It’s time to start teaching cursive again

How did we even get to this point? We have strayed so far from the basics of education that some Wisconsin lawmakers are drafting a bill that would require Wisconsin elementary school students to learn cursive. Apparently we need a law to require that, because so many schools have simply stopped teaching cursive. So much for reading, writing and arithmetic. Slowly, over the years, schools just stopped teaching students how to write in cursive. Everything is on the keyboard, or I-pad these days. I understand the desire to use the latest technology in an effort to help students learn, but can’t understand why schools stopped teaching how to write without lifting your pen from the paper. There is evidence that teaching writing in cursive leads to better comprehension and retention of the material. It also helps develop hand-eye coordination. But kids aren’t writing, they’re typing. I’ve seen two year olds adeptly navigate their parent’s cell phones, swiping through pictures or playing videos. Certainly kids today are going to know how to type and swipe, and how to use the proper emojis. But they should also be able to write properly. I know one teenager whose grandmother recently passed away. He had saved letters she had sent him over the years. But he couldn’t read them, because they were in cursive. What is more important? I’d go with the letter from Grandma over how to open a viral You Tube video. We shouldn’t need a law to ensure our kids learn how to write, but it is clear that we do.