School districts that used to dedicate years to the study of cursive handwriting have scaled back considerably in recent years, however, Indiana is the first state to remove it from the curriculum altogether. Instead, teachers will be focusing on teaching their students to type. The move has created a huge debate to ensue, with supporters pointing towards the emergence of the Internet age and detractors citing recent standardized test scores. In other words, it seems that school administrators in Indiana can’t really catch a break.
On one hand, learning how to write, in all forms, is an incredibly important skill. Although most employers don’t require job seekers to hand write their applications, some due. In addition, penmanship is still a quality that is judged by college entrance boards and other schools. However, most school systems are not exposing students to computers and keyboarding skills until a much later age. Under the Indiana school system’s proposed plans, children as young as five years old will begin to learn about computers, software and typing.
This means that every Indiana high school graduate will know how to type proficiently. Administrators in the state have made it clear that they hope that the focus on keyboarding will help their students to become more well rounded. In reality, barely anyone uses cursive anymore. With the exception of applying a signature, almost everything is typed out or written in print handwriting. The only thing that Indiana schools need to worry about is the issues that their students will face if they are ever moved to a different state.
