Imagine a time when children can’t read historical documents. Young adults can barely conjure a driver’s license signature. And even some elementary school teachers confess they don’t know how to write in cursive.
This might sound like the handwriting apocalypse doomsayers have warned of for generations. But it’s actually the alarming reality of today, some New Jersey lawmakers say.
So they’re working across party lines to change it.
A bipartisan proposal to require cursive handwriting instruction in grades 3-5 won approval from the Assembly Education Committee earlier this month. It’s the first step toward exposing a new generation of New Jersey students to the lost art of cursive, according to Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, the committee chair.
“It’s just important that we continue to teach our youth how to sign their name,” Reynolds-Jackson, D-Mercer, said. “You get a mortgage, you print and sign. When you go for your driver’s license, you sign. When you open a bank account or your passport, you have to sign.”
The decline of cursive handwriting was bemoaned even before the rise of the personal computer. Some schools still teach it, but others have long since left the curly “Qs” and artful “As” for dead, just happy to see a kid born this century who prints legibly.
New Jersey stopped requiring cursive instruction in schools about 15 years ago, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association. Several proposals to make cursive instruction mandatory since then have languished in Trenton.
Reynolds-Jackson believes her renewed push could be different, though. The plan wouldn’t start cursive instruction until third grade instead of requiring it as young as kindergarten, she said.
The bill is co-sponsored by six of her Republican colleagues, including Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, a former English teacher.
“This isn’t about penmanship,” said Fantasia, R-Sussex. “It’s about cognitive development. It’s about learning.”
Learning cursive can unlock creativity and improve brain function, lawmakers said. But the practical application shouldn’t be overlooked, according to Fantasia.
“When grandparents send kids birthday cards and write in cursive, they can’t read it,” she said. “They need it translated as if it was in an alternate language.”
But not everyone is on board with the proposal. The school boards association and other education advocacy groups oppose another new mandate from the state Legislature, according to Jonathan Pushman, director of governmental relations.
New Jersey schools have already been required to incorporate lessons in civics, climate change, financial literacy and other topics over the past few years, he said.
The organization is not opposed to schools teaching cursive, but it believes the decision should be made locally.
“There are only so many hours in the school day,” Pushman said.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Adam Clark may be reached at [email protected].
发表回复