Longhand writing may be a thing of the past for kids

Thanks to technology and everyone using keyboards to communicate, cursive or longhand writing, is becoming a dying art. Especially when it comes to kids since some provinces they’re not even required to learn cursive at school anymore.

In B.C., it’s still required for Grade three students to learn cursive writing but that may change with a provincial curriculum review now underway.

Texting and typing are slowly replacing handwriting in classrooms around the continent. Since 2010, most American states allow instructors to decide for themselves whether to teach cursive at all.

“There is a gradual move away from it,” Janet Steffenhagen, blogger, BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils. “Kids are texting and so keyboard focused that they don’t really spend the time learning cursive well, and as a result their handwriting isn’t that good.

“So I’ve heard from teachers that they’d prefer kids to print because they can’t read their handwriting.”

In Ontario, the Toronto Catholic School Board is bucking the trend by passing a motion recently to bring cursive back to all classrooms.

According to the Ministry of Education the draft curriculum is still up for discussion and no decision has been made at this time.

~ with files from Tanya Beja