WINSTON WEEKLY©[1]

August 31, 2025

Vol. 3, No. 35

CURSIVE CLASSROOMS[2]

Despite the proliferation of AI, laptops, and tablets in many classrooms, cursive writing provides the foundation for a lifetime of personal communication and creativity. Cursive is “a powerful means of self-expression and personal connection in a disconnected world” and an essential part of everyday life. One teacher’s perspective on cursive evolved after her year-long process to heal a broken wrist. Through extensive rounds of occupational therapy and use of voice-to-text, she “found herself more times than I ever realized needing to write something on paper – post-it notes, signing my name, filling out forms at the doctor’s office, you name it.”

Cursive also develops physical and spatial awareness, providing “the neural foundation of sensory skills needed for a myriad of everyday tasks such as buttoning, fastening, tying shoes, picking up objects, copying words from blackboards, and most importantly, reading.” It also increases spelling ability “so that the letters will join in proper sequence and with proper spacing….”

Until I started exploring the connection between cursive and muscle memory, I was unaware that the hand acquiring memory of repeated fluid muscle movements “is the same phenomenon that occurs when pianists learn patterns of hand movements through continued repetition.” Proponents of cursive also argue that it facilitates increased writing speed, enabling more expressive ideas during classroom discussions and examinations.

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY

Write a note, journal entry, or letter in cursive. If you have written in cursive for several years, compare your current handwriting to your handwriting a decade ago. If you are teaching a child to write cursive, engage them in a conversation about how using cursive relates to daily tasks.

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[1] A Sunday newsletter and blog by Alysen Bayles to be shared with the appropriate attribute.

[2]Resources: Ramon Torres, Why Cursive Writing is Still Essential for Student Success, May 1, 2024, www.lwtears.com; Beth Moore, Why cursive? Why not?, Oct. 10, 2022, www.twowritingteachers.org; Candace Meyer, Cutting Cursive, The Real Cost, 2019, http://www.memoriapress.com; Iris Hatfield, Top 10 Reasons to Learn Cursive, Simply Classical Journal, Winter 2018.