The lost art of writing

Image by Hash Milhan.

I made pretty good grades in handwriting when I was in school. Does that help me as an adult? Maybe. I do appreciate neatly written lists and signs, and I still like to write out my thoughts and ideas longhand. Like lots of people, I tend to remember things better if I write them down.

For a long time, I've heard the rumors that handwriting might be going away in schools, but that may not actually be the case as more states adopt handwriting as part of their curriculum. I'm not sure that anyone needs to be graded on penmanship, but I think it is still a good skill to learn. It requires discipline and care to craft cursive letters. I have artist friends who tell me about creating their own fonts in college and their calligraphy skills are enviable.

Besides, we will need future generations who know how to read cursive so they can decipher those well-written letters from centuries past. Or at the very least, so they can read the handwritten notes their parents passed around in chemistry class.