Does cursive writing exist anymore?

My kids are now 30, 28, & 19, so I'm not really up-to-date on things, but for the youngest, by middle school all longer work (papers and so on) had to be keyboarded.

Good thing -- all 3 children have handwriting that is very, very similar to their father's (illegible). They were all taught dnealian.

www.dnealian.com

With hindsight I wish I had done more for the youngest, some OT perhaps, but there were enough other issues with reading and math that the handwriting piece got left behind.

This summer I will be taking a Handwriting Without Tears workshop, on my way to being a certified HWT trainer.

You might consider "homeschooling" your daughters in this one area, especially given how often you move. The HWT site is here:

www.hwtears.com/

BTW, I went to a presentation by a very senior Occupational Therapist who feels very strongly that we cause many educational and physical problems by demanding writing output too soon. According to her, the bones and muscles in the hand aren't really ready for pencil-paper work until about age 8. Before that children should be using markers with big, fat barrels and writing BIG letters on a vertical surface.

U got that right. I'm not old, but this technology age is starting to make me feel like it..lol

Maybe when cursive is on the state standardize testing then they will focus on it more. I feel kids are too dependant on keyboarding and calculators that we will have a society that will not be able to function without them. Oh what will happen when the electricity goes out?

The heart reference was an example, you have a point though. A couple weeks ago a new 6th grade level teacher was brought in for the advanced 5th graders(and to lessen the student/teacher ratio). My daughter was moved to that class. I am finding at this school they are farther behind than I originally thought. She passed out a cursive worksheet the other day. My daughter excitedly yelled,"Yes. Thank you." The teacher was upset to hear that in 5th grade they haven't even been introduced to cursive writing yet. And said they should have been taught that in 3rd grade. As healthy11 said, it helps build "interconnections" with other parts of the brain. Honestly, to me when you are in adult as long as I can read the writing I am satisfied, but this gives schools no excuse to cut certain things out of the cirriculum. Children are sponges and should be allowed to absorb every thing possible while they are in school. I am for one, happy she is finally learning it. I tried myself to teach her, and have no problem helping my child learn, but if we are expected to take over certain cirriculum we should just all be stay at home parents and teachers the same. Unfortunately, in today's society, many of us have to work to support our children. I am one of them. The military does not pay as much as people think, and my husband can't do it alone. And at a young 31....I feel you on the old feeling lol.