Cursive writing an important part of our heritage
Today, Jan. 23, is the birthday of John Hancock — the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence — and in a nod to his place in history, it’s also National Handwriting Day.
In 2010, a majority of states adopted the Common Core State Standards, which didn’t include cursive writing or handwriting, but instead highlighted the importance of keyboard and typing skills.
Most states, including Pennsylvania, dropped cursive as a required course and the reaction since then has been mixed. Initially, most saw the common sense in Common Core, if you will.
But, eventually, problems started to emerge.
First, the very idea of putting your “John Hancock” on something changed because younger people no longer knew how to write their own signature in cursive. But, more important, it soon became obvious that students were also unable to read cursive writing.
At first thought, this might not seem like much. But think of all of the things that are written in cursive — the document Hancock is known for signing, the Constitution, letters written by our grandparents and parents, historical deeds, old census papers and maps, even inscriptions in our family Bibles. All of those texts are blocked to the generation that’s been spared cursive lessons, unless they’ve been translated and typed — something that’s a lot more likely for widely important historical documents and less so for treasured family items.
Butler County’s state Sen. Elder A. Vogel Jr., R-47, is one of several sponsors of a bipartisan effort pitched by Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-35, that would reinstate cursive writing as part of Pennsylvania curriculum, aiming to ensure students can understand the writing by the fifth grade. The bill was transferred to the Senate Education Committee in September for review. The bill’s sponsors are from both sides of the state and both sides of the aisle. Here’s hoping it gets some traction this year.
“By reintegrating cursive into the curriculum, we are investing in our students’ cognitive development, legal preparedness and historical literacy,” Langerholc wrote when he sought fellow sponsors of his legislation.
While we wait for changes to be made, we can celebrate National Handwriting Day by writing cards to our loved ones, practicing calligraphy or starting a journal. Writing by hand offers a chance to slow down and to take more time with our thoughts. What a gift that can be for all of us.
— KL