Out of the Loop? or Just Out of Touch ??

[74-911]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I gave up cursive a long time ago.

I've also forgone capitalization and print in all uppercase.

My experience also. As the OP I wasn't lamenting the loss of cursive as much as I was just surprised it was not longer being taught and honestly don't see the need for it anymore.
In 1968 the USAF (at programming school) issued me coding sheets (for 029 keypunches, block printing in all caps...) which effectively ended my cursive writing skills (which were minimal at best). After spending the next 35 years coding in one form or another, the only thing I can write is my signature, everything else is a weird mixture of upper-case printing and a few written letters..

[onewhippedpuppy]

Signature only for me, and I hate printing as well. I do my best to type everything.

My kids go to a Catholic private school and are learning it. They think it's sorta fun.

[campbellcj]

Yup. "Back in the day" I learned not only cursive and typing in school, but also drafting and lead typesetting. Our schools now are just standardized testing mills, meaning if it's not on a standardized test, it's not in the curriculum.

I just had a college intern start work and his signature was printed, and not even very neatly.

[johnsjmc]

How times have changed. When I was in school I was delayed being allowed to use cursive writing because my printing was sloppy. then during high school I wasn,t allowed to learn to type properly because I wasn,t in a business stream . I was in drafting and other shop classes instead.
I never use cursive today and had to teach myself to type.

[mjohnson]

I work in an exclusively non-electronic environment. For most - that means that they just don't take notes and they try to work off of memory.

I take notes. I started with my bad engineer-student drafting characters/script and soon got tired of falling behind. A colleague got into fountain pens and I kind of got dragged along. They're neat tools and are actually pleasurable, in a sense, to write with. My cursive went from "B- in 8th grade" to something that I'd actually send someone in public. It took a few months of many-kilowords/day but I think that I'm solidly into the 19th century by now...

Now I swap pens/inks in my notebooks to mark different days. I'm also "that guy" with real notes of what was said.

In engineering/science I don't know how you can't live without a pen(cil). Supposedly these kids are doing everything with ipads?

I guess, at 40, I'm only destined for that floating raft of burning wood to be sent off into the sea...

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

I work in an exclusively non-electronic environment. For most - that means that they just don't take notes and they try to work off of memory.

I take notes. I started with my bad engineer-student drafting characters/script and soon got tired of falling behind. A colleague got into fountain pens and I kind of got dragged along. They're neat tools and are actually pleasurable, in a sense, to write with. My cursive went from "B- in 8th grade" to something that I'd actually send someone in public. It took a few months of many-kilowords/day but I think that I'm solidly into the 19th century by now...

Now I swap pens/inks in my notebooks to mark different days. I'm also "that guy" with real notes of what was said.

In engineering/science I don't know how you can't live without a pen(cil). Supposedly these kids are doing everything with ipads?

I guess, at 40, I'm only destined for that floating raft of burning wood to be sent off into the sea...

I love my tablets, but for quick notes, a paper notepad can't be beat.

[bell]

Another example of technology dumbing down the next generation......
When the lights go out i'm going to write maps in cursive, it'll be fun to watch how many people are really lost, in more than location. ...

[gacook]

I grew up in Arizona public schools in the 80's/90's. We started learning cursive in second grade; our penmanship was a part of our report card. In 6th grade, we learned calligraphy (had to buy the special pens and everything). My penmanship kinda sucked (always a C) until learning calligraphy. From there, my penmanship got much better.

Fast forward to today, like others here, I print exclusively (except signature), and it's pretty much all caps. My kids give me crap about it. We're back in Arizona, and at my kids' public school, they start cursive in 3rd grade, but aren't graded on it.

[ckelly78z]

I do OK at writing in cursive, but I do really well at printing. I think maybe that came from mechanical drawing classes in high school where neatness was a neccesity. All of my printed notes are perfectly ledgible by anyone who sees them I also am a stickler for puncuation, and capitolization. I keep a folded piece of paper with a list of "to dos" in my pocket for reference, because sometimes my memory fails me. I do have a tablet and a smart phone, but choose to not use them most of the time, and actually forget where they are located. I just started sending out a few texts this year, and have never accessed the internet on my phone, I wait to get to an actual keyboard at home or at work.

[sammyg2]

This is what I remember. That and those big ole honkin red pencils.

[74-911]

Originally Posted by bell

Another example of technology dumbing down the next generation......
When the lights go out i'm going to write maps in cursive, it'll be fun to watch how many people are really lost, in more than location. ...

A generation lost in space... that can't read the original Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution or ????

[Rikao4]

still use it..
and those MEAN Nun's are to blame..
can do so with either hand..
had too..
because lefties were thought of as spawns of you know who..

btw..
when your sitting somewhere alone...
far away from those you love...
few things are as special as receiving a hand written letter..

Rika