Is cursive dead?

Is cursive writing dead? I went to school before computers and we spent a lot of time learning to write legibly; a few of us even wrote beautifully. Recently I taught a college class as an adjunct professor, there were no true/false or multiple choice questions on my tests, they were all short answer questions. Looking over tests I realized that every one of my students printed, there wasn’t a single cursive word in all the tests I looked at.

Now that over 99% of my own words are typed my own handwriting has declined to the point where I print everything that I don’t type.

Is cursive dead?

Answer #1

Definately used less and less - I too find myself printing instead - I guess sorta going like the postal letter with the advent of email.

Answer #2

Im 13 and I still have a thing for writing cursive. When I was in 5th and 6th class they taught us how, and I just got hooked. Its just much faster then printing.

Answer #3

Yes.

I don’t do cursive because my cursive looks like chicken scratch. I write faster when I print anyway. Sad thing is, kids today don’t do cursive because they have no idea how.

Answer #4

i am a highschool sophomore, and i do too know how to write in cursive; just teachers usually dont reqire it anymore. what it probably is is that because of the high use of computers, we usualy dont write anything formal (i.e., reports, essays), so we more than less always use printing. cursive writing is still being taught in school– in second grade. and throughtout elementary (untill the end of sixth), alot of the teachers told us to use cursive, one teacher even went as far as rto require it or else she wouldnt count the work handed in, and we would get a zero on it. but, when you get to seventh, they teach you how to type in typing class. so, they are building more on learning how to successfully type on a computer over writing out the information on paper in cursive. computers are our future, as we rely on them more and more everyday. so they are teaching us the basics when we are younger, but as we get older, are also teaching us the fundementals about working in todays workplace.

so, in short, cursive is not dead. people know it, and on occasion, use it. but is not a regular thing.

Answer #5

It almost seems that it pretty much is. It’s funny that I found this, as this was one of my mom’s greatest pet peeves. She always tried to make me write in cursive, but I hate it. I’d much rather print, possibly because cursive was never really stressed so much in any school I went to (although I went to the same school district my whole life, but it was only stressed when we first learned it in elementary school). I know where I am at least, we’re taught cursive in elementary school, and use it occasionally in middle school (very rarely a teacher would require us to write in cursive), but once I got to high school, no one really cared anymore. Most things, even in middle school, were typed, and whatever was handwritten, was generally preferred to be however you write the most legible. Now I’m a sophomore in college, and I can pretty much guarantee you that 90% of my work will need to be typed, unless I have the occasional test or something.

Answer #6

My cursive is terrible and I never use it.

Answer #7

It’s only partially alive in my handwritting haha.. like my e’s are in cursive.

Answer #8

I seriously don’t like it so it can die for all I care

Answer #9

i prefer print mine looks better that way..my cursive looks like sh@$..

Answer #10

I think it was dying even before computers became part of our lives. In my 43 years on this planet, I have yet to find anyone other than English teachers who prefer me to use cursive. Of course, now that I type everything, I can barely even read my own print anymore.

I worry how I’ll cope if I decide to go back to school and can’t effectively take notes.

Answer #11

I love cursive, it looks beautiful, My love notes look better in cursive and on paper than typed up too. you can make a writing look beautiful and not just the idea behind the writing itself.

I do believe cursive will die, but being a young adult myself I will keep using it and encourage others too.

Answer #12

its not dead… but dying..

Answer #13

Aww… Princessdiva… :(

Lol, I use cursive in notes when I’m trying to impress someone. And when I’m trying to convince/suck up to my teachers to do something. Or when I’m writing a note to someone where I don’t want them to know who I am, because I don’t really write in my cursive (which is indeed beautiful..) and they can’t compare handwriting.. Lol, I’m thinkin ahead! ;)

By the way filletofspam, I love your answers. You take time to answer them and give very imformed answers… I really appreciate it. :) –Liberty

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