|
|
06-04-2011, 07:20 PM
|
#1
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
|
Cursive no more
I just learned from my DD (mother of our 8- and 6-year old g-kids) that schools in Columbia, MO no longer teach cursive writing. A signature may be the only exception.
I was stunned but on reflection maybe that's OK. After all, nowadays it's all typing and filling out forms manually, right? Yet think of all the history, the manuscripts, what have you. Or maybe they just figure kids will pick it up on their own when they want to....
One of those "geez I'm getting old" moments.
__________________
Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
|
|
|
|
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
06-04-2011, 07:46 PM
|
#2
|
Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Lexington
Posts: 714
|
I've never seen something, beyond signatures, written in cursive, except in pictures in history books.
|
|
|
06-04-2011, 07:48 PM
|
#3
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa
I just learned from my DD (mother of our 8- and 6-year old g-kids) that schools in Columbia, MO no longer reach cursive writing. A signature may be the only exception.
I was stunned...
|
Ironic that this lament is coming from a physician...
__________________
Numbers is hard
|
|
|
06-04-2011, 08:40 PM
|
#4
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Ironic that this lament is coming from a physician...
|
Oddly enough, my signature, repeated maybe 75 times a day for 35 years, is illegible. But my prescriptions and occasional patient instruction slips were printed and very tidy.
__________________
Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
|
|
|
06-04-2011, 08:44 PM
|
#5
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
|
Anyone here still able to write in Pitman or Gregg shorthand? Just 10 years ago I had to search all over the Internet to find someone willing to translate an early 1900s document written in Pitman.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa
One of those "geez I'm getting old" moments.
|
I'll bet someone in the early 19th century had a similar moment when they discovered that documents would no longer contain those swirly integral-sign "f" letters that are fprinkled throughout the Declaration of Independence and the Conftitution...
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
|
|
|
06-04-2011, 08:55 PM
|
#6
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,363
|
Sad in a way that cursive is becoming obsolete. I remember being taught cursive by the nuns and they were very strict with us but the result was good in that many of my classmates had very attractive cursive writing. Very nice for those fairly rare handwritten notes and letters (just wrote two graduation notes to a neice and nephen recently), but other than that I don't use cursive much these days, and sadly my cursive writing is not as "pretty" as it used to be.
|
|
|
06-04-2011, 09:11 PM
|
#7
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,296
|
This thread made me think of when I had to learn how to write....way back in 1963.
Big chunky pencils (for tiny hands), and paper that would disintegrate if an eraser was used more than once. IIRC, the tablets contained paper that looked like there were tiny specs of wood chips scattered throughout.
Ahhhh...at least they weren't stone tablets...
__________________
There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
|
|
|
06-04-2011, 09:16 PM
|
#8
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
|
__________________
Numbers is hard
|
|
|
06-04-2011, 09:29 PM
|
#9
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,296
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Not stone, Big Chief...
|
That's it!
Oh yeah...and I only had 8 crayons...or 'colors' as we called them back in the day.
A few years ago, my momma gave me the 'school box' I had when I was in the 6th grade.
Seems to me when I started the 1st grade, cigar boxes were used. A few years later, they became fancy with pics of kids running around....I suppose cigars were out of style by then...
__________________
There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
|
|
|
06-04-2011, 10:05 PM
|
#10
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,880
|
The other part of this is that almost no one knows how to hold their pen these days. But they can type with their thumbs (as I'm doing right now).
__________________
Al
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 06:26 AM
|
#11
|
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 23,037
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Not stone, Big Chief...
|
John Boy, is that you?
__________________
Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 06:59 AM
|
#12
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumby
John Boy, is that you?
|
Good night, Gumby...
__________________
Numbers is hard
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 07:08 AM
|
#13
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,655
|
I'm sure there are a few women who remember shorthand - men my age would've died before studying shorthand, since it was For Girls.
I took Gregg shorthand in college, and was top of my class. My father expected me to become a secretary, and insisted on my taking "practical" courses, so I went in with the attitude that I was learning Secret Writing. It certainly was...these days, I can't read my old notes from school
Amethyst
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nords
Anyone here still able to write in Pitman or Gregg shorthand? Just 10 years ago I had to search all over the Internet to find someone willing to translate an early 1900s document written in Pitman.
.
|
__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 07:15 AM
|
#14
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,298
|
I learned cursive, was taught in 4th grade when I was in elem and we were "allowed" to use fountain/cartridge pens (below), I wonder if they even make them anymore?
But I have to stop and think to do it anymore. My signature, first two initials and last name and now totally illegible, is the only cursive left for me. Every once in a while I am asked to do a signature with my full name, and it's painful, as is the result.
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57
Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 07:26 AM
|
#15
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Naples
Posts: 2,179
|
I remember "penmanship" class way back in elementary school. As one that always wanted to be the best at everything (obviously never got there) I was considered to have good handwriting. After becomming an engineer, I spent a few years on the drafting board as a designer. Wanted to print nicely. Ever since that time, I've printed everything. It just became habit. If I were to draft a letter today, it would be printed and I can print as fast as I can write. It just evolved. Think about it. Do you ever receive anything in cursive or is it always printed. Ever check a book out of the library that is in cursive? Maybe a book on penmanship.
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 07:37 AM
|
#16
|
Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,349
|
I learned Pitman shorthand in high school, just for fun. It came in handy for taking notes in college, but I've forgotten it completely now.
As for regular cursive writing, anyone interested in genealogical research had better be extremely familiar with it, because most old records were kept that way.
__________________
I thought growing old would take longer.
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 08:03 AM
|
#17
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 244
|
Here in North Carolina, 3rd graders did learn cursive writing this year - and my 3rd grade daughter is proudly signing every test, piece of art, picture and just about any scrap of paper that blows by with her fabulous new cursive signature. I don't think they spent a lot of time on cursive lettering, though. Not much need anymore, I expect.
Charlotte
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 08:56 AM
|
#18
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,483
|
The kids learn cursive in 3rd grade. My son just got his laminated "cursive certificate" which is proudly displayed on the refrigerator...........
__________________
Consult with your own advisor or representative. My thoughts should not be construed as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results (love that one).......:)
This Thread is USELESS without pics.........:)
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 08:59 AM
|
#19
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 17,239
|
I learned cursive, but did not use it that much.... and I won a penmanship contest back in elementary school.....
I can write faster with block and it is much more legible...
My oldest sister and mom still write cursive.... and I can not read their writing easily... sure, looks great.... but to me writing is getting an idea across to someone else, not to look pretty...
|
|
|
06-05-2011, 09:02 AM
|
#20
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: North-Central Illinois
Posts: 3,228
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by braumeister
As for regular cursive writing, anyone interested in genealogical research had better be extremely familiar with it, because most old records were kept that way.
|
Over the winter I started puttering around with my family's history and genealogy again after several years of neglect. I can certainly attest to needing to be familiar with cursive writing! And in many (most) cases, penmanship was obviously NOT a priority of those using the pen! Although my greatgrandad's 'X' on the signature line of his marriage permit is nearly flawless!!
As a brief footnote, while some of my ancestral rabbit-paths hit a brick wall in the very late 1800's, many were easily traced back into the early 1700's, and a few have taken me back as far as the mid to late 1200's!!! When I started out years ago, I'd simply hoped to trace my roots back to around 1900!! Who'd o' thunk?!
|
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Quick Links
|
|
|