Today's rant: A secret code I didn't even know I knew

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I recently had a new intern start her summer internment. She is a high school student, and so far she has really impressed me with her work ethic, common sense, ability to follow directions, etc. She’s a sharp one.

Today I asked her to summarize some notes from a writer. I gave her a folder which contained a few pages of ruled notebook paper with the writer’s handwritten notes. “Please read through this, and summarize the content to me in an email message.”

Turns out she can’t read cursive writing. She was able to make out a word or two, but only because the writer has impeccable script. I guess they just don’t teach that in school anymore.

My curiosity compelled me to dig deeper. Turns out the school district dropped cursive and started pushing typing classes. I asked her to speculate why, and she said her English teacher told her it was because cursive just wasn’t in vogue anymore, and digital technology was the future. Cursive writing, which has existed in it’s various forms for well over 1,000 years… has gone out of vogue. Technology, which requires electricity and expensive electronics are causing the pencil and paper to go extinct.

Already, many kids can’t solve a math problem without a calculator. Now they won’t be able to write anything without a keyboard?

Don’t get me wrong… I’ve had interns come in here and the kids couldn’t use a keyboard or mouse because their entire interaction with technology has been with their thumbs on a smartphone touch screen.

But is this really the end of cursive writing? I guess parents will be able to use it to hide secrets from the kiddies?

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