In California, there is a new mandate to teach cursive writing. Cursive has not been required since 2010, so some teachers were covering it, and some weren’t. I am certified as a handwriting specialist with Handwriting Without Tears, but I also work with students with learning disabilities, so I have some thoughts about this.
You showed such restraint in your reflection. My first thought on the topic was MANDATED? What the ...? Why don’t leaders mandate a district to offer paid training to teachers so they can add skills to their teaching? And why does it always seem that these tasks fall on a teacher’s shoulders. My husband and I decided it was important enough for the kids to know cursive, so we wrote messages (as in the current wi-fi password) in cursive. And my son finally learned to write when a friend wrote to him in cursive.
When the news broke, I was contacted by the local news to make a comment. The first thing I said was, “Why MANDATED?!?” 😆 So many things are critical in education. Even though I’ve found cursive helpful, it would not be my priority if I were in charge. Thank you for your comment.
So interesting! But as so often happens I feel like the issue isn’t cursive, but the way it is made mandatory for everyone! Like you said. My daughter learned cursive first and loved it, it was easier for her. My son.. not so much. All kids are so different it makes no sense to make blanket rules like this.
You showed such restraint in your reflection. My first thought on the topic was MANDATED? What the ...? Why don’t leaders mandate a district to offer paid training to teachers so they can add skills to their teaching? And why does it always seem that these tasks fall on a teacher’s shoulders. My husband and I decided it was important enough for the kids to know cursive, so we wrote messages (as in the current wi-fi password) in cursive. And my son finally learned to write when a friend wrote to him in cursive.
When the news broke, I was contacted by the local news to make a comment. The first thing I said was, “Why MANDATED?!?” 😆 So many things are critical in education. Even though I’ve found cursive helpful, it would not be my priority if I were in charge. Thank you for your comment.
So interesting! But as so often happens I feel like the issue isn’t cursive, but the way it is made mandatory for everyone! Like you said. My daughter learned cursive first and loved it, it was easier for her. My son.. not so much. All kids are so different it makes no sense to make blanket rules like this.
Exactly! The teacher/parent should have the freedom to work with each child on what works for them.