NJ Bill Would Force Children to Learn Cursive

When I was a kid, way back in the olden days, we were taught to read and write in cursive, beginning in the first grade. Being left-handed, I was about to learn a few issues with this new way of writing.

At first, I could not figure out why the side of my left hand always had ink smudges on it, but other kids in my class had that issue. Everyone but me was right-handed.

Eventually a portion of my brain kicked in and I figured out it was because being left-handed, as I wrote in cursive, my hand was moving to the right and gliding over the fresh ink on my paper. Duh.

I have dealt with this issue ever since, although most of my writing now occurs with the magic of a keyboard, thanks initially to the typewriter and now the computer. It's one of the curses of being left-handed.

It had not occurred to me that many schools eventually stopped teaching to read and write in cursive. Since I have no kids, it wasn't something that I would have known. Recently I ran across an article from cbs12.com that a lawmaker in the State of New Jersey is introducing a bill to bring back the teaching of cursive reading and writing in elementary schools.In New York State, it is not mandatory for students be taught cursive, although there are several districts in the state that choose to teach students cursive.

Is it a good idea to make students learn cursive? That's probably a touchy subject. Some believe yes, arguing that it shouldn't be tossed aside and forgotten, and some don't see any future use of cursive reading and writing.

But think about it. We have to sign our name in cursive, right? If you don't learn it, how do you sign for anything? I didn't have any trouble learning cursive and I wasn't the brightest kid in the elementary school, so I don't think it's a bad idea to teach students to read and write in cursive again.

Your thoughts? If so, please write them in cursive, thank you.

via cbs12.com