A friend of mine posted this on Facebook a few days ago:
In the comments, I was one of the few who didn't agree that the lack of instruction in cursive was a huge problem. Now that we are 12 years into the 21st Century, it's about time we start focusing on the skills our students will need in this century. We need to be teaching kids to collaborate, create and innovate, communicate effectively, and think critically. Not doing so makes school irrelevant to them. What makes us think that someone would be engaged in a learning process that is irrelevant to them?
Cursive writing does not aid in collaboration in any way. It doesn't help students become more innovative. Cursive writers do not think more critically than those who print. Today's communication is not done in cursive.
We should be teaching students to communicate in the way they will need to in their world. How much of your communication with your colleagues is done in cursive? How much is done electronically?
If we continue to teach our students things because "that's what we learned in school," we will continue to produce a generation of graduates without the skills they need to be successful. It's time to prepare students for their futures and not our past.
