To teach cursive writing or not is a hot topic. In this day and age when most writing is done with a keyboard, many would argue that it hardly makes sense. Furthermore, cursive is not among the common core standards, so a number of states have decided not to teach it. However, I think this is a big mistake.
The issue is not that kids need to know how to write in cursive, but they most certainly need to be able to read it. And in order to read cursive, you have to be able to write it. Students need to have some exposure to cursive in order to able to read it at a rudimentary level. It is important, especially in history, when kids are using primary sources to collect information. They must be able to read the script written in documents from years ago. Without the utilization of primary sources, our students are missing out on a wealth of information.
Just the other day, my mother-in-law sent a postcard to my children from Disney World in which she wrote in cursive. My younger son, who is eleven and has been exposed to cursive very minimally in Fairfax County Public Schools, could not read it. That made me sad to think that he’s missing out on this almost-forgotten form of writing.
I do believe it’s a mistake to eliminate cursive from the curriculum completely. It still needs to be covered so that students are able to read it and conduct research using primary sources effectively.