Argumentative Essay Sample on Cursive Handwriting
Some people may not know that twenty-one states require students to learn cursive writing. The topic of cursive writing needing to be taught or not has been going on for nearly a century. The Common Core standard certainly helped push for ending learning cursive in 2010. However, cursive handwriting needs to continue to be taught and learned in schools.
First, cursive needs to be studied to help students write fast but neatly to where the teachers and students can read it. In text one, an assistant superintendent states why students are taught cursive writing in her specific school district. “We teach cursive as a way to write quickly and legibly. There are a number of styles of cursive. We adapt for our students’ needs. The emphasis is on writing neatly and fluidly… Many use cursive when writing notes - it's quicker.¨. The learning of cursive is not focused on one set way. The teachers want the students to be able to take notes quickly and to be able to read and understand them as well. For teachers to be able to read the work their students have finished and to be able to instruct them at a steady pace, their students should learn cursive.
Secondly, those who learn cursive have higher intelligence and fine motor skills. Text one states that there is “...a connection between handwriting and broader educational development… students who are taught cursive have been observed to learn to read more quickly, score better on spelling tests, retain more of what they read and perform better at generating ideas… Cursive is also ‘an excellent way to improve fine motor skills,’”. This evidence conveys that students who know how to write and read cursive are more proficiently advanced than those who have not learned cursive. Using cursive handwriting helps the students to excel.
Thirdly, handfuls of historical documents were written or signed in cursive, and they need to be read and appreciated. Text two mentions that “There was also much concern over the possible loss of being able to read cursive, leading to a time when people will not be able to read old diaries, journals and important documents written in cursive. Generations of information could be lost, and we would become disconnected from a part of our past.”. This evidence suggests that the decline of learning cursive also declines the preservability of historical information and the connection the world has with them. In order for the peoples of the world to remain intact with history, cursive needs to endure so readers can understand writings from previous generations.
The main argument of those who are against the teaching of cursive is technology. Advocates against cursive learning argue that technology surrounds most people in everyday life, and print handwriting is there for manual writing. Text four states that "Much of our communication is done on a keyboard, and the rest is done with print… teachers would be better off focusing on the skills and knowledge that will impact student success in the future.”. Technology is not always reliable, documents have to be signed using cursive for validity, and cursive handwriting can help further the skills and knowledge of students. Furthermore, learning cursive does not have to take up large amounts of time in the classroom; it can be taught each day in a certain amount of time that the teacher has set aside.
Therefore, there needs to be a continuation of teaching cursive handwriting in schools. Cursive is quick and neat, helps with the skills and understanding of students, and keeps us intact with our past. The cursive form of writing is essential for our education and insight.
