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[Figarosmom]

This message was self-deleted by its author (Figarosmom) on Mon Sep 8, 2025, 12:47 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.

[Silver Gaia]

1. Signatures have become scribbles

done with a fingertip on a digital screen. Evidently, a distinct personal signature is no longer needed. And for the record I think that sucks.

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. Because it's a waste of time

The only reason cursive writing methods were ever taught in schools was to make kids seem like part of the upper class. It's much more valuable to be able to letter (not "print" ) clearly.

As for signatures, you can use an 'X' as long as it's witnessed.

Look at it this way: How many protest signs, or signs of any kind, for that matter, have you seen in a cursive method? How many web pages? How many newspapers and magazines?

[Iris]

10. Those are good points.one question - seriously, not snarky

Would a witness need to be able to sign or write their name when someone uses an X?

I'm seriously just curious. I've seen people dog sign Xs but didn't know the part about a witness

[Oeditpus Rex]

13. I don't know the law

in such cases

[valleyrogue]

12. Clearly, you have never taught one day in your life.

It has shown that cursive is important in teaching fine motor skills in children. Furthermore, printing is way more inefficient.

Cursive is still taught in many school districts in the U.S.

What I have found as disturbing is school districts are increasingly dumping the tried-and-true regrouping in addition and subtraction for something called "partial sums," which is way more inefficient and more confusing to kids.

Not everything in education is progress.

[Oeditpus Rex]

14. Ah, that one

Heard it a dozen times. A lot of exercises teach fine motor skills, lettering among them. Many types of line art will do it as well. I developed very fine motor skills by studying drafting all through junior high and high school.

Oh, btw -- I've taught journalism.

[kimbutgar]

23. I'm a substitute teacher and the classes that has a teacher that teaches cursive are calmer and are able to focus

More. The students who take pride in their cursive are also better academic students.

[Bettie]

24. Taking notes, especially in college or in meetings

where you have to write quickly, cursive writing is very useful.

I like the way it feels when I'm writing, it seems to help me think as I'm forming the letters, but I'm a known weirdo, so...

Funny story my youngest child, son, 17 today, decided he needs to be able to have a signature, so he watched some videos on you tube and practiced for a while and now he has a signature. He has also informed me that it helps him take notes in class, because it is faster than typing on his school supplied chromebook.

[Heidi]

26. More a waste of time (and resources) than school-sponsored sports? (nt)

[sl8]

3. This guy seems very pro-Trump & ICE and very anti "Democrat" party.

https://m.youtube.com/@docrich/videos

This particular video might not be an example of his MAGA views, but linking to his videos is still sending traffic and money to his YouTube channel.

Perhaps link to the original video or a copy from someone not so virulently MAGA instead?

[Solomon]

7. You beat me to it. I can't stand that guy. He's a right wing maga asshole. Thinks he's making some kind of point

for Trumpsters.

[Mossfern]

4. There are advantages to teaching cursive

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/202010/why-cursive-handwriting-is-good-your-brain

As school-age children increasingly rely solely on digital devices for remote- and in-class learning, many K-12 school systems around the world are phasing out cursive handwriting and no longer mandate that kids learn how to write in longhand script. Relying solely on a keyboard to learn the alphabet and type out written words could be problematic; accumulating evidence suggests that not learning cursive handwriting may hinder the brain's optimum potential to learn and remember.

A new EEG-based study by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) reaffirms the importance of "old-fashioned" cursive handwriting in the 21st-century's Computer Age. Even if students use digital pens and write by hand on an interactive computer screen, cursive handwriting helps the brain learn and remember better. These findings (Askvik, Van der Weel, & Van der Meer, 2020) were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology.

.... and now I have to print my birthday greetings to my grandchildren. It's a chore and doesn't seem as personal IMHO.

I'm just a recovering old Luddite who thinks that the digital age is destroying our culture, often emphasizing product over process.
Nothing so far has convinced me otherwise.

[OldBaldy1701E]

8. With all due respect, that is inaccurate.

The digital age is being allowed to destroy our culture and society.

The machines are not doing this by themselves.

[Mossfern]

21. That's the same reasoning as saying

"guns don't kill people, people kill people."

[Mossfern]

5. Isn't that woman

the founder of the "We Do Not Care" club?
The braces on her teeth are throwing me off though.

[OldBaldy1701E]

9. I don't think so, but it may be. (n/t)

[Heidi]

18. No, it's not. (nt)

[Heidi]

17. That is *not* our #WDNC Club queen Melani Sanders.

I love your posts and I *know* it was not -*your* intent to imply that all Black women look alike, but this is a good opportunity to point out *for others* that Black women do not all look alike.

[Mossfern]

19. Funny

I was hesitant to post that exactly because I thought that someone may make that exact statement. I grew up in an urban area and my high school was majority black. I worked for an urban County government and the majority of my coworkers were black.

It was her voice more than her appearance that lead me to think that it might have been her.

BTW - I love Melani and look forward to watching her clips.

[Heidi]

20. No worries!

Sooooo glad you’re here, Mossfern!

[tavernier]

6. I like being able to write in code.

I will do all my protest signs in cursive just to piss off the magats and make them wonder just what I’m saying.

[Celerity]

11. Doc Rich is a MAGAt POS

[MineralMan]

15. Thank you for that info.

We're getting a lot of videos posted here from sources I don't recognize. Some of them are questionable, at best.

[Jspur]

22. AI will be able to read

documents that are in cursive so even if kids never learn cursive they will be able to use AI to decipher old documents that are written in cursive.

[Mossfern]

28. I don't really trust AI

We need something similar to Asimov's First Law of Robotics

[Heidi]

25. The more skills/knowledge we have, the more choices we have

in life.

[Rob H.]

27. Pfft. Everyone who's anyone knows cuneiform is where it's at. nt

[Mossfern]

29. Wish I could read that

[patphil]

30. Printing rather than using cursive writing makes it very hard to keep up with a teacher when taking notes.

Yes, it's a lot of work to learn cursive writing, but it's one of those skills that stays with you for a lifetime.
If you want to argue against cursive writing, maybe we should also consider not teaching algebra. How many people use that as an adult?
Both should be optional subjects in grade/high school, as both do have a place in society.
I see the demise of cursive writing to be just another dumbing down of the education process.