Maggie's Farm

Cursive was something difficult for me - my handwriting was atrocious and my Catholic teachers made me spend many hours trying to get the perfect swirls and twirls. I couldn't and it only hurt my hand.

Cursive, later, helped me with note-taking in college. I may have nearly illegible cursive (still do), but I did it very fast and I understood it. Prevented people from stealing my notes (I had one person steal an entire paper once the day before it was due - I had to rewrite it from memory, which thankfully was excellent back then, and I reported him to the professor. The professor said the person never turned in a paper and denied stealing mine. Of course. That's why theirs was ready on time.)

At any rate, cursive is, in my estimation, an essential tool. I remember things a lot more easily if I hand write them. Typing? I know I can type faster than Gen Z or Millenials - but the information goes in and out too easily. So typing is not a good memory retention tool (it's not just me - I've read studies that it's not helpful, because it's a difficult skill to learn and requires using a lot more physical and brain power).

Sadly, I don't see anyone using or learning cursive anymore.

All good things come to an end, I suppose. Not always for the better. Most people feel "if the information is out there on a computer, I don't need to remember it."

Maybe. But you don't always and won't always have the computer handy.

I've always been good at reading other people's cursive. Even upside down. I was in a negotiation once and was reading what the other person wrote upside down. Makes for an easier negotiation.