Suppl_eMINTS

The State of Handwriting

We are at a crossroads in education. As we move further into the 21st century, the way we teach and learn is evolving. Some subjects and skills once thought to be essential to succeeding have now become obsolete. The art of handwriting is one of those disciplines.

Technology has made the handwritten word unnecessary. Whole novels are written on cell phones. Some of those novels have even topped best-seller lists. Other professional authors often type or use voice-recognition software to write their books, not the pen. Our governor, Matt Blunt, has made a sincere commitment to improving technology in the classroom. Many people do not even write personal letters anymore with the advent of email. Applications for most jobs are now primarily done electronically. (You’ve seen the kiosks at Target and Wal-Mart, I’m sure.) The art of penmanship is slowly fading.

Sure, there is a solid argument in support of handwriting. We do not exclusively use computers to communicate even as advanced as we have become. It is important to have a unique signature and many jobs do require hand-written notes and records. Also, until we go completely electronic, a premium has to be put on a student’s ability to write clearly.

However important handwriting is to you as a teacher, you have to ask what is the real purpose of being able to write beautifully with a pen or pencil. Isn’t the goal for a student to write a clearly stated and well-supported thesis? Does it matter if the writer properly constructs a cursive “v”? Or is it more important to write clear message with concrete examples?

I recently read an article in Good Magazine on this very topic. The author, who is an English professor at a prestigious college, laments her son’s struggles with handwriting. The teachers have frustrated the young boy over the appearance of his writing instead of concentrating on the validity of his arguments. The result? The student now hates to write. Was this the intention to make a student hate to write? Shouldn’t the intention be to improve the structure and eloquence of his written work?

As testing season draws nearer, consider how you are using your time. Is the learning in your classroom advancing their thought processes? Are they partaking in the “drill and kill” of memorization and basic skill preparation? Are they learning to think for themselves?

Where does handwriting fit in the eMINTS model? Are we focusing on form over function? Which GLE addresses cursive handwriting?
Consider these ideas as you plan your days and weeks completing this school year. Use your time wisely. I’m not completely trashing handwriting, but we must consider its proper place in our facilitation of student learning.