Behind the Art and Skill of Cursive Handwriting ✍🏼

Image Credit: energepic.com

I know that I’ve played this tune time and time again, but I am grief-stricken over the fact that due to the insane surge of modern technology, the art of handwriting and good penmanship has disappeared from schools. I am dismayed we are now living in a world where penmanship is becoming a lost world of beauty, art, and hand-written communications. The good thing is that there is a handful of schools, teachers, parents, and tutors who are implementing the technique and practice of handwriting with their students and children. I applaud that.

There is an even brighter light shown on the importance of handwriting and its connection to neuroscience pointing to the benefits of writing by hand.

One recent post on Psychology Today, for example, notes that “handwriting stimulates [the genesis of] complex brain connections essential in encoding new information and forming memories.” Studies employing high-density electroencephalogram technology point to the conclusion that note-takers, grocery-list compilers, and those who make calendar entries by hand are more likely to better retain the information. Entering information by hand also heightened the speed of recall by as much as 25% (not relying on a smartphone or personal information management” software).

The act of learning to write handsome, fluent calligraphy, and personal letters expresses creativity, individuality, personality, and communication skills in an artistic and regal way. Since cursive writing was required to be learned by second grade, my mother would always have us practice our writing, especially when she would tell us it looked like chicken-scratch. UGH! But you know what? I am so glad that she did. Perhaps that’s why I do a lot of writing, doodling, and journaling by hand every day, for the fringe, health, and lifestyle benefits.

Still, we can find balance in traditional handwriting instruction, coupled with digital literacy. It doesn’t have to be one without the other.

Image Credit: Katya Wolf

I Still Love Handwritten Letters and Greeting Cards

OK, so call me old-fashioned if you like. I will not take offense by appreciating the gift of nostalgia. I still love and appreciate receiving a greeting card and handwritten letters as well as writing and sending them to others from time to time. Why do I embrace such a practice when it is becoming so antiquated and costs money and uses up more time than sending a quick text with accompanying emoji’s? Because of time, effort, compassion, and art.

I suppose I, along with so many other baby boomers grew up in an era when writing and verbally communicating with each other was monumental. Manual communication was worth savoring because someone actually sat down with a pen and paper, and writing a handwritten sentiment was art in itself and poetry in motion. I found some handwritten pieces of communication between my mother and me after I went to college and then moved out on my own. I found these things after she passed away and while I may not actually remember some of those precise moments when I composed those communications, I cherish them now. My mother’s eyes read them, her hands touched them and she held on to them for over 40 years.

Sorry, but as much as I like to occasionally text, and as much as I love new technological advancements, I am not married to my digital devices. I have a couple of apps I use, but I actually put my device down so it does not become part of my appendages or debilitate them. Yeah, people think that snail mail is so yesterday, but when we experience tech hiccups, I don’t go crazy about it. Yes, and you guessed it…I still also have a working landline too! 😀

The Disappearing Act of Cursive Writing is Devastating

Image source: Brainscape

So, what do you think about the disappearing act of cursive writing in today’s communication correspondences? Although National Handwriting Month and National Handwriting Day are observed in the month of January, cursive writing should regain its national elementary standard, just as we see evidence of cultural character writing in other languages.

I’ve had numerous conversations with many adults my age who are alarmed when they find out that children are no longer taught the art of cursive writing in school. I recently had a discussion with a cousin of mine and we talked about some who think when they see such script that it is written in some foreign language or is some form of hieroglyphics. This saddens me because this is so widespread.

My cousin also noted that she is adamant about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren learning to write cursive instead of printing all the time whenever they come to visit her. An alarming point she made was, how on earth will they be able to read the original presentation of the Constitution of the United States if they are unable to read cursive writing? I have to say that correlation never crossed my mind, but it is a very valid point that challenges our basic capabilities beyond the keyboard.

So why was cursive writing put on the basic chopping block? By the time I reached second grade I was practicing cursive writing. It actually made me feel rather grown up and smart! 😀 This was not an option as penmanship became an identifiable character trait of an individual. We took pride in learning cursive writing and reading it just as intently as reading standard print writing.

Bring back cursive writing because, without this basic tool, it could one day be a matter of life and death for those who may need it when no one is around who understands it and can interpret what it is. What do you think? Do you write and can read cursive writing?

The Will to Write by Any Means Necessary

Image Source: The Mirror (Ten-year-old Sara (left) with her sister Veronica)

You know, some days when I’m feeling overwhelmed by the mound of adversity that seems to crash down on me like a ton of bricks, even in spite of my issues, there is always someone or something to quickly remind me of how blessed I am. When I saw this story on television last week I was humbled and brought to tears.

Cursive writing, once a requirement in school for me when I was growing up, seems to be a lost art form nowadays. I still don’t understand why so many school systems no longer offer this as a requirement, regardless of modern technology soaring to keyboard expressionism.

Image source: Yahoo (Sara Hinesley’s entry form for the 2019 Nicholas Maxim Award)

This story, while one may ask what the big deal is about some 10-year little girl winning a national handwriting competition, you first need to know about this extraordinary student. First, her name is Sara Hinesley, a third-grade student at St. John’s Regional Catholic School located in Frederick, Maryland. Sara won the 2019 Nicholas Maxim Award for her cursive writing.

Still not impressed? Oh, did I mention Sara was born without hands? Yes, this remarkable little girl has a “Can-Do-Anything” attitude and moves beyond what we see as impossible. She does not focus on her disability. She climbs, draws, and swims just like any other kid born with hands and finds a way to tackle an obstacle when she is challenged to do some task requiring the usage of your hands.

Image source: Yahoo (Sara Hinesley, 10, completes an art project. Photo – Cathryn Hinesley)

What impressed me, even more, is that Sara is adopted and came to the United States from China about four years ago. At the time she could only speak Mandarin but quickly learned English with the help of her sister Veronica.

So on those days when I throw myself a self-indulgent pity party, I am reminded of stories like Sara’s that jerk me back to a state of humility, gratitude, and a reality that makes me feel ashamed by the thought of complaining about things I truly have no control over. Congratulations Sara and thank you for your unselfish inspiration! Continue to let your light shine brightly!

Image source: GMA (ABC News)

The Nostalgia of Mom’s Address Book

Image source: Amazon-AT-A-GLANCE Telephone / Address Book

Nowadays there aren’t many people who still keep an address book in their kitchen drawer. Growing up, the kitchen was the epicenter of the house, a place where you ate, socialized, cooked, did your homework and even the table was used to address envelopes for birthdays, letters and greeting cards. I hold on to pieces of such nostalgia because it reminds me of a time when communication was different, artistically composed, intimate, and a thought-provoking handmade gift.

I was thumbing through an old address book of my mother’s that I found in a box of old things and my goodness, what stories it told. I think had my mother lived and followed her ‘dream’ passions, she would have become an incredible historian. In addition to thumbing through the pages of her address book, pools of tears formed in my eyes as I ran my fingers over the imprint of her handwriting. What penmanship she had. Much of our genealogical history that I have documented is from sitting down with her and talking about the past. I am so glad that I did not wait longer than I had. Times were not always good, but when she spoke of them, those stories indicated a sense of hope and perseverance during some of the darkest times.

I found in my mother’s address book that most of the people (family, friends, neighbors, and employers) who are now passed away, and others like me, whose address and telephone numbers have changed a few times, reveal relationships she held dear to her heart, especially with little notes of importance that she wrote in the margins of their names.

If you still keep an old-fashioned address book that is not on your mobile device, then you can connect to the pages of history that could tell a story in itself.

Is Cursive Writing Becoming a Foreign Entity?

Image Source: Mental Floss

I heard someone giving an interview on TV the other day discussing the subject surrounding basic common things we were required to do in the past. In a world where artificial technology invades our daily lives more and more, it may be tragic that without certain survival skills our upcoming generations may be left handicapped when they need it the most. For one thing, verbal communication is literally stifled because everywhere, everyone is texting, replacing normal verbal exchange. Are we losing our inborn natural ability to have fluid, normal conversations like it once was?

Image Credit: Karen Arnold

Secondly, is there a curse on cursive writing? This particular interviewee noted that his daughter responded when asked to read the Bill of Rights, that she couldn’t read it because it was written in some foreign language. Yes, this teen is a U. S. born citizen and yes it is the same image of the Bill of Rights we’ve come to know. Since schools are not teaching cursive writing anymore, the digital, new wave of communication does not put emphasis on the importance of handwriting (printing maybe, but not cursive writing). What do we do?

We used to use the term, “Put your John Hancock here” and people understood what we meant (to sign your signature on a designated line). Nowadays many people ask who is John Hancock? They don’t think there is a need for a ‘signature’ because everything is done through advanced technology without requiring an actual handwritten signature.

I think without learning the basics about the art of handwriting, (and this is not just about those who are illiterate or functionally illiterate) in the long run, there may come a time when technology will not be readily available to translate for you. OMG…perish the thought! Is cursive writing becoming a modern form of written morse code?

Write Faster with Fast Writing Pens

I have to admit that I am a pen fanatic. I have pens galore, but I have my favorites because I love the way my handwriting looks when I write with them. My fountain pens are first on the list, but because of my worriation about ink leakage in my purse, and the fact that ink cartridges are not very cost-effective, I only resort to using them at home or for a special occasion. My next type of pen of choice is a rollerball and then gel definitely is next. Although ballpoint pens are still popular, if you are searching for some nice writing pens that help you to write faster, and make your handwriting look more polished, then check out this chart that I spotted on Hack My Study.

If you are as fanatical about your writing instruments as I am, check out this awesome article that touches on pen comparisons, what pens to use in order to improve your writing speed and why. Read more…

The Art Of Handwriting Cannot Die!

I still love the stroke of a pen or pencil dancing on the canvas of paper like an ice-skater dances in whirls and swirls atop a layer of ice. Handwriting, a calling card to one’s individuality and creativity, seems to be a vanishing art these days. As an advocate of penmanship, we cannot allow artificial intelligence to be a substitute for the foundation of our basic learning, skills-oriented educational programs. Writing, one of the functional skills of literacy represents language and emotion depicted through inscriptions of signs and symbols. It complements speech or spoken language.

Today, as we celebrate National Handwriting Day, let us be reminded of the variety and historical nuances of writing systems that express the creation of textual or written information for communication. Graphology, the analysis of the characteristics and patterns of handwriting identify many personality characteristics and psychological traits of an individual. While some skeptics may argue that graphology is simply pseudoscience, there is a seductive appeal to this study and practice of handwriting analytics.

Happy National Handwriting Day during National Handwriting Month!

Today is National Handwriting Day!

Celebrating National Handwriting Day!

Since more people are communicating electronically instead of writing and communicating by hand, penmanship has fallen in the trenches. The pride taken in one’s penmanship is not as detail-oriented as it was before the popularity of computers and electronic keyboard devices.

It is amazing that there is a continuing controversy about the role of handwriting lessons in schools. A great number of teachers support teaching children using keyboards, while other teachers feel that handwriting (particularly cursive handwriting) will have a better impact on a child’s ability to read and write. How can we expect kids to understand how to read cursive writing, if they are not taught how to write and understand the aesthetics of it?

Personally, I am an advocate for good, legible handwriting although I use my keyboards a lot as an adult. Throughout elementary school, writing was a very instrumental piece of our learning process and communications. I feel that it should be taught in schools like it once was, because in reality it seems to be a dying art. We always seem to be in a rush when writing and it clearly shows that when others try to read it.

I witness everyday evidence of handwriting that many of my schoolteachers would cringe at. My mother used to call it “chicken-scratch” and while growing up, she was adamant about all of her children learning to write legibly and to develop good writing habits. Good handwriting promotes an organized approach to communication and creativity. Practice good handwriting habits and you just may find that it opens a core of creative opportunity that you never imagined.

 

Do You Think Penmanship Matters?

Is Your Handwriting Becoming Extinct?

Are we losing touch with the communicative connection between pen and paper? When you write, do you find yourself printing or cursive writing? Has Cursive Writing Fallen From Grace? Are we more co-dependent with sending messages using computer and mobile phone keyboards? The more time we spend on using the convenience of computer or mobile communications when sending a message, are we alienating our ability to write proficiently, clearly and legibly?

Was does your handwriting say to you? Is Your Handwriting Revealing Some of Your Innermost Secrets?On the other hand, does it show social, mental and creative deficiency? You do not have to be a professional penmanship master in order to write with distinction and legibility.

There has been much discussion and debate about the crisis of our handwriting and what it could mean to our personal development. I found a great news clip that was broadcast on “Sunday Morning on CBS” that I would like to share with you.  A Farewell to Handwriting? It reveals a lot about the significance of our penmanship and the value of historical attributes to this rapidly fading craft.