Cursive Writing

Nowadays, cursive writing is only found when people are signing their names onto papers, checks, etc. With papers being written electronically more and more, cursive is found to be being used less and less. A recent Xerox Mortgage Service survey reveals that by 2016, nearly half of all home loans could be closed electronically. This means that people won’t even have to physically sign their names. Students in schools have learning the Zaner-Bloser method of cursive writing since the 1950’s. Now, although it is still being taught in many schools, it isn’t necessary. When many of you are thinking about learning to write in cursive, you probably recall trying to memorize the intricate loops that looked like a bunch of scribbles. Learning how to write in cursive correctly came with countless hand cramps and eraser marks on your third-grade writing papers. Many would view cursive writing now like they view trigonometry. An incredibly frustrating task that many would say will be used later in life. I can still recall the teachers constantly badgering us on how we will use cursive writing “all of the time,” and how “everything you write in middle school will be written in cursive writing,” only to find out that after elementary school, I only ever write in cursive to sign my name. Many would argue that part of the reason that cursive is used less and less is the increasing importance of keyboarding. With computers becoming the new pencil and paper, it has become more important to learn how to type than to write in cursive. Forty-five states believe that keyboarding is more important and plan on adopting new curriculums to reflect this. Starting in 2014, forty-five states won’t make cursive handwriting mandatory. These new curriculums will also require students to be proficient in keyboarding by the time they finish elementary school. These curriculums further reveal the trend of cursive becoming less and less important. If you ask students, they will also say that