Throughout history there have been many changes in handwriting.  There were times when letters were formed individually, similar to printed letters used today.

At one point in history the people who wrote these individual letters were required to write more and rapidly for people who were trading goods from different lands.  What these writers found was that when the letters were written quickly their hands did not lift off the page. They continued to write on the page and little lines of ink could be seen where their hands seemed to be running across the page.

In short order they realized they were connecting the letters of words together with these ink lines.  A space was still left when their hands lifted to write another word.  Soon this became the normal way to write because it was faster.  The name for this style of writing was “currere” from the Latin word “curre” meaning run.   This was apparent as their hands ran across the page.

Going forward, for hundreds of years, only cursive handwriting was taught and used.  Individual lettering was only used for headings on pages, signs, and labeling things like maps.  Lettering or what we now call printing, was only taught to those who needed to use it, long after cursive handwriting had been mastered.

For just over one hundred years ago only cursive handwriting was taught to school children starting in the first grade. It was used exclusively throughout the elementary education.  Printing was taught in later years and mainly used for titles, headings of stories and labeling maps.

In the early 1900’s, some teachers in Europe came up with the idea of teaching young children a simpler form of handwriting for the purpose of preparing them for learning cursive handwriting.  This form of handwriting was originally called ball and stick writing because it used primarily circles and straight lines.  Today, we call this simplified form of handwriting Printing.  Teachers only taught students to use this form of writing for a few weeks at the beginning of the school year, then cursive was taught and used from then on.

In the 1940’s, public schools began to teach and use Printing for the first two grades of schooling.  Cursive handwriting was usually taught beginning in grade three.  Teaching both printing and cursive handwriting continued for the next 40 years.  

In the 1980’s, teachers began to complain that it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to read the cursive handwriting children wrote.  They began to question the need for teaching both printing and cursive handwriting.

Over the following next two decades or so, cursive handwriting was not considered very important and there was a significant decrease in cursive handwriting being taught.  In the United States, the requirement to teach cursive handwriting was removed from the national curriculum in 2010.  Since then, almost half the states have brought in legislation and voted to bring it back into the curriculum of their individual state.  In Canada cursive handwriting was also taught less, although it was never removed from the curriculum in any province or territory.

Today, the majority of public schools no longer teach cursive handwriting. Printing is only taught in the Primary grades.  Teachers are now complaining that the Printing students produce is becoming difficult to read.  Public schools are encouraging students to produce most of their work using digital technology.

It is a reality that when people are not taught how to write in cursive, they can’t read anything written in cursive.  This puts people at a disadvantage.  

The skill of handwriting is very complex and involves many parts of the body and brain.  Research is now showing that handwriting is creating more neuropathways in the brains of young children.  This doesn’t happen when children use a keyboard.

There have been many studies completed that show writing information down causes individuals to remember it for a longer period of time.  Whether it is a short grocery list or hand written notes for a university course, increasing our ability to remember is a good thing.

Public schools do not teach cursive handwriting. The more prestigious private schools continue to teach cursive handwriting. Knowing how to write in cursive could one day be used as in indicator of an individual’s superior education.

Throughout the world many countries require students to learn a second language.  Often this language is English.  In the learning process these students are often taught to write English in cursive.  If North American children are exempt from cursive it may put them at a disadvantage when competing for jobs late in life.