Satan doesn't want your kids to learn cursive

[Yahtzee]

I went to a class about the new web indexing they're rolling out. My teen and I love to index and have fun little competitions. I was so saddened to hear from many people that their kids or the youth in their wards have no interest in or have a strong dislike for indexing and the all had the same reason: they never learned cursive or only did it in third grade and forgot most of it.
I could almost hear the adversary laughing with delight. Of course he would be thrilled with that.
When asking my teacher friends why their school dropped cursive - not required for testing, no one uses it now, takes too much time...
I hadn't thought of it before, but I now believe the drop in cursive teaching was inspired by Satan.

[Crackers]

Interesting thought. I have been upset by the essential dropping of cursive in public schools. Never connected it to its usefulness in indexing though. Reading older varieties of cursive is hard, but without being "fluent" in basic cursive, some indexing could become a near-impossible task.

[JohnnyL]

Don't worry too much about cursive, it's just the stepping stone to illiteracy. <sarcasm>
The majority of students in Title 1 schools I've been in, from 4th grade and above, are minimal readers.

[Yahtzee]

I even mentioned it to my public schooling friends and they just shrug their shoulders. Oh well. They just go along with it because the teachers are good people- so why question anything?
They don't question the ridiculous books their kids are required to read, the testing (which they can opt out of by Utah law, but no one I know does), or changes in what is taught.
But if we say anything, question anything, we're dismissed with the tinfoil hat crowd.

[markharr]

I think it would be more accurate to say that Satan doesn't want us to be educated at all on anything that isn't his doctrine.

Slaves are easier to control if they are uneducated.

[iWriteStuff]

I think it would be more accurate to say that Satan doesn't want us to be educated at all on anything that isn't his doctrine.

Slaves are easier to control if they are uneducated.

I slip in and out of cursive when I write.... Interesting to think my kids will never be able to read any of my journals unless I teach them more than one way of writing. What great stuff they're going to miss out on! B-)

[markharr]

I think it would be more accurate to say that Satan doesn't want us to be educated at all on anything that isn't his doctrine.

Slaves are easier to control if they are uneducated.

I slip in and out of cursive when I write.... Interesting to think my kids will never be able to read any of my journals unless I teach them more than one way of writing. What great stuff they're going to miss out on! B-)

Well, There isn't time to teach them cursive and how to put condoms on bananas. Something has to go.

[eddie]

The word FART, looks funny written in cursive.

[SmallFarm]

Interesting.... I have some small dysgraphia when I write normally. I haven't tried to write in cursive for YEARS (besides signing my name) so this thread inspired me to write down the preamble to the Constitution in cursive to see how I do. I had to look up some capital letters (I never bothered to do them correctly when I was in school), and it still looks quite sloppy since I'm out of practice. But it seems like some of my dysgraphia goes away when I write in cursive. It's like there's more structure built into the writing and it's harder for my hands to jump around...

[lundbaek]

I learned cursive staring in K in 1942 and can still use it. But I noted early on that my friends who attended Catholic parochial schools learned to make several letters different than I learned. And cursive handwriting is different in different countries. My wife grew up and went thru school in Denmark. When she gives me a hand-written shopping list I have to have her translate it for me and I rewrite it before I go out the door.

[Yahtzee]

For the really funky handwriting, I learned about script.byu.edu which has examples in multiple languages of all the crazy variations. And there are many! If you every need help deciphering something, check this place out! But I usually only come across those when doing the pre 1850s stuff for my own family. Most of my indexing, so far, has been easier to read.

[brianj]

I am curious: do public schools teach classes in typing?

When I was a public school student we spent maybe an hour per day, probably less, on cursive and were done with the lessons in a month or two. We didn't even have an entire semester of cursive. When I was in high school there was an optional elective in typing, where we typed for 50 minutes per day over an entire semester.

The reason I ask is because it seems to me that typing is a far more important skill to learn than writing in cursive. I wish more people had learned typing in school, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO TURN OFF THE CAPS LOCK.

I also wish that more people accepted that it isn't the job of public schools to teach children everything they need to know. Why is this such a big deal? Why don't parents accept that cursive is something they will need to teach their children at home and do it, instead of whining about *somebody else* not teaching their kids for them? I wonder if these are the same parents who think lessons at church on Sunday teach kids everything they need to know about the gospel.

[Crackers]

I taught two of my children cursive (I couldn't remember some of the capital letters either!). Retention seems to be the bigger problem, because they no longer use it at school and have no reason to elsewhere. When I suggest practicing it and try to explain its main benefit (speed!), it seems to fall on deaf ears because there is no reinforcement anywhere else. Makes me sad.

[JohnnyL]

I taught two of my children cursive (I couldn't remember some of the capital letters either!). Retention seems to be the bigger problem, because they no longer use it at school and have no reason to elsewhere. When I suggest practicing it and try to explain its main benefit (speed!), it seems to fall on deaf ears because there is no reinforcement anywhere else. Makes me sad.

It doesn't seem to help much when people have ADD symptoms--which might be a reason.

[brlenox]

The word FART, looks funny written in cursive.

Please take a picture of your funny word fart written in cursive and put it into a post. I could use a laugh.

[buffalo_girl]

How will people communicate if the entire 'grid' collapses? If there is no agreed upon form of written communication, even scribbles will be indecipherable.

The novel, 1984, certainly foreshadows an entire society being reduced to abject, illiterate helplessness.

I don't believe 'keyboarding' is taught either. Most people use their 'smart' phone keys to communicate. Talk about time consuming and prone to inaccuracies!

It wasn't so long ago that authors actually composed their work with pen & ink on paper. Hammering out a book on a standard typewriter was no picnic, either.

I wonder if Leo Tolstoy or Victor Hugo could compose on a 'smart' phone key pad....

I taught our neighbor's two daughters cursive a few years back. They were 'public school' attendees but really wanted to have handwriting skills. You should still be able to buy cursive work books.

I also worry about students learning math exclusively on calculators. I was tutoring some students in our local school and was catching up on my algebra using the 'old' method when a student tutor was working with a struggling freshman student. They were dumbfounded that I was doing the same problems they were doing without the use of a calculator.

[eddie]

The word FART, looks funny written in cursive.

Please take a picture of your funny word fart written in cursive and put it into a post. I could use a laugh.

I can't get the picture to upload, but here are some symbols.

Don't ( x )in elevators, ya filthy animal.
Don't hold your farts. ( + )
Let her rip. ( )
Silent but deadly. (
Popcorn fart- just look out the window.

[buffalo_girl]

For those more serious about American education and how the Power Elite manage to enslave our children's future through Public School indoctrination - have a listen to Charlotte Iserbyt, former Senior Advisor to Ronald Reagan. The Truth is out there if we choose to look.

https://youtu.be/69HqxE74P5w

Charlotte Iserbyt's site: http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/

[Yahtzee]

You can definitely still buy cursive workbooks. I make my kids do penmanship through 5th grade. I believe Montessori and Abeka both still teach cursive before print. And many classical education methods still recommend it as print first has only been around 100 years or so. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this were part of dumbing down (I need to read that again!) I don't know what grades they start, but common core requires keyboarding, but not any penmanship. Penmanship helps with brain development in so many ways. Keyboarding teaches you to push a button.

[JohnnyL]

How will people communicate if the entire 'grid' collapses? If there is no agreed upon form of written communication, even scribbles will be indecipherable.

The novel, 1984, certainly foreshadows an entire society being reduced to abject, illiterate helplessness.

I don't believe 'keyboarding' is taught either. Most people use their 'smart' phone keys to communicate. Talk about time consuming and prone to inaccuracies!

It wasn't so long ago that authors actually composed their work with pen & ink on paper. Hammering out a book on a standard typewriter was no picnic, either.

I wonder if Leo Tolstoy or Victor Hugo could compose on a 'smart' phone key pad....

I taught our neighbor's two daughters cursive a few years back. They were 'public school' attendees but really wanted to have handwriting skills. You should still be able to buy cursive work books.

I also worry about students learning math exclusively on calculators. I was tutoring some students in our local school and was catching up on my algebra using the 'old' method when a student tutor was working with a struggling freshman student. They were dumbfounded that I was doing the same problems they were doing without the use of a calculator.

I taught keyboarding in school a little. Most couldn't do it. They got into bad habits, and had a really hard time getting out. Even the fast typists had their own ways.
EVERYONE had to look.

My daughter's friend in advanced math, 9th grade, couldn't do 8+4 without a calculator...

[passionflower]

Interesting.... I have some small dysgraphia when I write normally. I haven't tried to write in cursive for YEARS (besides signing my name) so this thread inspired me to write down the preamble to the Constitution in cursive to see how I do. I had to look up some capital letters (I never bothered to do them correctly when I was in school), and it still looks quite sloppy since I'm out of practice. But it seems like some of my dysgraphia goes away when I write in cursive. It's like there's more structure built into the writing and it's harder for my hands to jump around...

that might be because, in writing cursive, you are using your eyes in the way they normally function. The eyes are a direct appendage of the brain. The way vision actually works, your eyes see by steadily scanning. They move from one area to another, but in very tiny and quick motions. This is why coloring in a coloring book is so calming to children. It is also calming to adults, and coloring a mandala is actually a form of therapy. The eyes and mind are now working together as they are naturally are supposed to and it calms them down.

Many mental deviations from normal has their roots in the improper use of the eyes. Your eye has to function abnormally to look and this computer screen and especially to read type off of it. Do it often enough or too long, without rest and without exercise, and your brain will have to start working in an abnormal fashion in order to adapt.

[buffalo_girl]

This is why coloring in a coloring book is so calming to children.

Whoa! Sure wasn't calming for me. It was like trying to use one's imagination while playing in a perfectly groomed park or playing Monopoly with perfectly raised children. Ugh!!!

I grew up 'wild' in my grandfather's wooded pastures in western Oregon - long before everyone moved there for the outre experience. Even the Bohemian newcomers have their own stiff rules of social behavior. Can't take it!

Still...I've been told I have excellent cursive form. As I age, it is more difficult to keep the lines straight on unruled paper.

[shadow]

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As far as cursive, I'm only partly fluent. I can curse, I just can't do the rest :-B . I'm not really good at writing cursive, but I can read it just fine. All my mission letters from my grandparents are in cursive, as are my Mom's letters. I'll have to pull them out and have my kids read them so I can see how they do. Most cursive letters resemble non-cursive letters so I suspect the brain can figure it out. I'll return and report my findings later.

[gardener4life]

Indexing is really inspired. Without it, a lot of people wouldn't be able to find their lost relatives. And of course you need cursive to index too.

[passionflower]

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As far as cursive, I'm only partly fluent. I can curse, I just can't do the rest :-B . I'm not really good at writing cursive, but I can read it just fine. All my mission letters from my grandparents are in cursive, as are my Mom's letters. I'll have to pull them out and have my kids read them so I can see how they do. Most cursive letters resemble non-cursive letters so I suspect the brain can figure it out. I'll return and report my findings later.

Reading backwards and upside down is not pointless at all. Being able to do so with ease means your eyes and mind are working together and working normally. If someone has trouble doing this, that is not good. I challenge anyone to take off their glasses or contacts, hold up something with some printing on it upside down at a distance that makes the printing slightly blurry, and attempt to read the page from left to right. If you can into some good light, relax your eyes, blink lightly and frequently all the while taking deep breaths, the phenomenon of the page clearing for a moment is is not uncommon.

Betcha didn't know that ;)

This happens because the poor visual habit of staring is interrupted temporarily. Staring is one of the major bad habits behind all refractive errors.
I ought to know. Once upon a time I suffered from a 5 1/2 diopter correction, 20/550 vision, was astigmatic and had glaucoma. Now, however, my vision measures at 20/10, colors are vivid, and my eyes don't miss a thing, and I can read upside down from left to right as easily as the regular way.
I never anticipate having to get glasses to read, and none of this was because of Lasik!

Writing in cursive really has merit.