Back in the 1950s, at Saint Cecilia School in Ames, Iowa, a dedicated team of nuns attempted to teach me how to write in cursive. They had their work cut out for them. Even with special paper that had five faded lines to help me uniformly attach one letter to the next, my skill did not match those of my classmates – particularly the talents of the darn girls, who all seemed quite gifted.
To make matters worse, our sheets of cursive were put up on the wall for all to inspect. My sheet stood out – and not in the way that would please my mother.
Fast forward 60 plus years and my cursive is not much better. However, the competition has dropped dramatically. Many of my younger colleagues have no idea how to attach one letter of the alphabet to the next. I’m becoming a cursive star around the office.
I did some research on whether handwriting is still a worthy skill during this keystroking era. Although there are mixed reviews, most studies show that handwriting (putting pen to paper) improves memory, increases creativity and boosts cognitive functioning to a greater degree than typing.
I wish to give a belated thank you to the indefatigable nuns at Saint Cecilia.