The Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cites
Torsten Johnson, Third Place
Grade 5, Branch Elementary
Teacher: Ali Whitaker Principal: Hillery Dixon
Cursive writing has always impressed and fascinated me. It is much more beautiful than regular printing and also a lot faster. Many schools around the U.S. have stopped teaching cursive. Many people say that there is no need to teach cursive anymore because you can just type or text. But a lot of times you only find yourself with a pen and paper. I learned how to write in cursive in third grade and I am so glad I did. I use cursive a lot in my everyday writing and it is so much neater than my messy printing.
Is it the truth?
Yes, it is the truth that kids should still be taught cursive in schools. Cursive is very important to learn about for many different reasons. One reason is that many things are written in cursive. If you don’t know how to write in cursive, there is a good chance that you don’t know how to read it either. Let’s say that your great grandma writes a letter to you in cursive. If you don’t know how to read in cursive, then you can’t read your great grandma’s letter. The beautiful cursive in historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution impresses everybody.
Is it fair to all concerned?
Yes, it is fair to all concerned to have to learn cursive in school. I know lots of kids are very disagreeable about learning cursive, but it really is an important skill! First, you can write a lot faster in cursive. Let’s say you have 45 minutes to write an essay. If you write in cursive it will go a lot faster and you will probably finish in the time limit without feeling stressed. Cursive is also much neater than most peoples’ printing.
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Yes, it will definitely build goodwill and better friendships. I don’t know about you, but I feel very special when somebody writes me a letter in cursive. It makes you feel like they truly care since they take the time to write the letter in cursive instead of regular printing. I’m sure that if notes were exchanged in cursive instead of printing it would make the recipients happier.
Is it beneficial to all concerned?
Yes it is definitely beneficial to all concerned. It is neater than regular printing, it is faster, and it’s more impressive. Cursive writing has been shown by scientists to improve the thinking, language, and memory parts of the brain. Some people have terrible signatures. I have found the signatures of many people to be unreadable. Terrible signatures are usually different every time, and a lot easier to forge than neat cursive signatures. If you write something that is illegible to anybody but yourself, it’s not very helpful. If you’re filling out a job application when you get older and they can’t even read your writing, you will definitely not get that job. Much of our knowledge of ancient history is only known to us because the ancient scribes did not write in a messy style.
Many people say that there is no need to learn cursive anymore because we can type and text, but writing is becoming a lost art. When people are texting, they feel that there is no need to use complete sentences. Instead of saying, “I am on my way over to your house,” they say, “On way to house.” If they do this a lot, they may be less likely to use complete sentences in formal writing. Another problem is that people rely on spell check to spell words. If they use spell check a lot, they can forget how to spell things when writing. The last problem is that they may be more likely to use incorrect grammar in their writing. Cursive makes the writer carefully consider what they are going to say.
Everything about cursive is good. It’s beneficial, it builds goodwill and better friendships, and it’s very important. Because of all of these pros, I think that it is important to teach cursive in schools. What do you think?
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