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ZWriting Guided for Zaner-Bloser Cursive Writing work sheets and curiculum
They say the art of elegant penmanship is disappearing.
If you are still writing in “cursive” you are a member of the leftover generation who are from the Age of Wisdom.
Many others are regressing to caveman status and posting cartoons on walls to tell their stories.
But we, of the Age of Wisdom, do love to complain about lost luxuries like talking and writing.
Talking is disappearing along with longhand writing since most people are texting now. Texting is a true form of shorthand without having to learn how to really do it. There are books on how to learn shorthand, but I suppose those are extinct too.
I remember there were two teenagers in the back seat of my car who sat in stony silence.
“Why are you so quiet back there?” I asked.
“We’re texting each other.”
TALKING USED TO BE IMPORTANT FOR SOCIAL REASONS but nowadays, people go to analysts to understand why nobody talks to them.
Communication has been “dumbing” down this way, and there is now widespread use of block printing punctuated by hearts and smiley faces to demonstrate approval. Like the now missing physical hug, our vocal chords may also be in danger of going extinct.
ADVANTAGES OF SCRIPT WRITING TO THE LEFTOVER GENERATION
If most people cannot read it, then most people will not know what it says, and most people will not know how to forge it! How can anyone forge something that looks like it is written in a secret code they have never seen before?
I write all my checks in cursive now. Ha! Try forging that!
And if I want my check to be “lost in the mail”, I address it in cursive writing. How many postal clerks can figure that out, particularly if the zip code is slightly obliterated?
- Cursive held a firm place in the predawn era of interstellar connections, but is now verging on extinct. This may sound sad, but consider it a HAPPY ADVANTAGE because it is indecipherable to the uninformed.
- Script writing is beautiful when done properly, but requires training and practice. This is a primary advantage to us old timers since the copiers and forgers cannot decipher anything so written..
- Those in the know can communicate to others in the know in a code that cannot be easily translated by those who are not in the know.
- Pen pals can share deep dark secrets with no fear of being discovered.
- GURUS FROM THE AGE OF WISDOM CAN OPENLY COMPLAIN about the young and the restless now in the Age of the Uninformed who can only block print and post symbols on walls.
- As the Keepers of the Code, OURS IS THE KINGDOM OF EXPANDING SOCIAL COMPANIONSHIP and we can still talk.
Have you ever tried writing in a style where all the letters in a word are connected?
Just think how excited you will be to find you can write entire words without lifting your pencil from the paper.
Oh, I forgot. Writing paper is almost extinct too.
Cursive comes from the past participle of the Latin word currere, which means “to run.” In cursive handwriting, the letters all run into one another and the hand runs across the page, never lifting between letters. Every time a document asks for your signature at the bottom, you are meant to use this flowing cursive writing style.
Definition from: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cursive
My penmanship has never been elegant, but I think cursive should continue to be taught. After all, eons from now who will transcribe the fossil notebooks that are found?
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I have not written in cursive for many years now, possibly before the age of texting. Not sure I can do it these days which is sad, should try this today. My signature is the one piece of cursive I do very well…
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I remember the nuns with the rulers. You were hit on the knuckles when you didn’t write right.
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You are not alone suzicate…. I write in half cursive and half block printing. Talk about trying to decipher that eons from now! 🙂
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They won’t be able to forge your signature anyway John! 🙂
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“Writing right” was a big deal, even among those dedicated school teachers. Had to stay on the line and form letters correctly. I never did conquer the capitol “F” or the “S”. And sometimes either one of them still looks like a “G.” 🙂
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Then there was always the controversy on how write a small “r”.
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No, and recently looking at my SS card, my signature today is not the same at all. Kinda weird aye…
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Maybe our handwriting changes with time – like everything else. 🙂
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Yes, mine still looks like an “n”. Ah well.
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I’m a dinosaur, too. Fun!
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You know me, I love technology. However, I think it’s terrible that kids aren’t required to handwrite their schoolwork anymore. When my boys were in high school, every assignment had to be computer generated. No handwritten assignments allowed!
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This posts makes me sad, Dor. I love to break out a writing tablet and a fancy pen and write in cursive. Every story or book that I’ve written began this way.
Think of all of the historical documents that will appear to be written in a foreign language to some. 😦
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Oh, cursive writing is a subject dear to my heart, Dor. If I write a note to my kids, not print, they tell me they can’t read it! ‘Alors!’ as the French exclaim! They will never be able to unlock the mysteries and excitement of their mother’s life bound in volumes of journals that I’ve been keeping since my 20s. lol! They’ll have to hire ‘cursive scholars’ to translate and digitize them. So sad. They won’t be able to read the Declaration of Independence, either. I tell you, not knowing cursive is Un-American! ;-D
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Yikes! “No handwritten assignments allowed?” And that is progress. 🙂
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It is another great loss to technological advancement and I sometimes think we are actually moving backward. If so, there is hope to move forward again (eventually) and to learn the old ways as if they were new.
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Bahahaha! Eliza, I love your take on things. Imagine not being able to read the Declaration of Independence! And someone should print your quote (or write it in cursive) that “not knowing cursive is Un-American!” 🙂
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Apparently!
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This took me back to my schooldays where we lived in fear of Mrs Philips the teacher who was fanatical about handwriting. I could and still can write in cursive but never well enough for Mrs Philips. My loops were never the same size and my writing was too large and sloped down the page. “How dare you!” she would bellow when handed unsatisfactory work. I mostly print now if I have to write anything. I try to write in cursive sometimes. I start off neat but it gets untidy. I do want people to actually be able to read my notes. I probably would not be a blogger if I had to write cursive. I do think it should still be taught though. When did we decide not to any more I wonder?
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Cursive writing is what I was taught in school and the only one I use today. I just love it! 🙂
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Oh, I would not be a blogger if I had to put pen or pencil to paper. Typing on a keyboard and being able to quickly edit are irresistible advantages. On the other hand, I love seeing a beautifully scripted page where the “r’s” do not look like “n’s” they way mine do. I believe that many schools opted out of teaching cursive in 2013 and the trend is growing. But even before that, the young have been opting for electronic gizmos for communication. It is fortunate that most books are still produced in block print, but they say the printing industry is also suffering since you can read it or watch it on your gizmo.
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Thanks Sunshine! I am truly impressed and full of admiration for your dedication to cursive writing. I hate to admit it but I write in script with block printing mixed in. The danger is that my personal skewing of the pure form of cursive may confuse later generations a few thousand years from now.
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Haha, so funny! You see, that’s why I love visiting you blog. 🙂
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I can really relate to your post Dorann. I long for the days when you’d receive a note card, letter anything that was thought about and written. I love cursive writing, still do it on everything and still write cards, etc. There is a lack of soul with texting and flat emails ~ maybe this connects too the direction that society is going in.
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🙂 Thank you! 🙂
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I love getting an artist’s eye view of the value of cursive writing. The “lack of soul with texting” analogy is perfect. Thank you! 🙂
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I feel exactly as you do, Dor. I have my grandparents’ handwritten cards, notes, recipes and letters which I cherish. Not sure what the younger generation will have to pass on especially if their server crashes.
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I too save notes, etc., all written in cursive and surely they will be discarded by progeny en route to their cave dwellings.
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I still write in cursive and write checks and send cards and letters, Printing up an e-mail is not the same. Your post is a reminder to do more cursive writing. Yet I still like my laptop for blogging. Good post, Dor! I have been behind in my blog reading! Thanks as always for your visits to my blog.
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I too prefer the laptop for blogging but agree with you on writing in cursive for other things. 🙂
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I promised my daughters I will teach any grandchildren how to write in cursive. If you can’t write it you can’t read it!
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Great idea! I don’t think any of my three grandgirls know how to write in cursive and they are old enough now but do not seem particularly interested.
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I’m not sure how to describe my handwriting, but it sounds similar to yours. When my hand tires of connecting letters, it resorts to print of some form. I’m not sure if my hand tires, or my brain.
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That’s it Patti! You have pinpointed the problem with our handwriting. Brain freeze. 🙂
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