in some cases…having handwriting that’s too “cute” could prompt bullying from their peers because good penmanship is regarded among some male in the same age/peer group as a sign one’s “too feminine” or “too goody 2 shoes”.</p>
<p>Personally, I replaced cursive with legible printing 40 years ago, and it has served all of my needs except signing my name through college, law school, and working life. And I hardly ever need to print, either, except sometimes for taking notes.</p>
<p>In my opinion, continuing to teach cursive is like teaching Morse Code.</p>
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<p>I wouldn’t go that far. I do see some value in it as an art form like the calligraphy course I took during undergrad.</p>
<p>When my children attended Montessori as preschoolers they were taught cursive writing as, according to the teacher, it’s easier for them to learn than printing - if indeed this is true, perhaps cursive would be the best type of writing to teach to the little ones. Haven’t read the whole thread, but I seem to remember from a neuropsych class I once took that hand writing develops neuronal connections (it’s been +/-30 years so I can’t member the details) and one wonders if typing does the same ? Also, for me to study, I have to write things out, part of how I memorized stuff for exams - typed notes never worked for me - there was something about the process of handwriting that helped me learn - of course I hope never to have to take another test, so for me this is moot.</p>
<p>I think you’re onto something, One - I’ll write a grocery list and forget it on the table but the act of writing helps me to remember once I’m in the store. I also cannot sit and listen without scribbling or writing. I don’t know whether this results from having to take notes or if the act of taking notes helps me to listen. </p>
<p>I had a few older teachers in elementary school who made us memorize poems. We would copy the verses over and over and I can remember parts of everything I’ve learned that way.</p>
<p>This has been discussed many times over. Just google “Does writing help memory?” And you will be bombarded with articles upon articles. It’s safe to say that handwriting benefits the brain in ways that typing cannot. </p>
<p>This came up in the search:
<a href=“http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/a/SB10001424052748704631504575531932754922518?mg=reno64-wsj[/url]”>http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/a/SB10001424052748704631504575531932754922518?mg=reno64-wsj</a></p>
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I don’t believe that for one second. It’s just another rationalization for doing what we’ve always done.</p>
<p>Although cursive is more continuous, it is said that print is best for youngsters to start out in. </p>
<p><a href=“The Case for Cursive - The New York Times”>The Case for Cursive - The New York Times;
Another article that popped up in another search…</p>
<p>Is cursive hard to read? </p>
<p>An interesting and random bit of personal experience, when writing in a hurry at times my letters loop together, with words that end with an “s”, naturally the rushed one stroke looks similar to that of a cursive “a”. Coincidence? I’m unsure. Cursive is definitely a natural and fluid way of writing. I don’t, however, write all my letters to standard, but thos is understandable since many do this with printing as well.</p>
<p>Here’s a link re cursive writing and Montessori
[Why</a> Cursive First? | Montessori Learning Center](<a href=“http://www.montessoriutah.com/why-cursive-first/]Why”>http://www.montessoriutah.com/why-cursive-first/)</p>
<p>Agree LHoD - I can still recite all those poems and bits of Shakespeare learned in elementary school !</p>
<p>Oh, and this one is interesting too</p>
<p>[Handwriting</a> ? Why Cursive? | Ruffing Montessori School](<a href=“http://ruffingmontessori.net/home/about/why-montessori/montessori-articles/handwriting/]Handwriting”>http://ruffingmontessori.net/home/about/why-montessori/montessori-articles/handwriting/)</p>
<p>Interesting about cursive being easier to learn first-- I don’t buy it, but it’s interesting.</p>
<p>When my 20 year old sister first learned her letters, they taught her what we thought were absolutely BIZARRE ways of writing printed letters-- with extraneous loops and tails-- to make it “easier” to learn cursive later. I don’t really believe that made any difference either.</p>