Handwriting

My friend Aprille posted a wonderful entry about handwriting as a dying art.



My response to her beautiful post is simply my frustration as a child when being forced to learn how to write "neatly" which, to be completely honest, never stuck.  I have the worst handwriting known to man (hyperbole, I know).  I remember sitting day after day after school to pen my handwriting lessons over and over, much to my horrid frustration.

My "chibi" of myself as a child.  Click to view larger

I learned nothing but hatred from these forced tutoring sessions.   Hatred for handwriting, hatred for school, hatred for certain teachers, even some hatred for my parents for making me endure this hell.

I have since learned, or at least guessed, the reason for my horrid handwriting.  My brain processes things much quicker than I am able to convey in simple penned writing.  In order to keep up with my thoughts, my little hand moved quicker and quicker, rendering my words more and more illegible the longer I wrote.  My typing, though wrought with errors sometimes, has proven a much more satisfying writing experience for me.

In short, I do believe that all children MUST learn to pen correct handwriting, including cursive.  But for heavens sake, do NOT force them to sit after school to perfect each and every letter.  It won't happen!  You'll simply drive the child to learn how to hate, much like I did.  And that is no road for a child to traverse.