As more and more children are being raised in a world that is filled with technology, simple concepts like cursive writing are beginning to fall by the wayside. Today's children do not remember what it is like to live without smartphones, tablets, laptops and personal computers. The usage of all of these items are second nature at this point and many are wondering what will happen to our children's ability to write in cursive.
The digital age seems to be rendering cursive writing completely irrelevant. Most adults can barely remember how to do so and as more school systems decide to remove cursive handwriting from their curriculum to make room for computer skill courses, this is not a trend that will reverse anytime soon.
If the average student is asked to write in cursive these days, there is a good chance that they will need to head to Google, so that they can perform the necessary research. As classrooms refocus on getting their students ready for the real world, this may become the primary method for learning about cursive handwriting for the average student.
While children should be well versed in the best utilization techniques for modern technology and most can agree that cursive writing is not as important as it once was, wondering what will happen to our collective ability to write in cursive is a fair concern to have.
The Practical Case for Cursive
Adults regularly need to use cursive writing for a variety of daily tasks. Those who work in fields that require them to sign checks on a regular basis may struggle to do so and this can lead to increased instances of identity theft. Even though an X can often suffice as a signature, this is a signature that is also very easy to emulate.
A Divisive Issue
But others will point out the fact that many modern jobs are easy enough to survive without ever having to write in cursive. It is a divisive issue, one that does not have any simple answers. Schools are now implementing more classroom technology and spending more time readying children for the future, which has to come at the expense of other subjects.
Unfortunately, cursive writing is bearing the brunt of this shift. Cursive writing is rapidly becoming a lost art, a relic from an older time. But as long as signatures remain important, cursive writing will always have a place in this brave new world.
Even if the current trends do not favor the continued prominence of cursive writing in classrooms, it bears noting that most trends are cyclical in nature. As schools continue to move towards a classroom environment that is more reliant on technology, the groundswell for cursive writing will only continue to grow.
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