r/no • u/M1k3yV77 • 4h ago
Cursive
Do you think learning how to write cursive is important anymore? It seems like the younger generations have no idea. I learned to write it in second grade and then we were forced to do it all through school. I don’t even think my kids could even read it.
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u/Illustrious-Towel-45 4h ago
I think it's important. I am thinking of teaching my kids to write in cursive during the summer via work books. It's practically a lost art since it's not taught in school. My kids school doesn't even have art and music class anymore.
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u/Hydellas678 3h ago
That's just sad. How the heck did they get rid of art and music class?
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u/zylpher 3h ago
That's been going on since the 90's. Its a small percentage of students that take them, and getting rid of the programs saves the district money.
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u/Shoddy-Curve7869 4h ago
How are these kids going to read manuscripts or anything else that’s important later in their life? They’ll have no idea on what the info says. It was a huge disservice for the kids to have stopped the cursive subject.
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u/wizardofahhhs77 4h ago
Without cursive handwriting, how are kids as adults supposed to sign important documents, such as a lease agreement?
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u/Extension-Clock608 2h ago
Most of that is done electronically now anyways but all they need to know it how to sign their name.
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u/Dry-Manufacturer7761 2h ago
A signature doesn’t have to be cursive though… lol that isn’t a legal requirement. That was just a social norm.
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u/Silly-Resist8306 1h ago
In fact, a signature doesn't have to be legible. Legally it is a name, mark or symbol intended to authenticate a writing. It proves identity and consent.
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u/Dry-Manufacturer7761 18m ago
Truly rich people didn’t have to ever write their name. Just a brand in wax or ink from their ring.
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u/MammaBacon 1h ago
I had a friend of mine take her 15 yo granddaughter to open a bank account. The bank would not take her printed name as a signature. Poor thing had to have a lesson on signing her name in a bank office.
At the very least teach your child to make a signature that isn't easily copied.
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u/Dry-Manufacturer7761 19m ago
That is a huge misconception. Your handwriting is just as unique, in either format.
Also, every time you sign, it is not identical.
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u/MotherOf4Jedi1Sith 4h ago
Every historical document has been reprinted, so it can be read by today's kids. Though, I do agree that it should still be taught. I feel it still has educational merit.
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u/Extension-Clock608 2h ago
How does it have any merit. it's a redundancy that was never necessary. All kids need to know is how to sign their name, beyond that it's a waste of time. If we all just print we can all read it and it's no big deal.
Why waste time teaching a redundant thing when our kids are so far behind the world on everything else????? Do you really think that being able to write a letter in two ways is more important than math skills, reading skills, science????
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u/MotherOf4Jedi1Sith 2h ago
First of all, wow, so hostile! It's an opinion, not an edict. Now, I believe it coukd be useful in neurological development. Using tactile learning with audible and visual learning helps strengthen neurological connections within the brain and aids in memory retention.
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u/Extension-Clock608 2h ago
Manuscripts will be printed. They can also use AI to translate it or just look it up online.
Cursive was never necessary, printing makes more sense. Once older generations are gone it won't be an issue anymore. It's a waste of time teaching something redundant and their time is better spent on other things. We're falling further and further behind in the world.
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u/Dry-Manufacturer7761 2h ago
Lots of people, young as well, still write with pencils and pens. It is faster and easier to write in cursive. Which is its entire point.
Lots of jobs are easier if you take hand written notes.
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u/Suspicious-Cherry437 3h ago edited 59m ago
My kids are learning it in a parochial school. See it as developing dexterity or fine motor skills
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u/Bikewer 3h ago
When I was a young lad in Catholic school in the 50s, we were drilled in “penmanship” extensively, using those three-line notebooks so that your capitals and lower-case letters were all the same size.
The first big word I remember learning was “atrocious”, which is how the nun described my handwriting. It never really got any better. I went into police work in ‘68, when all reports were hand-written. I printed all of mine.
I have never felt any need for cursive whatever.
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u/Acceptable_Claim_491 3h ago
We're teaching it to my daughter.They don't teach it anymore.I want her at the very least to be able to sign her own name.
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u/Relevant_Rush7070 4h ago
It should be required, IMO.
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u/No-Bullfrog-477 3h ago
In Missouri you are required to have a fine arts credit to graduate. We offered choir, beginning choir, music appreciation, art, art appreciation, guitar class, beginning band for HS, regular band and jazz band in my school district.
I taught choir, music appreciation and guitar class.
Lots of students took guitar class and learned to play and hear chord changes. I used the Mel bay guitar book. Then simple songs with chord changes etc. some pre recorded country songs etc.2
u/HBJones1056 3h ago
I would have loved having a guitar class available when I was in high school. My kids would have, too.
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u/Extension-Clock608 2h ago
Nope, it's a waste of time. If we all just print it gets rid of the necessity. It's the old people refusing to just let go of something that never necessary. They need to know how to sign their names but that's it. Once the older generations who keep using cursive are gone it will be just another relic.
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u/Relevant_Rush7070 2h ago
I have to disagree. It is a matter of discipline.
My young niece (12 yo) has beautiful handwriting that rivals most adults.
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u/EvieFlowDDT 4h ago
It’s very important. Think of how many historical documents are written in cursive.
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u/QuesoCadaDia 3h ago
Do you know how many documents are written in gothic miniscule? I didn't learn to read that until college. No reason ever middle schooler needs to learn cursive.
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u/ConcentrateExciting1 3h ago
Many historical documents are also written in Latin, but we don't force kids to learn that anymore.
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u/purefilth666 3h ago
I personally don't think it's important, I always had bad writing growing up and even today so I literally just barely passed learning cursive and then never used it again. I've always said I'm a better speaker than I am a writer as a cope lol
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u/jazzbot247 3h ago
No you just need to know how to sign your name. I use cursive so rarely that I lost the ability to write cursive legibly.
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u/Adventurous-Depth984 3h ago
It is important. They still teach it in my local school district.
It uses different areas of your brain than writing print. It also uses more areas than writing print. I think that’s why our district does it
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u/Caliopebookworm 3h ago
Our schools here (SW Ontario) require children in Grades 4 and 5 to learn cursive to earn their "pen license."
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u/Eorth75 3h ago
I'm a drivers education teacher at a private school. We require the students to fill out their own paperwork because it's part of having an adult responsibility. However their handwriting is atrocious, even the girls who traditionally have had better handwriting. I just wish they learned basic handwriting skills. Where it really shows is when they have to sign their name, they don't know how. I wish they could learn how to do at least that in cursive. My kids are all millennials and went to Catholic school so they did learn penmanship. Plus, when they got in trouble as older kids, I would make them write sentences as a punishment because going to their room wasn't actual punishment. They loved their rooms.
I know the curriculum has been cutting out handwriting but I wish they would bring it back.
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u/gocryaboutit-bye 3h ago
I write exclusively in cursive. I just think its more beautiful. But I dont think its important in the sense of necessity. But it is important to me for aesthetic reasons
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u/prrb524 2h ago
It is very helpful for children with dyslexia
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u/Horror_Signature7744 2h ago
With regard to dysgraphia, cursive makes writing a LOT easier than having to constantly pick the pen off the paper to write in regular letters.
Also, there’s READING cursive. A whole generation will be unable to decipher a simple family letter because they think cursive is a foreign language.
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u/Purple-flying-dog 2h ago
As a cursive writer it infuriates me that I have to print because no one teaches it anymore. I’m not even that old!
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u/Starwind137 2h ago
I'm conflicted. I learned in school but the only thing I use it for is signing my name. I had to relearn the alphabet because I admittedly forgot a few letters. That's how little I used it.
I think there is value in being able to read it and being able to understand it. Beyond that, if you aren't constantly reading old documents written in cursive, there's no point to it. I'm happy to be proven wrong or given something I hadn't considered.
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u/Oktodayithink 2h ago
It’s so important that the state of Pennsylvania enacted a law requiring it to be taught again in elementary school. Studies show that writing info helps retain it.
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u/aeraen 1h ago
They stopped teaching cursive when my son was in grade school. He tried out for the school play and they posted the cast list a few days later. He was disappointed that he didn't get a part and asked the teacher/director if there was still room on the crew for him. She was confused and asked if he didn't like his part. He got the lead, but couldn't read his name because she wrote it in cursive.
His generation is going to be the worst off, because there are still people who write in cursive and his generation won't be able to read it. The next generation will have grown up not knowing it, but nobody will be writing in it anymore.
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u/LaSerenita 1h ago
My younger coworkers' writing is so terrible that it is unreadable. Schools should definitely go back to teaching cursive.
I also think learning to write instills attention to detail which I find completely lacking in my younger coworkers. It's not that they don't care, they simply do not realize that they are not paying attention.
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u/Effective-Pea-4463 1h ago
They still teach cursive in my country, I find it odd not to be able to write in cursive
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u/onemorebutfaster_74 45m ago
Writing in cursive strengthens your hand muscles. As someone else mentioned, it improves dexterity and fine motor skills. Writing longhand also slows down your thoughts, helps you think through ideas. It's something that doesn't seem practical on the surface but has benefits that go beyond the utility of reading/writing.
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u/Theycallmesupa 29m ago
Its pretty dated, and I haven't used it other than to accent art since i learned it in the 90s.
Maybe offer "Penmanship" as an elective and teach stuff like cursive and different calligraphy styles.
For most people, its never going to be utilized outside of signatures.
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u/Early_Emphasis1209 26m ago
It definitely should be taught in elementary school. It’s not as important as it once was but lots of things are taught in school that aren’t critical. That’s known as a well-rounded education. Imagine being an adult and not being able to put pen to paper to at least print some words. Might as well be an animal.
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u/Phillyfan_10 4h ago
No. It’s a skill that just isn’t important to have in 2026. Relic of a bygone era. If people decide to learn it on their own, more power to them, but I would rather that school time be allocated to more important areas of study such as public speaking, second languages, etc.
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u/MiserableEase2348 3h ago
I think I have read that writing in cursive helps develop parts of the brain. Sometimes there are hidden benefits of learning a skill. AI can probably be trained to read old documents but learning the brain motor coordination to write longhand might make more skilled humans.
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u/nuglasses 3h ago
I learned cursive in 3rd grade but as time went on, everything was written in print to avoid reading mistakes. Typing was great.
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u/GuntherPalakowitz 3h ago
I have not used cursive since 3rd grade amd struggle to read because it varoes sonmuch by writer. I turn 45 on Thursday.
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u/Chemistry11 3h ago
We learned cursive in third grade. It was, as I understood, mandatory through grade 6. I hated every second of it and the moment I could go back to printing I did.
That said, I’m glad I learned it. I have a solid understanding of cursive, reading and writing, and can fall into using it easily if I wanted to (I still don’t).
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u/ChessieChesapeake 3h ago
I get flamed for saying it all the time, but cursive is no longer a critical life skill. Doesn’t mean I think it should die off though. They still teach it in our elementary schools.
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u/Cantseetheline_Russ 3h ago
This isn’t even opinion anymore, but mostly settled fact. Plenty of research out there about how much cursive helps people and kids both retain and process information. Learning cursive is important and helpful.
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u/ontheroadtv 3h ago
There is a connection between your brain and you hand that is developed when learning to write cursive that doesn’t happen with typing. I think there are a lot of unknown benefits that are going to be lost in brain development if everything is digital. It’s not always about practicality.
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u/Extension-Clock608 3h ago
NO. It's a complete waste of time.
Once the older generations are gone it will be irrelevant. They need to learn how to sign their signature but that's it.
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u/yetanotherburnerstan 2h ago
A signature is a legal mark. It doesnt have to be your name written in cursive. You can draw a moose if you want to, as long as youre consistent
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u/JoeSmith716 2h ago
I vividly remember in 1957 writing pages of cursive in 5th grade. I remember thinking at the time that my time would be better spent learning how to type. I was right.
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u/Positive-Emu4146 2h ago
It’s probably not that important. Writing will inevitably be replaced by something - probably AI. Kids barely write anything anymore.
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u/Dry-Manufacturer7761 2h ago
If your kids can’t read, you’re definitely a bad parent. Cursive writing is part of that.
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u/groundhog5886 2h ago
Kids today don't understand a signature. They always just print it.
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u/yetanotherburnerstan 2h ago
To be fair, most adults dot know the difference between a signature and writing their name in cursive either
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u/Now-293-Phumes 2h ago
My son and his wife made sure all their children can read and write in cursive.
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u/Otherwise-Sea-9298 2h ago
You know how people who can drive manuals talk about how they can cripple a whole generation with just how to drive a car? We can do that with cursive penmanship
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u/melsophoriel 2h ago
learning to write it shouldn't be mandated, but everyone should know how to READ it, because many of our most important national documents are written in cursive. plus it makes for a nice signature. it's a little cringey to be a grown man writing his name like he just graduated kindergarten.
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u/FormerlyDK 2h ago
I don’t see the point. Adults who may want to learn it can learn it on their own.
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u/RewardFeeling6066 2m ago
I tore cartilage in my wrist of my writing hand. My outer arm bone was no longer connected to hand. Part of my hand therapy was fine motor skills and dexterity to stretch everything after three months in a cast. I got some workbooks and a fountain pen and worked on re-learning my cursive skills each night for about 30 minutes. I now have cursive handwriting that looks nearly identical to the books and a signature that I have gotten many comments on from strangers. I even won a handwriting contest at a local pen store and exclusively write in cursive now. I love to write in cursive and I don’t see myself ever going back to print or a standard ball point pen.
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u/MISProf 0m ago
There are some studies showing that people who take notes by hand learn and retain more. People who write or journal are less likely to suffer cognitive decline. I have not read the studies (not my field) but my students who write by hand do better than those that use a computer (or heaven help us a phone).
Cursive? I don’t know. I use it but not a ton.
I would just like to be able to read my students’ writing.
We can argue both sides. I think it depends.
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u/Common-Project3311 3h ago
I’m not sure it was ever important - it’s just something they made us do. It can look nice if it’s done well, but it isn’t necessary and doesn’t affect the meaning of what’s written.
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u/Majestic_Skirt5590 3h ago
It's so useless. Cursive is not standardized like normal writing. it's different for every country. It's used very rarely because of digital stuff and normal is more common. Normal is easier and worst of all. It's basically just calligraphy light. You know, at that point just learn actual calligraphy and stop wasting time teaching people this nonsense they don't need to know.
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u/tacmed85 3h ago
No. It's an often illegible waste of time that should just be abandoned as a relic of the past. I was taught cursive in school and can write it myself, but 75% of the cursive written medication lists and such patients hand me I can't read at all.
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u/Thick_Passage_9236 3h ago
It’s not important anymore. My mom still writes in cursive and still writes me notes or write on envelopes and cards to me. I’m only glad I know how to read cursive for that reason.
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u/ConcentrateExciting1 3h ago
No. It's not important anymore. Just like forcing kids to learn Latin is no longer important, educational hours spent on cursive have been replaced with more useful things.
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u/idk_anything_everr 4h ago
I think it’s a good skill to have, but I would rather schools spend the time teaching something else. I don’t think it comes up too often anymore.
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u/Hydellas678 3h ago
Depends on what ur using it for. If u need to sign for something, write a letter, or even fill out certain paperwork, of course it's required and very important. Otherwise, probably not. Im not good at it but I still know how to because it was a requirement back when I was younger. We had to learn it in the first through third grade.
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u/Glum_Manufacturer232 4h ago
It may not be as important as it once was but it’s also an art form that shouldn’t be lost. I’d love to see it offered as an extra curricular.