There’s something at stake in education that most people are ignoring. Schools are drifting away (sometimes running away) from teaching cursive writing. All sorts of excuses have been given: “It’s old.” “It’s hard to teach.” “We don’t need it any more.”
“Heck, kids rarely write anything anyway: they spend all of their time tapping on their smartphone screens.”
Sorry, but educators (and the unions that support/drive them) are missing the point. Cursive handwriting is the basis for the understanding of… syntax. And if you don’t understand what syntax is or the importance of syntax in any language, how do you “learn to code”?
Think about cursive handwriting for a moment. Each letter is formed as a separate shape, with some shapes similar to other shapes. A lower-case “l” and a lowercase “e” are both loops, with one letter a higher and skinnier loop than the other (I’ll leave you to guess which is which.” For example, a lowercase “o” is connected to a lower case “l” differently than connecting a lower case “o” to a lower case “p.” Different loops, shapes, “exit points” and “entry points” – these all change based on the context in which they are used. Capital letters are formed differently than lower case letters, sometimes bearing almost no relationship to the same letter in lower case, and the “connectives” between upper and lower case letters are often very different than the connectives between lower case letters.
There are clearly defined rules for how cursive handwriting must appear on a page. Those rules must be practiced in order for a full understanding of cursive handwriting. Schools used to test a student’s skills in cursive handwriting several times a year, with students receiving grades on both their ability to form shapes and write clearly.
An occasional homework essay was assigned and had to be completed in clearly readable cursive handwriting.
“So, what’s your point?”
The rules for cursive handwriting are an example of syntax. Those rules clearly describe how cursive is to be written. If the syntax is not executed properly, cursive handwriting cannot be understood by another person. And if the handwriting cannot be understood by someone other than the writer, the syntax was incorrectly executed.
By teaching cursive handwriting, students are learning that there are rules when learning an unfamiliar subject. Sure, they can identify printed alphabet letters. But those are not the same as cursive alphabet letters. By understanding the difference and by learning when each style is appropriate, students learn both syntax and the application of syntax to a purpose.
The English language – whether we call it American or British – also follows rules. Adjectives, nouns, verbs – each has a specific purpose. In American English, we place adjectives before nouns. Other languages place adjectives after nouns. Grammatical construction is also an example of syntax. The sentence “I saw the house walking down the street” is difficult to understand: was the house itself walking? That sentence is an example of improperly executed English grammar syntax.
By requiring assignments to be handed in using cursive handwriting, students learn the importance of properly executing syntax in a larger context. Students may have to rewrite their ideas several times, with the final copy being clean enough to hand in for a grade. Those final copies clearly demonstrate a student’s understanding of both cursive syntax and English syntax.
If we indeed want people to “learn to code” (a sarcastic retort which I find both childish and insulting), then we are asking them to learn a very foreign language: whether Java or Python or C++, any code written in that language must follow the syntax for that language. Symbols now replace words, and the form (layout) of the language must also follow specific rules.
Just like cursive writing: form both follows and determines function.
English is hard enough. How can we expect people to learn and write in a completely foreign language when they may never have learned how to execute the simple syntax of cursive writing?
And if you never learned cursive handwriting… how do you sign your name?
