Question: I recently observed my child's third-grade class take part in a one-room school field trip. It was an eye-opening experience. When it came time for the children to copy a piece of cursive writing while using a quill and ink, most could not do this, as they could not read or write cursive. Is cursive disappearing from the curriculum in today's schools? -- Disappearing Writing
Answer: To teach or not teach cursive in elementary schools has become a big debate in education. The debate is currently fueled by the omission of cursive in the required curriculum of the Common Core State Standards. Many people think cursive is already a dying art with more adults now printing rather than writing. Plus, a lot of teachers believe instructional time devoted to cursive could be used to focus on other skills that will impact students' success in school. As far as the argument about not being able to read historical documents written in cursive goes, teachers feel that students can be taught in a minimum of time to read cursive.
There is, however, a movement by the legislatures in a number of states to pass laws to require the teaching of cursive. And there are those, including occupational therapists, who believe that teaching cursive contributes to brain development. In addition, others believe that cursive writing is an art form to be cherished.
No matter what side of the handwriting debate you are on, the fact is cursive handwriting is now taught in fewer schools than in the past.