Cursive Pushed Out of School, Into Summer

What are you doing this summer? Did your school neglect to teach you cursive in grade school? Take Cursive Boot camp this summer! 
As I was browsing the many different flyers put up on the bulletin board in the local Caribou coffee shop, I noticed a brightly colored one for a cursive summer boot camp taught by a District 36 teacher. In order to enforce the teaching of cursive to future generations, this teacher has decided to devote a summer to it. 

Earlier this year, the teaching of cursive was up for debate. It is no longer a requirement in 45 states in the US as it previously has been. While at first thought this does not seem to be a huge deal, there are many benefits to cursive other than being able to write in the fine script.   There are also major biological and psychological benefits. 

An article on "psychology today" that showed that the thinking level in studying cursive is increased and that cursive has improved students reading level greatly, especially in dyslexics. The hand movements required in cursive are constantly changing where as in handwriting there are single strokes. In addition to reading and thinking level, cursive also increases hand eye coordination. In contrast to the difficult task of writing in cursive is typing on a computer; what we seem to constantly be doing. It is the same motion of punching the keys of the letters we want, very little thinking required. Although learning to type without looking is mentally demanding as well, it requires a different kind of thinking. 

In addition to being biologically beneficial, the practice of cursive is also psychologically beneficial. As I remember, learning cursive was incredibly frustrating. I could never get the right amount of humps on the m, the right shape to the r, and some of upper case letters were nearly beyond my comprehension. Putting it all together was something I never thought I would achieve. By mastering each letter on its own, and then slowly forming words and my name, I learned how to write cursive and I felt as proud as I will when I turn in my final draft of my Junior Theme. The perseverance and self disciple instilled into students are traits that are crucial to the success of them later on in life.

While I do think that cursive should still be taught, I think it should be enforced in grade schools. Not in a summer "boot camp" that is an extra expense. Public schools are already being payed for by our taxes and those taxes should be going towards the teaching of subject that will improve the child's thinking. While I may rarely write in cursive now, I would argue that the most important benefits of it is the process of learning it.