Teachers maintain that the unending demands of modern education make it nearly impossible to fit cursive handwriting into the curriculum. Technology?s ever increasing presence requires that educators devote more time to teaching media literacy. Add to that the demands of No Child Left Behind, and there?s little time left for the beautiful, yet impractical ancient handwriting tradition.
Diane Desmond, a fourth grade teacher in Massachusetts, told The Boston Globe that the importance of test scores has led to a noticeable decline in students learning cursive. ?Cursive was always taught in the third grade,? she said. ?In the last four or five years, I've had more students who have trouble with it. ? They have trouble reading it, too.?
The issue has some teachers and experts concerned. Susan Reimer of The Baltimore Sun writes, ?There are real scholars on this subject who worry that the next generation will not be able to read the Declaration of Independence because it is written in something that looks like hieroglyphics to them.?
Furthermore, according to Reimer, cursive is still taught in Maryland elementary schools, but ?testing required by No Child Left Behind and new state standards? leave little time for it. ?Teachers are more likely to spend time on keyboarding skills, and they believe their students write more and write better when they type,? she reports.
The Globe reports that a 2007 Vanderbilt University survey found that though most U.S. elementary schools do teach script, only 12 percent of teachers were adequately trained to teach it.
Many see cursive's decline as part of a shift developing in teaching methods, and in the way educators relate to students. With the variety and complexity of demands facing teachers and students today, skills like cursive that are not considered marketable or progressive can easily be forgotten.
According to BusinessWeek, memorization is also not as applicable to students ?now that a Google search delivers vast storehouses of information in seconds.? Research and analysis skills are more important, and educators may need to allow even more technology?mobile devices, for instance?to infiltrate the classroom ?to further the educational mission of the school.?
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