Why get rid of cursive writing in the school's curriculum?

[pitbaby]

Once I was taught cursive that was it, I actually have a hard time printing at this point and it comes out as a combination of the 2. I know how my hand just refuses to do it..lol Both my kids print everything but their signature and my DH does the same thing. Matter of fact there was a time that he had a note on a file that was written in cursive, which he does extremely well and it is actually pretty, but it threw me off and I questioned him about it and made him do it again just cause I couldn't believe it was him. Personally I think cursive can be beautiful and really there are a lot of fonts out there that mimic it so there is something to it. I tend to think though the time they are "saving" by not teaching it could be used in math or something similar.

[Gertie2u]

Cursive was a big deal when I was in school. We spent a lot of the 3rd grade learning to write the letters, and by fifth were expected to write our papers in cursive. Poor penmanship resulted in reduced grades in many cases after that.

My kids supposedly had lessons in cursive, but neither can write in cursive. One says she doesn't like to, but insists on writing her name in cursive. Older DD says she never got the hang of making many of the letters, and she just prints her name on documents and the very rare checks she writes. She says she wishes she'd learned as she thinks my handwriting looks very pretty and she would write more letters if her handwriting looked as nice as that.

I think the whole thing is computers. People send emails instead of writing letters, and I guess given the expense of stamps that's here to stay. It isn't just that it makes me a little sad to see something elegant disappearing. I wonder what if anything will still be around of the stuff we're doing on computers today in a few decades. I know I myself have several times got new computers, and after a while the old one doesn't work at all anymore. Then all of the old emails and things I have written on the old machine are usually gone. Sure, people write blogs, but when the servers they are on are no longer paid for, those things will disappear as well. Now that gives a bit of a pause, doesn't it? Whereas my ancestors left letters, pictures, handwritten recipes and farm account books, is it possible our children will eventually leave nothing to their descendants?