In third grade, I was formally introduced to cursive writing. My teacher had spent the first weeks introducing herself and the work ahead for us. In her room, the classroom was full with cursive reminders and quotes. At my elementary school, we did something called STEM rotations meaning one hour a day for a week every student in a grade switched for ELA and Math class. It was based on testing we did at the beginning of the year. The class was the only one that taught cursive and lasted for such a short time.
Her ELA class was the only one that taught cursive, unfortunately, for us. There was a shift from being taught everyday to not even opening a practice sheet. I was never taught cursive prior nor was I taught after.
A majority of schoolwork has shifted to be online, especially after following the pandemic protocols. The change back to in person school was never easy, and students still struggle to this day. But aside from normal school subjects like algebra and geography, the very subject of cursive is dying as well. The use of cursive is falling behind on the timeline of our generation. Cursive should be back in elementary school education plans because it helps develop the growing child’s mind, as well as gives context and understanding to historical documents.
Schools all around the nation are using computers to help teach. Writing in pencil and pen are becoming obsolete in today’s educational landscape, and it’s important to strike a balance between the two worlds. Cursive contrasts the digital age by encouraging the development of handwriting skills, which are still important in real life situations where a keyboard or screen aren’t available. Teaching cursive is a way to maintain the cognitive and emotional benefits of handwriting that are being lost with the rise of typing.
According to the Education Week, cursive “trains the brain to learn functional, [and] it improves fine motor skills.” Writing in cursive helps improve hand control and coordination because it requires careful, continuous movement. The flow of cursive writing, where the letters are all connected, makes a student write with more precise finger movements, which strengthens one’s fine motor skills.
Daily schedules should be reintroduced into elementary school classrooms for cursive. A strong cursive schedule would include daily practice and occasional reading and writing quizzes. In 2010, Common Core Standards that are used nationwide no longer required cursive to be taught across the states, the decision is instead up to districts and the states individually.
However in 2016, 14 states required schools to teach cursive writing. During the 2018-2019 school year, that number jumped to 19. Now, in 2024, more states have begun to add cursive to school curriculums. However, Colorado is not included in that list of schools including cursive. According to Fountain-Fort Carson School District, “cursive is not required in the Colorado Academic Standards and many states across the country have also removed cursive instruction from their curriculum. Therefore, elementary school students in the district are not explicitly taught to write using cursive handwriting.”
Teaching cursive doesn’t only benefit English classes, being able to read cursive also helps in history classes. Important documents such as the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are all written in cursive. These important historical documents are already challenging to read for students, not taking into account the readability of cursive.
Not teaching children cursive at a young age is damaging for the future. When they grow up they face older generations of employers looking for those who have the skills of writing cursive, or atleast writing legibly, among other older traditions that were practiced. Adults are almost always required to give their signature whether it is signing a check or signing permission slips. An adult must know how to write in a proper manner, and cursive writing is often seen as a more professional form of writing. Not teaching kids cursive early in their life will only stop their minds from growing alongside it.
While time in the school day is limited, cursive deserves a spot in the curriculum for its unique benefits such as improving motor skills and historical literacy. Even minimal instruction can provide students with valuable skills that will continue to be in use later in life.
