Bill would encourage Michigan schools to teach cursive handwriting again

[marmar]

(Detroit Free Press) If you can write comfortably in cursive, you have a leg up on this Free Press reporter and likely many students who have been through public schooling in Michigan in recent years — but lawmakers want to give schools a chance to reverse that trend.

House Bill 4064 would recommend the Michigan Department of Education develop a cursive handwriting instruction plan for public schools in Michigan. The department would also be directed to make the plan available to public schools for the start of the 2024-25 school year.

The bill does not mandate the department to create a plan, but it would be “strongly encouraged” to do so. A legislative analysis of the bill conducted by the House Fiscal Agency found the MDE already has a cursive instruction model program it can implement. School districts would then also be strongly encouraged — but again, not mandated — to adopt the cursive instruction plan. Twenty-one states currently require some form of cursive instruction in public schools, according to the National Education Association.

Michigan’s most recent standards, that were adopted in 2010, don’t require cursive instruction.

While cursive instruction isn’t mandated in Michigan’s public schools, it remains a requirement in many Catholic schools — The Archdiocese of Detroit, Diocese of Grand Rapids and Diocese of Lansing all contain cursive instruction as a curriculum standard for their elementary students. ...............(more)

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/03/27/cursive-handwriting-michigan-public-schools/70045137007/

[Crazyleftie]

1. YES!!!!!

[Mister Ed]

2. Then I just hope somebody can teach me to actually read cursive. n/t

[EYESORE 9001]

6. We could send you to cursive boot camp

Your final test involves reading Rx straight from the doctor’s scribbling device.

[Haggard Celine]

3. Good!

People should know how to write in cursive (and read it). I wouldn't send my kid to a Catholic school, but they are usually way ahead in curriculum, or at least they've kept some of the old classes. I guess I might send them there if the public schools were really bad. But I would look for other private schools. It's a moot point, though. I'll never have kids.

[Biophilic]

4. I have felt really sorry for younger people who can only print and often unable to even read cursiv.

I believe it was and continues to be a real travesty not to teach young people this skill. Life skills that can be used throughout one’s life are way more important than memorizing facts that will mostly be forgotten or no longer relevant.

[dlk]

5. Students will be able to read the original Constitution

Cursive writing has been demonstrated to be good for the brain. This is a positive step for students.

[doc03]

7. Why did anyone think kids shouldn't be taught to write? Why teach them to

read either, just give them audio books?

[BigmanPigman]

8. As a teacher I say, "Good!".

I remember when this debate was going on in my district. My mentor teacher said, "How will they be able to read a letter from their grandmom?". I taught 6th grade and the students had to write in cursive and they actually liked it better than printing. When I taught 1st I had to teach regular printing but the class always pleaded with me to teach them cursive. They thought it looked cooler than printing.

When high school helpers came to my class for 6 weeks. Their printing was strange and I could barely read it and my students couldn't read the comments on graded homework by the high school students.

The past 20 years has produced a style of writing that is neither traditional printing nor cursive. It is a hybrid style that almost looks like graphite. It looks like Greek to me.

[mopinko]

9. they should teach it in art class.

count me as not caring about cursive. when i homeschooled that was 1 subject i could.not.make.them care about.

[Voltaire2]

10. What other useless skills should we require kids to learn?

[cbabe]

11. Cursive is good for the soul.

https://www.nea.org › advocating-for-change › new-from-nea › great-cursive-writing-debate

The Great Cursive Writing Debate | NEA

Feb 4, 2022Cursive is more than just a way to write. It strengthens the cross hemi-sphere connections in the brain. Helps students later with problem solving and abstract thinking. As a math teacher I think students should learn cursive to help their brains develop those connections needed later in life.

https://www.labroots.com › trending › neuroscience › 8151 › cursive-writing-brain

Is Cursive Writing Good for the Brain? | Neuroscience

Karin Harman James of the Indiana University Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences found that cursive writing prepares students' brains for reading and enhances their writing fluency and composition." Leising also points to the College Board, the company who produces and administers the SATs as a supporter of cursive writing.

(Lots more online)

[Karadeniz]

12. I've heard that cursive helps brain and hand motor development.