Mary Beth Sears was my handwriting nemesis in the fifth grade. Mrs. Carpenter let her write with a blue ball point pen while I was stuck with the no. 2 pencil. I envied her, but she formed her letters with precision and elegance while I scratched my letters illegibly. I had to wait for the sixth grade to be able to write with a pen while she was busily inking her tests and essays. We seem to be in a generational decline in the graceful art of script; my mother’s hand writing was beautiful while I can barely read my youngest child’s.

There are lots of reasons to keep cursive handwriting in schools but only one reason to eliminate it: lack of funding and time. Schools in Utah are under tremendous funding pressure. There are more kids per class room every year while funding is decreased on per pupil basis every year. In addition, there is more focus than ever on standardized test scores.

Many schools are under pressure to improve standardized test scores, and they have reduced everything other than the very basics. Unfortunately, the so-called frills are needed by many students who have learning disabilities. Cursive handwriting helps young children learn to join letters together into word units. The forward motion of cursive letters helps students create a left to right bias that improves reading and writing. Writing practice also gives young students practice with spelling common words.

Many people feel that cursive letters are too hard for students, but I disagree. There is nothing fundamentally more difficult about cursive writing than print. Children will spend hours doodling with curlicues and spirals. Cursive writing is just directed doodling. Cursive writing is also faster and easier than print. Students can write notes faster and may be more inclined to write if they can write easily and well. Fluency in writing is as important to literacy as fluency in reading.

Writing practice will also improve a student’s interest in reading in the same way that kids will eat almost anything they have helped cook:  Kids love to read what they have written.

So, have your children learn how to write beautifully, and some day you may be rewarded with an elegant hand written thank-you card from your child.

Jeanne Whitmore is the founder and CEO of American Fork charter school Aristotle Academy and an education columnist for the American Fork Citizen. You can learn more about Aristotle Academy at aristotleacademyk8.org or on Facebook.