To the editor: As a 77-year-old who won my school's handwriting contest in fourth grade, I am so happy that California kids are learning cursive writing. (“Learning cursive in school, long considered obsolete, is now the law in California,” January 8)
If it is true that it helps cognitive development or is beneficial for children with dyslexia, great. However, I do not believe that democracy will be saved by helping students read our nation's founding documents in the original script. That old style of writing remains largely indecipherable to most of us. Additionally, printed copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are available.
Personally, I like cursive because writing it is much faster and easier than printing it.
On the other hand, I find that many people my age are woefully lacking in computer skills. Many I know miss cultural and social events because they can't drive at night or don't know how to use their phones to call an Uber.
Maybe we could come to some kind of agreement where the elders teach the children the art of cursive and the younger students teach the elders how to perform some basic operations on computers and phones that would help them remain independent. It could be beneficial for everyone.
Laurie Jacobs, San Clemente
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To the editor: I read your article about the new state law requiring cursive instruction with a little sadness and a lot of concern: sadness, because cursive is a joyful skill that recent generations are missing, and concern, because the ability to read documents is mentioned historical. in passing as a mere benefit.
I can only speak for the Latin-based languages in which the founding documents, treaties, speeches and stories (so many defining experiences and stories) are written in italics. It is important to be able to read something for yourself and not simply take someone else's word for what any document says.
Why end the article with comments from Morgan Polikoff, a USC education professor, rather than someone who values cursive? He dismissively compares the problems education faces with the teaching of cursive as if it were a dichotomy between one or the other.
Remember, it is an aberration that cursive has not been taught in recent years. Getting together to get him back could be an unlikely plan to find ways to compromise and address other deeper issues.
Karen Samski, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Reading your article on cursive reminded me of my first year of teaching in the 1960s.
I was introducing cursive to my third grade class, and after checking that they were holding their pencils correctly and that their leaves were in the correct position, I wrote large cursive letters on the board, asking them to watch closely and do what they were supposed to do. I did.
After checking their progress, I was surprised at how poorly most of them had done. Then I realized that they had taken me at my word and written as I did.
I'm left-handed.
Molly Brockmeyer, La Cañada Flintridge
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To the editor: As an educator for over 40 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, I was excited to learn that cursive writing will return to the public school curriculum.
Cursive writing can be considered an art form in itself. Pressing keys on a computer keyboard or tapping letters or symbols on a smartphone simply do not qualify as an academic skill. Learning cursive writing will promote overall academic learning.
Additionally, I should add that it wouldn't be such a bad idea for Governor Gavin Newsom to reinstate practical classes to help academically-inclined students graduate from high school at a higher rate and immediately enter the workforce with valuable marketable skills.
Alan Sagat, Sherman Oaks
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To the editor: The inability to write cursive has led to the inability to read cursive. It is important to revive the teaching of cursive because now students will be able to read the Bill of Rights and other historical documents.
Karen Marks, Los Angeles
