Discursive Curriculums: The Fast-Approaching Death of the Pen and Paper

"Sit up straight. Tilt the paper ever so slightly. No, no, hold the pen this way. Yes, finish the loops." I can vividly remember sitting in Miss Sluyski's 3rd grade classroom, pedantically shaping my O's, crossing my T's, swirling my S's to perfection, motivated by the age-old threat that "you won't get through high school if you can't write cursive." 

Well, I must have been one of the few that took that threat to heart, as my handwriting proves, for it seemed that, as I progressed through middle and high school, my peer's handwriting actually became more and more illegible. Certainly this trend of sloppy handwriting was a product of the onslaught of texting and typing and the general death of the hard copy, and thus was able to slide under the radar. 

Perhaps it's just that I'm old fashioned in many ways, but I've always found it rather disappointing when people don't merit their handwriting with any degree of importance. I've always been one to take a bit of pride in the visual appeal of my writing, and have always found an attractive signature to be a very nice and personal touch. I'll admit that I appreciate a good hand about as much as I do manners and work ethic. I'm not sure if it's the evidence of craft, the authenticity and individuality, or the sense of closeness to a piece of writing, but I much prefer the handwritten to the typed.

It seems, though, that I am one of a dying breed. Not only have students across the country allowed their handwriting to become slovenly and disheveled. Most elementary schools across the country have actually omitted the teaching of cursive from their curriculums. Usually taught between the 2nd and the 4th grade, students are now learning to type in lieu of learning to write.

Moreover, the Common Core State Standards, a state-run initiative that attempts to create educational standards for K-12 students that will ensure their success beyond high school, has recently removed penmanship from their list of criteria. More than 40 states across the nation adhere to these standards.

There do remain a number of schools, though, that have kept cursive in their curriculum. Plymouth Elementary School is one of them. "We did have discussions about whether or not to cut [cursive] from the curriculum," said Connie Helgerson, the Special Education Director at Plymouth Elementary School, "but we acknowledged the value of being able to write legibly in cursive. Some students find it easier to write by hand than to use a computer, and a lot of people still find [cursive] very advantageous. Personally, a lot of the writing that I do is in cursive."

Green Meadow Elementary School, where I learned to write in cursive oh so many years ago, also maintains their curriculum to include cursive. "Students still need to be able to read and write in cursive," said Principle Donna Dankner. "It's an important method of communication, and the students' exposure to cursive writing is valued. But, [the children] live in an age where they're going to be doing all of their work on computers, so becoming fluent on a keyboard is now a crucial and essential skill."

What all of this amounts to, though, is more than a change in curriculum. Rather, to me, it signals an abrupt rift between generations – those who held the pen versus those who punched the keys. I know this might sound petty standing alone, but what is to be lost with the omission of cursive? A sense of craft – anyone can hit the L key, but how many people can make the word ‘Love' look beautiful on paper? A method of learning – typing information is passive and automatic, but physically writing something involves a whole-body effort and often results in better learning and memorization. Dedication and discipline, too, will dwindle – like I said, I remember making painstaking efforts to write as beautifully and as legibly as possible. But most importantly, a taste of individuality and personality that we find in one's handwriting, for which there is no equivalent in the uniformity and calculated perfection of typed font. 

The typed word certainly holds the upper hand now in terms of efficiency, practicality, legibility, and professionalism. Simultaneously, though, handwriting is approaching that status of a lost art form. In how many years will every kindergartener have her own laptop? Is the day where pens are no longer manufactured fast approaching? I suppose what I find to be the most disheartening is that these qualities have superseded the value of a handwritten thank you card, a love letter, a poem written in spontaneity on scrap paper, or the simple pleasure that comes with perfecting a signature. I, for one, will hold on to my pen for as long as I'm able.