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State of Texas Takes Hard Stance on Teaching Cursive Writing in Classrooms

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Handwriting has been a thing of the past in many schools. With classrooms across the country making daily use of technology with iPads, Chromebooks and the like, there hasn’t been much reason for handwriting in the opinion of some.

Of course, others would argue good penmanship is absolutely vital to a well-rounded education. If not taught to write well, students ought to at least be able to read penmanship, or so the cursive advocates say.

After all, plenty of historical documents and even something as simple as a letter from grandma are handwritten the old-fashioned way.

Some states have added cursive back into their curriculum in recent years, even though many educators don’t see the skill as necessary or relevant.

In 2015, TODAY reported Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee all updated Common Core standards for certain grades — standards that required students learn the age-old form of writing.

A similar article from The Washington Post in 2016 noted many other states require cursive as well. Included on the list are Virginia, California and the great Lone Star State, Texas.

“I think it’s really discouraging to get a note from a college graduate that is printed like a second-grader,” Louisiana state senator Beth Mizell told the Post at that time.

Now Texas is making everything official. According to KVUE, in 2017, Texas changed what was required in their language arts curriculum.

Does your state require cursive as part of curriculum standards?
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As of the 2019-2020 school year, those changes will be in full swing. It will be interesting to see how parents react to the new addition to the classroom.

Updates to the standards will require cursive be taught as of second grade, and their skills will continue to grow in succeeding grades over the years.

All Texas school districts will be affected by the changes. According to the Houston Chronicle, it’s been the norm for some time for teachers in the state to focus more on keyboarding and less on traditional handwriting, so this will be quite the adjustment.

Does your state require cursive be taught in schools? Do you feel it’s a lost art, or simply an unnecessary hassle that would be better left in the past?

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Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.
Sarah Carri is an avid reader and social media guru with a passion for truth and life. Her writing has previously been published in print and online by Focus on the Family and other well known media outlets. Her experience in ministry and Disney entertainment gives her a unique perspective on such topics.

Sarah's experience as a successful working stay-at-home mom and business owner has given her the chance to write and research often. She stays up to date on the latest in entertainment and offers her views on celebrity stories based on her wide knowledge of the industry. Her success as a former preschool teacher and licensed daycare provider lend to her know-how on topics relating to parenting and childhood education.

Her thoughts on faith and family issues stem from home life and ministry work. Sarah takes time to attend workshops and classes annually that help her to improve and hone her writing craft. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature program and her writing has been acclaimed by ACFW and ECPA.
Education
Institute of Children's Literature, Art Institute of Phoenix (Advertising), University of California Irvine (Theater), Snow College (Early Childhood Education)
Location
Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Entertainment, Faith




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