Many Montessori schools introduce cursive to preschoolers. It used to be regarded as easier to learn before printing became much more popular. Children got a lot of practice then with cursive and came out of school knowing how to write it and read it well. If preschoolers around the country are learning cursive I'm not understanding what the worry is about teaching students this way of writing when they're young.

8:21 Literally I use it ever day. I take notes with it when I'm in meetings or for my own use. It is faster for me than writing and is that way for most people. It is a good skill to have for taking notes quickly and as someone said before it is good for OT skills regardless. Typing is not very hard to learn. I'm not saying don't teach typing (and do they teach this anyway? I've heard they don't do this either in elementary) just also teach cursive. Cursive just takes some time to learn to write well although its easier than printing for most people, and really children's hands aren't developed well to handle a standard keyboard size anyway. I don't see why the schools can't teach both but start with cursive and then move on to typing and have some papers requiring one or the other. The parochial school down the street from me has a great handwriting program and a great computer program and I see nicely written reports in both formats.

My FCPS 5th grader was never really taught cursive (and this is in AAP at one of the schools that people move just to get into). They did a few pages in a workbook, and had to do certain assignments using cursive in 3rd grade. In 4th and 5th, there was no cursive instruction or writing at all.

My child just finished 2nd grade in FCPS and he says the teacher told them they aren't allowed to use cursive (I think a few kids knew some of it already). No teaching of cursive in 2nd grade.

My friend's child in PG schools learned cursive in 2nd grade and those who were doing it well were given approval to use it all the time on assignments.

I wish an OT would weigh in here. My child is in OT and there is some developmental reason why cursive is good but I don't remember what it is. My DD's cursive is much neater than her printing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm really not sure why FCPS is so gung ho on teaching children to type their essays so young at the expense of cursive and printing. They can't even reach the keys yet. It seems it would be much easier for them if they did like the parochial schools do and focused on cursive in the lower grades so the kids could read and write it by the time they got older really focus on typing. Or could they teach typing but just limit it to computer class? Everywhere I look in our elementary school the language arts reports are typed verses written and the few that are written are not neat. Do they even teach a real typing course or is that something we need to teach at home too? I learned to type like a pro in a 6 week class in middle school. It really doesn't take that long to learn once your fingers are long enough to reach the keys.

When was the last time in your life that you needed to write in cursive (other than a signature)? Everything I do is typed. Frankly, I think cursive should be abandoned: it is harder to read than printing. I can assure you that no one can read my cursive.

I honestly feel the same way. I was forced to write in cursive until high school and hated every damn minute of it. The day I was told it was no longer required, I did a little happy dance.

I feel like it is extra at this point and is only needed for signing your name. Cursive is more art than a required skill in our current world. I'm not opposed to the teaching of it, but I don't think kids should be forced to use it if they don't want to.

Anonymous wrote:I'm really not sure why FCPS is so gung ho on teaching children to type their essays so young at the expense of cursive and printing. They can't even reach the keys yet. It seems it would be much easier for them if they did like the parochial schools do and focused on cursive in the lower grades so the kids could read and write it by the time they got older really focus on typing. Or could they teach typing but just limit it to computer class? Everywhere I look in our elementary school the language arts reports are typed verses written and the few that are written are not neat. Do they even teach a real typing course or is that something we need to teach at home too? I learned to type like a pro in a 6 week class in middle school. It really doesn't take that long to learn once your fingers are long enough to reach the keys.

When was the last time in your life that you needed to write in cursive (other than a signature)? Everything I do is typed. Frankly, I think cursive should be abandoned: it is harder to read than printing. I can assure you that no one can read my cursive.

DC learned typing and cursive in 3rd grade.

I'm really not sure why FCPS is so gung ho on teaching children to type their essays so young at the expense of cursive and printing. They can't even reach the keys yet. It seems it would be much easier for them if they did like the parochial schools do and focused on cursive in the lower grades so the kids could read and write it by the time they got older really focus on typing. Or could they teach typing but just limit it to computer class? Everywhere I look in our elementary school the language arts reports are typed verses written and the few that are written are not neat. Do they even teach a real typing course or is that something we need to teach at home too? I learned to type like a pro in a 6 week class in middle school. It really doesn't take that long to learn once your fingers are long enough to reach the keys.

My ring 5th grader learned it in 3rd. Certain assignments must be typed or in cursive. I make her do them in cursive to get used to writing in it. Typing is used so often that I have no doubt she'll learn to type. I do doubt she'll learn cursive if she doesn't cement the skills now. I think cursive is faster for not taking and her cursive is much neater than her printing so I'd love for her to use it. Th problem is that a lot of kids can't read it.

I also have a rising third grader in VA, but not FCPS. Cursive was taught around the end of second grade.

My rising third grader liked how her name looked in cursive. She taught herself how to write all the letters in cursive over the summer last year. When she started second grade last fall she even taught some of her friends how to write their names in cursive. During the open house last year her second grade teacher told us that it would be introduced at the end of the year. It never was introduced in second grade.

I teach third grade. Through this past school year we have always introduced cursive at this grade level. It is part of the FCPS POS. They should be using it in fifth. With the new pacing, I believe the introduction of cursive moves to second grade, but I'll have to double check on that.

typo ... Did "your" child learn cursive?

I've heard that the powers in charge have decided FCPS teachers don't need to teach cursive and they just give the students a workbook at the end of third grade to work on independently.

Is this your experience?

Did you child learn cursive?

Do they use it in upper grades or do the teachers tell them to print everything?

I haven't researched it, but I just feel that cursive is important to learn for several reasons (slows the child down so they are thinking more about what they write, forces them to notice details while learning it, of course they need it to sign their name and to read the writing of other people).

Are parents completely responsible for teaching their kids cursive in FCPS?